Your Bed, Your Sanctuary

Lauren King's master bedroom, as featured in Architectual Digest.

Maybe it's because the world has become a foreboding place, but in recent months, I've decided that the only bed worth having is a BED--a piece of furniture that's cozy and enveloping, that's a home within a home, a place where you can retreat and feel safe, comfortable, and at peace.

Auctions are excellent places to buy beds. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's the single least appreciated item of furniture you can purchase at auction. You get serious deals. This is because you are only rarely bidding against antiques dealers--they don't like to carry an item that requires so much room to display and can take a while to move. So that's one reason. The other is that the casual buyer gets nervous because older beds do not always conform to modern mattress sizes. But so what? Custom mattresses are available everywhere now. They cost about 25-30% more, but honestly, with a mahogany bed from Hickory Chair or Baker costing $10,000 and up, you are still going to be thousands of dollars ahead of where you'd be otherwise, with something more unique to boot that will better hold its value. 

This week, we will be looking at several styles of beds, beginning with my favorite style, the antique American or English wooden bed frame.

Bunny Williams's 19th c mahogany bed graces her bedroom in the Dominican Republic. From Bunny Williams' Point of View: Three Decades of Decorating Elegant and Comfortable Houses.

20th century oak canopy bed, at Christie's in New York on Feb 7th, estimate $1,000-$1,500.

Granted, you won't find many antique king beds, but you will find great deals on 20th century king frames, such as the ones above and below, which are coming up at Christie's next House Sale on February 7th-8th.

Recover the headboard, even paint the frame if you want, for a completely different look.Oak, four post bed, at Christie's on February 7th, estimate $1,500-2,000.

Antique Wooden Beds

Measurements for beds can be tough to interpret, since the auction houses give you the outside dimensions of the frame. This is particularly problematic for antique wooden beds. Will your mattress--spouse, five dogs--fit or not? To find out the answer, just email or call the auction house and request the interior dimensions where the mattress goes. (I'm telling you, if auction houses just provided this outright, they would have much more success selling beds, then again, they would probably sell for higher prices, so...)  The largest antique beds tend to be an inch or two off of a queen, which means that you can either get a custom mattress, or get a good restorer to try to extend the frame. A typical stripping and refinishing on a queen sized frame should run you between $500-$1,000. Update the rails or extend the frame, and you might be looking at a few hundred more.  But as you can see from the estimates below--and beds tend to really sell within or below the estimates, I've found--you'll still be saving huge amounts of money and saving an American treasure.

I love this room because it shows how, with a great bed, little additional adornment is necessary. From Country Living.

American Federal carved four post bed. At Neal on February 4th, estimate $2,000-3,000.

Beautiful 19th century canopy bed, at Cowan's Auctions, Inc, in Ohio on February 25th, estimate $800-1,000.

I normally don't like black and white designs, so I was surprised how well I thought this room came together. The strong mahogany furniture is balanced by the strong graphics and the result is very fresh, I think. From Country Living.

NEAL auction house in New Orleans is among my favorites for its consistently excellent selection. Up for bidding on February 4th,  a four poster American cherrywood bed, estimate $1,000-1,500.  
 

Curly maple cannonball bed, circa 1830. At Cowan's on February 25th, estimate $600-900.

Lovely country bedroom with bamboo canopy bed. From Elle Decor.

If you have to sleep on a twin bed, make it a twin four poster. They give the small frame stature and substance. One of my favorite Mary McDonald rooms, below, features twin four post mahogany beds and is another example of how the bold, some say heavy, American style of furniture goes well with strong graphics and colors.

From Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style
(that's an orchid in the foreground, in case you were wondering).

A stunning pair of Louisiana convent beds. Estimate $500-750. (There is a note about the condition, but no note! Be sure to get a condition report, since the estimate is low).

A pair of white painted twin beds, at Christie's, New York, on February 7th, estimate $1,000-$1,500.

More beds later in the week. Happy bidding everyone!