CTA-arrowEPCExplore-IconMap-01Transportaccount-icon arrow-back arrow-leftarrow-rightarrowbath bed-bigbed close documentsdownload facebook-darkfacebookfloor-planfullscreen houseinstagram-darkinstagram-darklivingroom location-bigmailofficephoneprice-bigproperty-type-bigsavesearch-iconstampstreet-viewtwitter-darktwitter

Period Features: The Box Bed

I wonder if box beds might be a good idea for certain teenagers’ rooms? These were basically beds enclosed in a cabinet at one end of a room for privacy and warmth. They could be double height like a bunk-bed or ranged ...

I wonder if box beds might be a good idea for certain teenagers’ rooms?

Box bed in Shetland Museum
Box bed in Shetland Museum
These were basically beds enclosed in a cabinet at one end of a room for privacy and warmth. They could be double height like a bunk-bed or ranged along a wall with several compartments.box bed double I’m just thinking many parents and their children would love to shut the door on an unmade bed.
Western Europe, especially the north of England, Scotland, Brittany and the Netherlands had a strong tradition for these stored away sleeping compartments. By the 18th century they had developed from basic boxes, often with just a curtain on one side, to a sophisticated piece of furniture. box bed frenchEmily Bronte had Mr Lockwood, in Wuthering Heights, exclaiming with surprise when he realised his bed would be in a ‘little closet’, despite these private little nooks reputably being very popular at the time with young gentlemen in London. When fashions changed and people became more prosperous in the later 19th century many of these charming little closets were upcycled into cupboards or book shelves. Some remain however and maybe we should take another close look at them as the trend for bijou sized, central city living spaces increases.

Subscribe to our blog

Latest News