Think four posters are dated? Oh do wake up!
FoUr-PosTer beds aren’t back in fashion — they’ve never really fallen out. They have, however, moved with the times, adopting greener credentials and, as a result, attracting younger buyers.
‘Anything made from mahogany puts people off because they’re worried about the environment,’ says stephen edwards of The Four Poster Bed Company, which is based in herefordshire. ‘Ash is popular because it comes from sustainable forests and you can paint it, but the grain still shows through, which looks attractive. off-white and grey are in at the moment and four-poster beds have followed suit.’
edwards’s company exports beds worldwide. he has made one each for the actresses Kate Winslet and Kate hudson, and six for the late Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, chatelaine of Chatsworth house in Derbyshire. Four-posters have been aspirational for centuries. There’s something appealing about that ‘room-withina-room’ effect, whatever the season.
Their height and large scale make for an attention-grabbing alternative to ordinary beds, while also creating a dramatic focal point in any bedroom.
And while that horrible toffee-apple, French-polished brown wood has long been out of fashion, darker woods, light woods and metal are increasingly popular. shorter frames also mean that modern homes with lower ceilings can accommodate them.
The four-poster was the ultimate status symbol: the larger the bed, the better. When knights fought duels, and killed their opponents, they scarpered up their rival’s stairs and grabbed the four-poster as the first of their spoils — not forgetting the curtains, which often cost five times as much as the bed. T
he four- poster was introduced into the British isles in the 15th century. As it gained popularity, so it became bigger and bolder; just look at the nearly 11 ft sq Great Bed of Ware, which is in the Victoria and Albert museum. it was made in 1590 for the White hart inn at Ware, hertfordshire, and can accommodate four couples, should that be your thing.
But four-posters were meant to send out a class statement, too. While the servants and lesser mortals slept around the fireplace on straw with the dogs, the master of the house retired to his four-poster in his own bedroom, with thick drapes of tapestry or brocade to keep out the draughts.
The wealthiest houses had large elaborate beds with intricate hangings and soft feather mattresses under fine linen sheets. Noblemen often had their coat of arms embroidered into the hangings. Large beds would have a ‘truckle bed’ underneath for the unfortunate maid or valet, should his lordship need anything urgently in the night. That type of historic four-poster with a heavy wooden ‘roof’ and thick drapes has made way for the plainer so-called spire or pencil beds.
Both are essentially a simplified version of the original, with just posts and nothing above. Wayfair does a lovely spire version for £1,339.99 ( wayfair.co.uk).
Today’s new breed of four-posters still make an opulent design statement, but they are more restrained, with sharp rectangular wooden frames and curly metal shapes.
There is also an oriental influence, reminiscent of honeymoons in opulent hotels in Bali or Bangkok, with clean strong lines. A good example of the trend is the Japanese samurai bed by the Four Poster Bed Company, which is £3,850 for a king size ( fourposterbed.co.uk). Although historically four-posters were expensive and only for the privileged few, these days there are some bargains available. maisons du monde has the sheherazad steel king-size four-poster bed, at £401.50 ( maisons dumonde.com). if you want to spend more, then heal’s does the Pinner four-poster bed in flint white, as a king size at £899 (heals.com). This is based on a design from the heal’s archive from 1810 and is a pleasing fusion of the traditional and modern. For a New england look, revival beds does an attractive four-poster in oak or painted oak for £1,391 ( revivalbeds.co.uk). it’s worth asking before you buy whether the bed company is prepared to put the bed together for you, as it’s probably a two-person job. And, if you aspire to something as big as the Great Bed of Ware, you’ll need a football team to assemble it.