What is a canopy bed?
A canopy bed, commonly called a four-poster bed, features a tall post at each corner that supports a covering made of material or netting, which forms a private enclosure that can be drawn back. While today canopy beds are considered stylish, their roots lay in a far less glamorous past. During the Middle Ages thatched roofs were home to burrowing mice, caterpillars and other insects that often fell from the roof on to sleeping victims below. To solve the problem, posts were erected at all corners and a sheet thrown over the top to catch any wayward pests that could then be thrown out, come morning. The canopy bed was a necessity for a good night’s sleep! Wealthier landowners who resided in great stone castles didn’t have this problem, but they had another. In early European castles the Lord, his family and the servants slept in a single large room referred to as the great hall. Canopy beds, with their curtains, provided a modicum of privacy. Later, when castles afforded separate sleep
The name refers simply to any bed, usually wood or metal such as wrought iron, which is covered by a suspended cloth canopy. They come is a huge range of styles and you can usually buy the canopy as a set or separately from the bed itself, allowing you to create the perfect ensemble for your bedroom. Make you you know exactly what you’re getting, especially when you buy online – the canopy itself is very often not included in the price of the bed. Most specially built canopy beds will have a “canopy frame” above them from which the fabric will drape. This drape – often referred to as the curtains – is usually rectangular, tracing the outlines of the bed itself, however variations exist such as a circular frame above the middle of the bed. The canopy frame is usually supported by four posts, one at each corner of the bed. Hence the name four poster or four post bed. Sometimes these posts are plain, sometimes they are themselves ornately carved. Apart from the presence of the hanging cur
