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What Were Daybeds like in the Victorian Bedroom

By Ben Weissman

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05May2010 Word count: 510 Viewed: 572 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Imagine beautiful iron daybeds in a Victorian bedroom and you might imagine frills and extra bedding, but in fact, this is not likely to be the case. During Victorian times, what we would consider a modern daybed mattress and bedding was not the same as it was present at that time. In fact, you are not even likely to see this type of furniture within the bedroom at all. They were often placed in a fainting room, a room usually off the parlor or in the main area of the home, where a woman could go to recover from fainting spells usually caused by overheating or a shortness of breath due to the tight fitting corsets she wore.

Their Design and Use

One of the main ways that modern daybeds different from what we might see today is in their construction. Metal daybeds were unheard of and therefore most were wood daybeds. Even the best mattresses were made up of cushions and draperies, which were added to the construction of the rope bed. During the 900's through the 1700's, it was more common to find long wooden chest and rope beds. All of those cushions would have made them very expensive and therefore it was less common for these pieces of "modern" bedroom furniture to be prominent in a home.

In the 1600's, a new type of bed was incorporated into many of the well to do homes. It features a fold up design which allowed it to be put away when it was not needed. The folding daybed frame had cushions and thicker fabrics used to dress it up. In the years to come, the French resting bed became popular. It featured between six and eight legs. Another option was the William and Mary long chair as well as the drop arm sofa. However, daybeds were still an important part of many homes.

From the 1700's through the 1800's, homes with more modern bedroom furniture may have incorporated a Daybed with Trundle into the space. They were still present in the main portion of the home and used for the same resting purpose. They did have numerous names, though, including the "sofa da reposo" and "chair 'a duchesse." One of the differences during this time is that many made them look more elegant than the humble beginnings from which they came. During this time, the "modern" daybed would beginning to take on a place for people to sit and relax for a short period of time, which meant more elaborate designs were included including things like the wrought iron daybeds.

Throughout Victorian times, what we know of contemporary daybeds were nonexistent. Rather, these beds were often wood daybeds, with limited comfort to them. However, the look and charm of these beds, and all of the layers of cushions and fine fabrics is something that has remained present throughout history. You will find modern elements to them today, including eco friendly mattress options and even upholstered headboards. Still, the look of them is very much still Victorian in many cases.

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