Georgian Bedroom
By the eighteenth century there were various alternatives to the four poster bed. The bed might be:-
- placed inside an alcove
- draped with curtains and swags
- set sideways along the wall
- canopied (less than bed length, full bed length or from a central dome)
Curtains surrounding the bed became less important as heating improved. Beds might be draped with silk or chintz for decorative effect and held back with another contrasting fabric. Half tester beds grew in popularity and metal replaced wood for the first time. Bed linen might be made of linen edged with lace. There would be plenty of pillows and bolsters.
Bedrooms were quintessentially feminine rooms used for ladylike pursuits such as needlework, embroidery and reading as well as sleeping and dressing.
For the first time the bedroom furniture was upholstered in matching fabrics. Decorative motifs might be inspired by the fashionable style of the times, Palladian. Columns and capitals might be included in furniture design
 Rococo was a popular and romantic bedroom style.
The Georgian bedroom was deemed to be a room of privacy and for this reason adjoining rooms started to develop. An adjoining dressing room might be decorated in a indulgent, romantic fashion, full of frippery and fuss. Trinkets, ornaments and pictures would be displayed in profusion. Fine wallpapers with designs of birds and flowers were very typical in here. Soft greens, blues and pinks were all popular colours.
Dressing tables swaggered under the weight of cosmetics, creams and pomades. Georgian gentlemen owned nearly as many toiletries as their wives. Dressing tables were in every bedroom. They were usually rectangular in shape and many had little drawers or lift up doors with room for storage inside. A skirt surrounded the table down to ground level and a mirror was placed on top of it. On top of the table might be assorted little pots, trinket boxes and dishes, mirrors and looking glasses. Other bedroom furniture included:-
- tallboys
- chest of drawers
- small side tables
- night table
- washstand
- pitcher and bowl
- soaps and towels
- wig stands
- shaving mirrors and razors
- cases for brushes
- sewing equipment
- upholstered occasional chairs
- densely patterned wallpapers
- heavy curtains
- woodwork painted in dark colours
- rugs
- footstools
- bible
- samplers (homemade)
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