What is the purpose of a four-poster bed?

An oak wood four-poster bed is the stand-out piece of furniture in any bedroom and is a staple in a majority of English castles and royal homes. This would lead us to believe that the four-poster bed would have first originated in England, too. However, this is not the case and it is believed that the four-poster bed was first created in Austria.

The first four-poster beds were extremely simple in design. In the early days, the four-poster bed was made up of hardwood boards that were then covered in fur quilts. The canopy was first introduced in the 13 century and was not attached to the bed but was rather suspended from the ceiling. The four-poster first was created when the idea of adding side curtains that would be supported by beams to the bed was thought of. The reason for adding these curtains to the bed was entirely practical and that was to help the sleeper stay warm whilst they slept. It is known that in those days the rooms were not warm and were very draughty so adding the curtains to the bed would help keep in any body heat and in turn warm the individual up. The second purpose of the four-poster was privacy, this was because servants and guards often slept in the master bedroom. Adding a curtain to the bed provided the person sleeping with privacy whilst still having the servants and guards in the same bedroom.

As years progressed the style of the four-poster bed also evolved. There are now many different ways to style or dress a four-poster bed. The first way to dress a four-poster bed is with the classic heavy curtains and pelmets, you can also add a canopy, you can use different types of fabrics. There is a whole bunch of things you can do to your four-poster bed, as now the purpose of the four-poster bed isn’t to keep in warmth but rather to give the look of elegance and wealth.