Home Design Tips

We have probably all heard the old expressions “snug as a bug in a rug” and “sleep tight”, and they conjure up such a warm, cosy picture in our minds, however the true meaning of these phrases are quite different! They actually refer back to the good old days when the beds were badly infested with bugs and “sleep tight” comes from the 16th century when mattresses were placed on the top of ropes which needed tightening regularly.

So, tonight when you tuck down for the night have a thought for our ancestors and wonder how they probably felt at bedtime!

Neolithic Period – It was 10,000 years ago when the first primitive beds were heard of.

3400 BC – It was the clever Egyptians who thought of raising a pallet off the ground out of the draughts. Tutankhamens bed was made of gold and ebony, whilst the commoners slept on beds made from palm leaves heaped in a corner of the room.

The Roman Empire – The innovative romans invented the first real luxury beds. They were highly decorated with gold, silver and bronze. Mattresses were made out of feathers, hay, wool and reeds. It has been said they were also the first to invent the water bed.

The Renaissance Period – It was during this time that mattresses were made from straw and pea shucks, very often feathers stuffed into course ticks and then often covered in sumptuous velvets, brocade and silks.

16th and 17th Centuries – This is the time when mattresses were stuffed with straw or down and placed on top of a latticework of rope, hence the term “sleep tight”.

18th Century – It was during this time that beds were made out of cast iron and cotton mattresses. They were so much more hygienic as they provided an area much less attractive to vermin and bed bugs.

1865 – the first bed with coil springs was made and patented

1930 – this saw the introduction of inner sprung mattresses along with bases that were upholstered

1940 – from North American came the futon

1950 – foam rubber mattresses and also pillows were manufactured

1960 – the trendy water bed was introduced

1980 – the airbed was launched

1990 – The Americans were the first to produce the “queen size” mattress

Which takes us to the 2000’s where we have so much choice in the way of bedroom furniture. Today we have the choice of memory foam mattresses, air beds, water beds and even hi tec adjustable beds.

So, tonight when you snuggle down in your warm and comfortable beds lets just remember how lucky we are to be living in this era!

Enter the exciting new world of textiles for a flair of tone and color that is replacing a onceroutine variety of modern decorative pillows. Designer modern room details are making news with an artistic flair that was once thought reserved for the stylish elite. No longer does one have to accept the same design and material pumped out by the millions to compliment a room.

With the 21st century, a new and creative group of designers are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to adding pizzazz to home decor. Swedish award-winning artist, Lena Bergstrom, led Swedish textile manufacturer, Designers Eye, into the millennium with soft, appealing designs, perfectly bringing an air of opulence to any living room group or rooftop garden. The felted, virgin wool in simple, yet elegant floral shapes or horizontal stripes have been noted throughout the world.

Mibo, founded in the UK, was the brainchild of TV and Film Art Director, Madeline Rogers. Noticing that her flat lacked a certain light in furnishings, she set out to rectify the problem. Pillows and wallpaper are part of her creativity using vivid, yet subtle hues in her modern accessories. Linen and cotton cushions bring a joyful brightness to any section of a room needing a pick me up. Another favorite is Madeline’s impressive tile tattoos that literally bring out the life in a kitchen or bath.

Page Ikeda and Rhonda Holloway, co-owners of Modern Basics, started their business of contemporary home furnishings and gifts in 2001. An appreciation of quality and design sensibilities led them to create basic, popular designs that can be found in stores throughout the United States today. Functional, stylish, fun and comfortable, throw pillows by Modern Basics hits the spot for that extra feeling of freedom.

A favorite of the Orient and now appearing more and more in the states is the zabuton. Typically square and measuring twenty to thirty inches across, this Japanese floor pillow has been used as a form of floor sitting for centuries in Japan. Designed to have an interior life of eight to ten years with daily use, the muslin fabric is perfect for an active home. Covering the exterior with another fabric can only add atmosphere to your room as these friendly pillows invite casual guests to have a seat.

Art no longer just belongs on a wall as a way to enjoy the best of beauty and creativity. With the flow of new designers discovering a different type of canvas in material, accessories can become dramatically stunning. The modern age is booming with fresh ideas and energetic inventiveness in home decor and pillow covers are a perfect route to take in providing the public with functional, mood pleasing workmanship. Allow yourself to browse the invigorating artists of today in textiles and let yourself live comfortably with art.

A matchless fashion of bed that has a arched or a scrolled foot along with the headboards is what we know as a sleigh bed.The bed resembles a sleigh or a sled and this category of bed derives its name because of this style. Mostly, wood is used to make this kind of beds and they are quite hefty too. The chronicle of the sledge beds can be traced to the French and the Americans furniture that were twisted as back as in the 1880s which was then also celebrated as the Empire design. This style drew its muse from the earliest society of Greece and Rome.

Today, sleigh beds are being made from resources other than wood. In simple words, the sledge beds in today’s age are completed from assorted equipments such as iron, steel and aluminum with relatively less overstressed curves at the foot and the headboards.

A sleigh bed has a high, arched back and has the similar design on the lower footboard. This style more or less alike the fashion of a horse driven sledge which is usually made from mahogany or the cherry wood. This makes it reminiscent of imperial times and increases some class to any bedroom. The headboards of the sledge beds are reasonably larger than the footboard. Both of them are rounded with their tops rolling outwards. This kind of bed with an fabulous looks and all the rich twirls offers an authentic look to any bedroom. The stylish rolling edges of the sleigh beds makes them distinctive from the other sharp line and oval or block created bed designs.

You should beautify your room with the best design or pattern if you are opting for a sledge bed in your room. Wooden sledge beds are generally prepared using tropical mahogany wood. The sledge beds are basically created from 100% kiln dried hardwood that is utilized for its strength and endurance. Finishes are generally spread over by hand to give it a rich look. These beds are sustained by a value framing system, headboard, footboard, and 4-slat system. The size of the headboard can easily help in concluding on how much major the bed will have for the room. If the bed is a center piece, then it should have a fairly higher headboard. In case, the bed is secondary, a shorter headboard is to be recommended.

Under cases where the sledge beds are made from the metals, they are created according to the traditional design itself. The appearance, power and burden of such a metal bed would depend on the kind of metal employed. Contemporary look could be given to sledge bed by using both wood and iron.

These sledge beds are obtainable in different sizes of Twin, Full, Queen, King and Cal King. While in the USA, the sledge beds are presented in the unlike sizes namely the Single, Double, Queen, Eastern King and the California King size.

Selection of such a sledge bed for your bedroom would certainly add class and luxury to your bedroom.