The bedsteads were high and could only be ascended by the help of steps. Small cushions were placed at the head and sometimes at the back.

Feathers were used towards the end of the Republic, when custom demanded luxury. Īncient Roman mattresses were stuffed with reeds, hay, or wool. The poem's presumed author, Homer, also mentions the inlaying of the woodwork of the bed with gold, silver, and ivory. The Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem, describes the bed of its protagonist, Odysseus, and explains that he crafted the bed for himself and his wife, Penelope, out of a huge olive tree trunk that used to grow on the spot. Skara Brae (occupied 3180 BC to about 2500 BC)īeds found in a preserved northern Scottish village, which were raised boxes made of stone and likely topped with comfortable fillers, were dated to between 3200 BC and 2200 BC. The stone boxes are thought to have held bedding. Bedding is the removable non-furniture portion of a bed, which enables these components to be washed or aired out. Some form of covering blanket is often used to insulate the sleeper, often bed sheets, a quilt, or a duvet, collectively referred to as bedding. To support the head, a pillow made of a soft, padded material is usually placed on the top of the mattress. 'Headboard only' beds may incorporate a 'dust ruffle', 'bed skirt', or 'valance sheet' to hide the bed frame. Other beds are made specifically for animals.īeds may have a headboard for resting against, and may have side rails and footboards. Some beds contain neither a padded mattress nor a bed frame, such as the hammock. Temporary beds include the inflatable air mattress and the folding camp cot.

While most beds are single mattresses on a fixed frame, there are other varieties, such as the murphy bed, which folds into a wall, the sofa bed, which folds out of a sofa, the trundle bed, which is stored under a low, twin-sized bed and can be rolled out to create a larger sleeping area, and the bunk bed, which provides two mattresses on two tiers as well as a ladder to access the upper tier. Beds are available in many sizes, ranging from infant-sized bassinets and cribs, to small beds for a single person or adult, to large queen and king-size beds designed for two people. Many beds include a box spring inner-sprung base, which is a large mattress-sized box containing wood and springs that provide additional support and suspension for the mattress. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. Bedroom on the Detmold Open-air Museum premisesĪ bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.

Linen bed frame king