After a few years of minimalist house and home design being very trendy, designers are now moving towards a plusher feeling for homes, particularly when it comes to furnishings. Canopy beds are growing in popularity and whether you have a small or large bedroom, there is a canopy design to suit.
Historically, four poster beds were also known as canopy beds, although the modern meaning of the term is often a much smaller canopy over the head of the bed.
You can purchase a number of modern designs of four poster bed; alternatively, you could put a smaller-scale canopy over the head of your existing bed for a similar effect on a smaller scale and for less expense.
For those skilled in DIY, you can find plenty of designs to build a frame for your canopy online. There are also plenty of canopies available commercially in many different materials, designs and sizes.
Fabric choices
Once you have decided on the size and design of your frame, you need to work out what material you wish to cover it with. It is fabric more than anything that creates the feel and effect the canopy brings to the room; therefore, this is a very important consideration.
Originally four posters were all about keeping in warmth at night, with heavy, opulent fabrics harking back to this earlier period and giving a warm period feel to a bedroom; now, in our central heating world, we can choose the canopy fabrics for their looks rather than their practicality. You might consider linen for clean lines; cotton or manmade mixes for a more modern, lighter feel; or even silks, damasks or tulles for a dream-like floaty effect.
Colours and patterns
If you are making your own canopy, you can pick and choose the colour, pattern and type of fabric you use.
Think about the effect you want to create and choose the type, colour and pattern to suit, from heavy, plain velvet to bright spotty patterns, floral cotton poplin fabric, or even pink and floaty damask – the combinations are almost endless. Fabrics are available in stores or online from stockists such as http://www.higgsandhiggs.com/fabrics/cotton-poplin-fabric-112cm.html.
Take some time to decide your design before you buy your fabric to ensure you get the effect and feel you are looking for.
