An indulgent bed

GUY GOODFELLOW

The four-poster bed was invented to insulate the occupant from the freezing cold country house bedroom of the medieval period. Insulation in the form of panelling to walls, lined and interlined curtains, and eventually central heating, enabled country house owners to escape from the mass of curtaining. At their peak, in the 18th century, the ‘State Bed’ was the greatest status symbol in more important stately homes. This was the grandest interpretation of the four poster and was installed in case the king or a member of the royal family announced they were coming to stay while travelling the country.

Today, the four-poster bed remains the ultimate luxury and can be a very expensive investment. The antique mahogany frame ( below right) is hung with fabrics and metallic trimmings. Hiding the tracks (if the curtains are required to function) is always tricky – try utilising a second internal pelmet, behind which the curtains run. Here, though, the curtains are on short, fixed tracks, eliminating the need for the second internal valance.

The pink and grey bed ( right) in a Bennison printed linen, is a much simpler construction, a design made popular by David Hicks, where a lightweight wooden frame is suspended from the ceiling and fabric is stretched over it (known as the ‘tester roof’). From this, hangs the simple plain valance to the three exposed sides, and the curtains are hung from fixed tracks around each corner and also across the headboard wall. This means there are no posts at all. My own bed is the same and I cannot tell you how nice it is to wake up in each morning.