The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-09
FACTS AS TO BEDS.
Nickel Frames Unpopuar...Brass a
FavOrite Materia....Beds That
Cost Thousands.
From the Sun.

From the Sun.
There was time when the bedstead
was simple framework. Not so now.
Since the medical fraternity has declared
that 1t is essential for man to spend
one-third of his time sleeping the bed
stead has come to be one of the COM
pleXities of modern life. 1t has deve1-
oped from a skeleton of plain wood or
iron into a magnificent piece of furni-
ture, and people choose their bedsteads
with care and thought Nickel bed
steads are the newest. They are seen
at places where large assortments of
metal bed frames are kept The nickel
bedstead has proved a poor seller, for
1t is too cold in appearance to help fur
nish room. The average purchaser
looks at a bedstead from two view
points before buying, the utilitarian
and the ornamental, and really the lat
ter is often considered first. Since the
bedstead is the largest piece of furni-
ture in room, it naturally has impor-
tant work to do in giving the room
furnished appearance. The nickel bed
frame almost chills one to the mar
row to enter room on a cold day and
see great silver bedstead staring one
in the face.
nickel bedsteads," said a dealer,
'are fit only for one thing-that is, to
furnish summer houses. About year
ago Italy sent an Importation of bed
| frames made of German silver to this
| country, and American manufacturers
| got the idea of finishing metal beds
| in nickel Silver is the coolest metal
| we have; so naturally the German sill
| Yer beds We're hard stock, and so. too,
| those of nickel have proved. While
| they are made on the models of the
| brass bedstead, they have an unfinished
| appearance, and no amount of twists,
curves anr carvings can do away with
| this. A bedroom used only in summer,
| hung in pale blue or gray paper with
| mating on the floor, looks very invit-
ing on a hot day with a nickel bed
stead, but actually it almost makes one
shver to show one now. These frames
vary in price from SIG to $60 but they
will never come much into vogue.
Brass is the thing to get if one is
| buying metal bed. 1t is rich and
warm in appearance, and one does not
tire of it. The pattern differs little
from year to year, but each season
| Illus tlle lllllSn lllOlc ptllcCls "A lev
| years back New York people wouldn't
| have brass bed frame that didn't
| come from England. Now they prefer
those made in America, for our manu-
| facturers can't be eXcelled the world
over in this work. Compare a brass
bed frame of English with one of Amer
lean make, and even a non-eXpert can
see how much more finished looking the
| latter is.
Twin beds in metal or wood are the
| popular thing nowadays. The frames
are as alike as two peas in a pod, and
| appear to be one bed when pushed to-
gether. If one of two people occupy
ing the same bed happens to be rest
less the twin bed can be showed over
to the other side of the room. Women
who have snoring husbands pronounce
the twin frame godsend. The best
brass bedsteads are not made of solid
brass as is commonly supposed. They
have iron supports running through
each separate rod, and this gives the
frame rigidty, which is an essential
point, and also stability. Solid brass
frames give with every movement
and are easily bent.
AN odd design has a low foot
though high ones are most used now
and high head OF course it, like al
others, is made by hand and has great
deal of scroll work. Another rather
new one is the balcony bed. The rods
at the foot curve out and remind one
of the iron bars before bank windows
This is q favorite with very tall men
for it gives them ten or twelve extra
inches in length. The price is 500, ant
we have some as high as $500 a brass
frame seldom costs more than that
It's queer how dealers learn to reaC
peoples character by the bedstead:
they buy People of refinement anC
2 good taste get perfectly plain bras!
i. frames, while the new rich go in fo
2 the bedsteads of most fancy design
: Then we never fail to find out whether
7 a person has an artistic Temperament
a or not. Nickel bed frames will neve
oust those made OF brass even If th'
= latter are hard to keep clean in on,
sense"
mo metal bedstead can be made 81
= handsome as some wooden ones
y. Neither can it give such an air of com
V fort to a room.
g There is nothing like a mahogan,
DeuStpdu 10 give an ulI VI SoIlN' tOIii
n fort to a sleeping apartment" declare
t an authority on this subject. 1t can
. not be said that one wood is NOR
popular than another, for that is
r matter of taste; but many immensel
e wealthy people who are furnishing
l new homes these days are partial t
this bedstead. 1t is Louis XIV style
> and made of solid mahogany. w ma
l could be more graceful than thos
curved lines? 1t has Nernis- Martil
panels, ornamented with Cupids paint
ed in gold at head and foot, and tn
, carving could hardly be surpassed. tn
price is $500. The next Louis change
1 the style of bedsteads during his reign
t along with a good many other things
, and may prefer his fancy 1t is Yer,
, effective in light wood, with canop,
to match, lined with some pale-colore'
broCade. Here is one of birdseye mapl
r ornamented with hand-carved gar
lands that look almost as if one coul'