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The traditional canopy bed of today is said to follow the style of the Victorian era. Although these uniquely designed beds existed even during medieval times, it was only in the 16th century that it evolved from the simplest utilitarian beds into the more ornate traditional canopy bed that we know today.
The Victorian era covered most of the 19th century. From 1837 to 1901 Queen Victoria reigned in England, and subsequently gave the era its name. This century has witnessed the rise of the British Empire even in the field of furniture styles. There are about 5 distinctive periods of Victorian design, among them the Medieval or Gothic Revival, Liberty Style, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco. However, Victorian furniture is mainly characterized by ornate embellishments and the use of dark hardwood. This is the style of the traditional canopy bed as we know it today.
Sometimes known as the four-poster, the canopy is a type of bed with columns or posts in all four of its corners. A frame runs through the top of the bed. Cloth or fabric is then draped over these frames and posts to create a beautiful canopy over the sleeping area. In this way, an otherwise ordinary bedroom is transformed into something special. A traditional canopy bed style works extremely well with a rich and plush bedroom design.
In a traditional canopy bed, the posts, footing, headboard, and frames are decorated with beautifully crafted carvings and gilded metals. The material is long lasting hardwood, or is made to look like one by the application of a warm dark stain. Alternatively, some of the designs for a traditional canopy bed use metal frames and posts. The curtain for the canopy is made out of carefully chosen fabric, such as velvet or the elaborately patterned chintz, for a luxurious drapery. True to the Victorian style, the drapery undergoes an elaborate treatment. It is decorated with linings, borders, pleats, ruffles, and ribbon trims. The fabric panels are cut longer than necessary so as to achieve an effect of puddling drapery at the floor of the bed.
This then is a description of the traditional canopy bed.
If this type of canopy bed is not for you, then there are other styles to choose from. There is the modern or contemporary canopy bed for a sleeker, simpler decorating style. There is the American traditional, the rustic, the country, and the antique.
And then there are the canopy beds which are listed according to size. These are the king-sized, the queen sized, and the smaller versions which are meant for children’s bedrooms.
A design trick is to change the fabric or drapery of a traditional canopy bed. It will change the whole appearance and looks of the bed and its surroundings. This works for contemporary canopy beds as well. Therefore you can have a white canopy bed, a black canopy bed, even a tie dyed or a delicate mosquito netted canopy bed.
All these are the choices to consider when looking at a traditional canopy bed and its variations.