Historically French beds were made of ornate wood and or steel. Their size was not of the standards that we have today. Actually, translated from Italian they called the bed size, “one and a half”, as the width was the size one and half twin beds. Today the style and old world craftsmanship is still available is many variation of this style bed, but the sizes have been standardized to twin, full, queen and king. These beds are not for the budget-minded decorator, as they will cost between six hundred dollars and on up to the ten thousand dollar range. The latter being painstakingly handcrafted by a true artisan.
The most popular French beds sold in the United States is the country version, that usually has the most lavish scalloped carvings in the head and foot board, and the legs have more detail than one would ever imagine. When a person sees a bed like this for the first time, it makes them think of a bedroom in a country side castle or mansion. There are now hundreds of variations of this theme, but the original still holds all the distinction and wealth of design that it did hundreds of years ago in Europe.
Kings and queens had these beds made to their own specification and shipped all over Europe in the past. It could take up to a year or more for a sculptor to finish his masterpiece before it was honed and assembled into the final product. Then the beds were shipped on sailing ships to various countries for delivery. These pieces of slumber furniture were made of hardwood and finished to a high gloss, sometimes weighing several hundred pounds not including the mattress. Speaking of mattresses, as they were of unique size back then, they had to be custom handmade to order to fit the frame.
Today even sleigh beds include a French version with the main pieces having carvings that only rival a painted mural on a wall, but foot and headboards have a mono tone three dimensional artwork that will shock and awe the most demanding interior designer. If you can find an antique French bed from the sixteenth century in good condition, be prepared to pay well over fifty thousand dollars for this odd sized piece of art that really belongs in a museum instead of one’s bedroom. Furniture manufacturers not only carry on the traditions of the French bed makers, but also have matching dressers; armoires and nights stand to complete a bedroom suite.