Throwback Thursday’s Box Beds

Throwback Thursday’s

Box Beds

I’ve been racking my brain trying to remember where I was here in The Netherlands where I first saw a Box Bed. It was a castle or an old house that I toured but I remember quite clearly falling in love with the little Box Bed.

Rembrandt's Box Bed

A Box Bed is a bed that is set into the wall, part of a cupboard or furniture. It’s surrounded by the three walls and usually had a door or curtain to enter and exit at the front. Here in The Netherlands, closet beds or bedsteads were common in the 19^th century especially in farm homes.  

Guest bed in Rembrandt's home

Using this kind of bed was popular because you then didn’t have to have a separate room for the bed. Also the close proximity of the walls would keep the occupants nice and warm at night due to body heat. This allowed the family to turn off the fire at night.

Dutch Box Bed

Many Box Beds held more than one person.  Sometimes up to four people would share a bed. During the 16^th and 17^th century the beds were not very long because the people were a little shorter back then and also it was believed that lying down was associated with death. People would sleep partially sitting up. Very often there were drawers or rolkoetsens that pulled out. This is where children would sleep. Nice and cozy in their drawer. 

French Box Bed

My husband’s grandmother, “Grandma Hoff” was the only surviving child of a set of triplets. She was born in Germany and slept in a drawer. Now I’m wondering if it was a Box Bed.

I’ve always loved window seats but would love to have this in my home now instead.

There were ten in the bed and the little one said “Roll Over”