Wooden beds are the most important
bedroom furniture, which is
mainly used for the purpose of sleeping. Wood beds are essentially bed
frames consisting of a "headboard", "side rails",
and "footboard" or "front rail".
Bed Frames
A bed frame or bedstead is that part of a bed which is used to position
a mattress off the floor. Wooden bed frames are the most popular ones
since ancient times till the present day. A bed frame of most of the
single beds, is made up of headboards, footboards, and
sideboards. Most double beds
including queen and king size beds also have some type of center support
rails. Sometimes these large beds have extra feet too that extend down
to the floor. Headboards and footboards can be made of any
type of wood which can further be
stained, painted, or covered with fabric or leather.
Bed Sizes
Most of the wooden beds come in standardized sizes
for the convenience of finding the right sized mattresses. However,
customized beds can be made to specific orders. The most common types of
beds in standard sizes are Twin /Single Beds; Full/Double Beds; Queen
Beds; and King Beds. The standard bed size accross different parts of
world has been given in the following table.
Types of Beds
Wooden Platform Storage Bed Depending upon the functionality and usage,
beds can be categorized into many types.
Platform Beds
Platform beds have a raised, flat, hard,
horizontal surface which is meant to support just a mattress. Platform
beds give firm cushioning. As they have the support of slats or solid
paneling, they do not need a box spring or a mattress foundation. The
design of platform beds itself give adequate support to the mattress.
Four Poster Beds
A four poster bed has four vertical columns
at each corner, used to support the tester or the upper panel of the
bed. This is one of the popular
wooden antique furniture.
Many antique four poster beds dating 16th century and earlier can be
found in the homes of art lovers. In earlier times, the tester was used
to hold bed curtains but the modern day four poster beds are used for
draping mosquito nets or some exquisite fabrics for giving romantic look
to any bedroom.
Storage Beds
Some platform beds have drawers under the bed
frame to be used as storage space. The storage may be placed beneath the
side rails or may include drawers incorporated into the footboard of the
bed. Some of such storage platform beds have retractable storage
headboard units. This type of beds provide deep storage.
Bunk Beds
Wooden Bunk Bed In bunk beds, one bed frame is stacked on top of
another. There may be three tiers of a bunk bed too. This way, more than
one person can sleep on the bed that needs lesser floor space. These
beds are commonly used in ships and in army garrisons or in places like
dormitories, summer camp cabins, hostels, prison cells, or university
residence halls. Bunk beds are most popular kids beds.
Futon Beds
Futons are traditional style of Japanese bedding
consisting of padded mattresses and quilts that can be folded and stored
away during the day. The modern wooden futon beds have major differences
in the sense that they are always placed on a wood bed frame for dual
use as a bed and a
chair or couch. The frame, generally,
folds in the middle letting the futon to be used as a couch and flattens
to be used as a bed.
Adjustable Beds
An adjustable bed has a multi-hinged lying
surface which can be adjusted to a number of different positions. The
upper body can be inclined and the lower body can be raised
independently of each other. Height of the bed can also be adjusted and
it can be tilted as well to raise the upper body or the lower body. They
are mostly used as hospital beds as the patients who can not move by
themselves can be comfortably dealt with while lying on an adjustable
bed.
Camp Beds
A camp bed or a cot is a small portable, lightweight
bed used in place of permanent beds, usually as
outdoor furniture. They
consist of a folding lightweight wood frame and are covered with canvas,
linen or nylon. Therefore, they can also be termed as folding beds. Camp
beds are generally used by armies or government organizations for their
outdoor activities.
Canopy Beds
Wooden Canopy Bed A canopy bed is something similar to a four poster
bed. It is essentially a decorative bed. A typical canopy bed usually
has posts at each of its four corners that extend four feet high or more
above the mattress. Ornate or decorative fabric is sometimes draped
across the upper space between the posts. A solid swath of cloth may
also be used to make a fabric ceiling, or canopy directly over the bed.
Infant Beds
An infant bed, sometimes also called a cot is a
small bed specifically meant for the use of infants, generally up to 3
years old. The sides of these beds are too high for a baby to climb and
they also do not provide no footholds. This is done to avoid falling of
babies from the beds. These beds can be stationary or portable
(portacots).
Sleigh Beds
A sleigh bed has curved or scrolled footboard and
headboards. As such, they look like a sled or sleigh, thus the name.
These typical wooden beds are quite heavy and owe their designs to the
empires of ancient Rome and Greece.
Couch Beds
A couch bed is, in fact, a
wooden sofa that unfolds into a bed. It
is also known as pullout couch, or sleeper sofa.
