When it comes to luxury beds, the only limitation is money. In today’s hi-tech world, beds can resemble the bridge of a space ship in functionality. (No doubt there are many youngsters out there who dream of boys’ beds with that much hi-tech functionality, but rest and sleep would be the last thing on their minds if they had them!)

Luxury beds range from the pristine and elegant, to the ultimate in hi-tech, but common to all of them would have to be the finest quality luxury mattresses. A normal double mattress just wouldn’t cut it in the world of luxury. Whatever the style, the moment of true luxury comes when you lie down and the corners of your mouth turn up uncontrollably, while a long, irrepressible, deep sigh escapes your throat.

Temporarily spurning the materialistic toys of modern electronics, luxury has many faces. There are king-sized four-posters of infinite designs, from ornately carved wood to intricately fashioned iron; with fabrics exotic and delicate, carefully draped with majestic flair.

If four-posters are not your style, there is luxury in exotic wood, with ivory inlays, or even gold leaf. There’s marble, bronze, leather or silk. Wardrobes and dressers, ornate or silky smooth, with mirrors of note covering every angle, and lighting to match.

If electronic functionality is what you prefer, there’s hardly a limit. Choose the shape of your bed, then add a luxuriously padded headboard equipped with control panels that command every function: intercoms to summon staff for room service, Bluetooth for those long mobile phone conversations, music from surround-sound speakers, tastefully hidden, knobs for dimming or switching lights in every part of the room, video equipment, computerized alarms to wake you delicately and temperature control.

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Genuine antique beds are, of course, extremely expensive. But happily one can obtain a large variety of antique style beds-reproductions of original designs, to reproduce that bedroom elegance-at a more reasonable cost.

One of the great features of antique style beds is that they focus on the raw material and craftsmanship. The upholstered bed is not a feature of those designs. Large, ornate headboards are generally the focal point, dominating the whole room.

Antique beds also came in various sizes, the most popular size for the main bedroom being the king size bed. (Although varying slightly in dimensions, modern king size mattresses would fit them.) Double beds and twins were, of course, in common usage too.

The flamboyant designs of the antique beds conjure up immediate images of huge four-poster beds in spectacular wood, cast iron or brass. The metal beds often had beautifully designed frames above them, creating a virtually separate ‘space’ within the bed area. While the large ones are certainly a focal point in any bedroom, the smaller single four-posters of that design make a wonderful space in a girl’s bedroom. It creates a fairytale world all of her own.

An interesting design akin to the four-poster is what they called a ‘half tester bed’. This is generally an ultra-high headboard – the size of a four-poster – usually well endowed with lace or exotic material, while the footboard is of normal size.

Another interesting concept was the ‘day bed’. This was a combination of a bedstead and a sofa, often used as a cot or an occasional bed. Very often these were placed in the living area as a feature.

The style and elegance of the antique designs is timeless; modern reproductions of those designs will always be popular choices.

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Thought to date back to the 13th century, the four poster bed has long been synonymous with the rich and noble. Nowadays, with many shapes and styles of beds available, it has never been easier to choose the ideal four poster bed to suit you and your budget.

As the name suggests, the four poster bed has four posts (one in each corner) which can be up to six and a half feet high. Attached to the top of the posts is a rectangular panel called the upper. The four poster bed was originally designed to hold bed curtains; these would hang from the upper and enclose the bed to provide shelter from drafts and the cold.

Historically, the four poster bed would have been owned by the rich and even royalty, with many examples of these beds still prevalent in many stately homes and castles throughout the UK. The richer the family the more extravagant the bed; usually these are intricately carved from oak or hardwoods.

With many sizes and style available on the market today, everyone can experience the comfort and relaxation of owning a quality four poster bed.

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