The idiom, a ‘man’s house is his castle’, should be changed to ‘a man’s (or indeed woman’s) bed is his castle’. The modern human is a creature of luxury and comfort, we love feather duvets, soft dressing gowns and toasty warm towels straight out of the dryer and our beds are central to this lifestyle. King-sized beds have not only been developed to provide people with the epitome of comfort but also to be a family place, where children can play and parents can eat their breakfast off trays. And the king-size bed boasts a long and pretty interesting history.
The king-size bed in ancient times
Tutankhamen’s bed
Did you know that 10 000 years ago (in the Neolithic period) when people started living in fortresses, they also started sleeping on primitive forms of the modern bed? These were raised by stones and padded with straw or other soft materials. The Cairo museum still houses Tutankhamen’s magnificent golden king-size bed. Kings and queens of the ancient world didn’t have any reservations when it came to their luxury beds: the ancient Persians used inlays of rare ivory or mother-of-pearl so that the beds could stand testament to their wealth and nobility.
The king-size bed in pre-modern Europe
Napoleon's bed
The kings and queens of England and France lived lavishly in their ornate bed chambers and their four poster beds were massive for the time, although these days the beds look rather short and cramped. The 17th century is sometimes called “the century of magnificent beds” according to Wikipedia and the extravagant French king, Louis X1V had over 400 luxury double and king-sized beds to his name, which gives a new meaning to the phrase ‘sleeping around’. Napoleon Bonaparte, despite his revolutionary roots and diminutive size, also had his own gilded king-size bed. Our heritage from the kings is the modern French bed, which, while ornate, is far more subdued these days.
An super size bed for Longshanks
Edward I, known as Edward Longshanks, had to have a super-long king-sized bed to accommodate his height (175cm which was tall back then). The Tower of London houses a re-creation of Longshanks’ bed which had a feather mattress and a canopy that hung from chains.
Interestingly, the entire bed was portable as the king was a frequent traveller and this is why chains and rails were used for the bed’s construction.
The modern king-size bed
largest modern bed
These days gold gilding is reserved for the super rich and super tasteless but bigger is still better. People who can afford the best quality beds still want space and comfort. And space is exactly what the largest contemporary king-size bed in existence offers; this retro-style wood bed is a whopping twelve by ten feet long, but, be warned, you may need to own a large palace to accommodate it.
Most people are satisfied with an average king-sized or even double bed which can provide two people with a good night’s sleep and a place to read the newspaper on Sunday morning. Having said that, the extensive range of attractive queen/ king-sized frames, headboards and bedding on the market still allow people the freedom to express their personalities and perhaps even show off their wealth with their beds.