Beddy Buys
Throughout history, beds have served as more than a place to rest our heads. Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, beds have been barometers of social status.
The wealthy and powerful had an inventory of beds they used for specific purposes--giving birth, conducting ceremonies and receiving their equally privileged acquaintances. Monarchs even ruled from their beds. France’s King Louis XIV, for instance, is said to have had more than 400 of them from which he conducted affairs of state, according to Alecia Beldegreen in her book, “The Bed” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1991).
Most of us, on the other hand, are limited to one bed. But considering how much of our lives are spent in it, a little royal treatment is in order when it comes to purchasing one.
“People don’t buy beds because they need them. People buy beds because they like them,” says David Klein, who with his wife, Linda, owns Charles P. Rodgers Brass and Iron Beds Inc. of New York. So the first rule, say bed designers and sellers, is be sure you like the way the bed looks.
Sounds simple, but the style that looks great in a magazine may lose something in the transition to your bedroom. What should be a soothing and comforting component of your bedroom can turn into an irritating eyesore. And with prices that generally start close to $1,000 and can go much higher, a top-quality bed is a considerable investment. The experts suggest visualizing the bed in it assigned place and be sure it complements the decor and design of the room.
Next, consider size--the key consideration is scale. Although bed and mattress sizes remain standard, the trend toward larger bedrooms and bedroom suites has spawned another trend: high headboards or canopies with plenty of mass to add an architectural element to those rooms.
Again, such beds may look right at home in a large room with high ceilings and a bank of windows, but your bedroom may not be large enough to carry such a big load. And even if it is, the size you want may be unavailable. A twin bed displayed in a showroom may not come in a larger size, or a queen may be the largest size in a style that you want in a king size. It pays to check, says Guy Walters, a vice president of Thomasville Furniture of Thomasville, N.C. “Before falling in love with a bed, make sure the manufacturer makes the bed in that size,” he says.
Also, make sure the bed can fit through the doors in your house and around tight corners. This applies primarily to mattresses and springs, since they are bulky and somewhat inflexible.
Beds as we know them have not changed much over the centuries, and the way they are put together is not complicated. The main parts consist of a headboard, footboard (which can be omitted to keep the price down), and the rails that run down the length of the bed and support the springs and mattress. There are some additional components--such as the slats, which provide extra support for the springs and mattress--and some additional supports in the larger-sized beds.
The difference in quality among beds is determined by the materials and the way they are put together. Better beds generally use solid wood in the headboard, footboard and rails. To cut costs some bed manufacturers use veneers over materials such as plywood or other wood composites. Parts on bargain beds are likely to have printed wood-grained finishes like that found on faux-wood paneling.
As for construction, all the components should be sturdy enough to perform their functions for a long time. As with good furniture, the joinery indicates the quality of the work. Butt joints, in which pieces are merely placed against each other and screwed together, will not last as long as pieces that are fastened with glue, screws and mortise-and-tenon joints, in which pieces are cut so that one end of the joint forms a tongue (the tenon) that fits into a cut-out slot (the mortise).
The posts (the four upright pieces) are the main supports and should be solid and thick, since they hold up the frame. The frame should not be so wide or long that it permits the spring / mattress set to slide around and create gaps along the side rails or at the headboard and footboard.
Finally, consider the height of the bed with your spring / mattress set, because the result may be too high or too low for getting in and out of bed comfortably. This is particularly significant if you’re eyeing an antique bed or one of the popular antique reproductions.
The guidelines for buying wooden beds generally can be applied to high-end brass beds, as well. Appearance and size come first, Klein says. What primarily distinguishes a good bed is the use of solid brass parts in components such as cannonballs on the headboard and footboard, as well as in the construction of the frame. The frame should be rigid, welds smooth and continuous, and the iron work hand-forged and solid. A well-made brass bed has some heft, Klein says. “You don’t want to buy a bed by the pound, but the better brass beds are heavier.”