3ft Antique French Folding Iron Day Bed – Ref. 9365DI36

Highly decorative and extremely rare antique French all iron, folding day bed.  This early model, made in Paris circa 1840, features the most beautiful proportions.   The main and almost unique feature here are the cast iron ‘Barley Twist’ main posts.  The posts have a very gentle taper and this delicacy of design allied to the romantic curly iron work and a highly detailed cast iron plaque mounted to the front panel, all combined to make this bed an un-repeatable proposition for antique bed buyer of today.

Today French iron days beds are a very popular addition to many interior schemes.  Such is their versatility allied to their ability to be dressed with cushions fashion from fabrics that align with rooms decorative scheme rooms, they ultimately provide a really welcome retreat.  A real modern day ‘lit de repose’ upon which one can go to rest, read, sleep and dream.

The barley twist feature, resembling a spiral corkscrew-like form is named after “barley sugar twists”, a type of traditional sweet candy.  Hugely popular in 17th century British wooden furniture, the barley twist was often a favoured choice for furniture legs, struts and decorative furniture trims.  Be assured, you will not see another day bed with this feature unless visiting Bed Bazaar.  We in fact currently have two in stock, this one featured here and another even rarer 5ft6 model!

Iron days beds were developed in 17th century Italy to address concerns about infestation by bed bugs and moths. An iron cradle (with dangerously pointed corner posts) has been dated to 1620-1640. In the UK from the start of their production in the 1850s until World War I, iron beds were handmade as they were across Europe too.