When it comes to bedroom furniture, a four-poster bed is guaranteed to make a design statement. Whether your decorating style is modern or traditional, finding the right bed, bed frame and mattress is top of the priorities list - who knew fairy tales contained helpful design advice? Because we spend a third of our lives in bed, finding the right piece of bedroom furniture is essential for a restful night's sleep. Regal-looking four-poster beds aren't limited to the canopy beds of the past (although there are some beautiful minimalist updates on this style); you can find everything from reworked country styles to luxury boutique-hotel chic, from chunky wooden bed frames to streamlined metal four-posters. Whatever your preferred interior style, we've chosen a selection of our favourite four poster designs to help you find your dream bed. 8 hours uninterrupted sleep each night? Yes please.
This stunning oriental four-poster bed is hand-crafted from distressed black lacquered solid hardwood. The elegant and modern addition of tapered posts work to create an optical illusion - as they narrow towards the ceiling, the posts create a sense of height rather than having the cocooning effect of chunkier posts. The inscribed brass panels in the wooden headboard provide a subtle eastern detail.
There's something rather 18th-century about this sturdy, handsome bed. Add some vintage accessories and a silk slip for some serious lounging.
Canton Black Four-poster Wooden Bed, £1395, Lombok.
The high frame at the top end of this modern take on a four-poster bed is perfect for draping your favourite fabric, in place of a traditional canopy or headboard. Make the untreated solid-wood surface more durable and easier to care for by oiling, waxing, lacquering or staining it. Adjustable bed sides allow you to use mattresses of different thicknesses.16 slats of layer-glued birch adjust to your body weight and increase the suppleness of the mattress.
With its solid metal frame and large headboard, this industrial-style bed is softened by curving lines of steel, finished in a smooth satin powder coating. In contrast with the slender tubular steel posts, each of the spindles in the headboard is decorated with a turned solid oak 'bead', a design device that also features atop the frame.
I love how this blends modern materials with classic styling. The combination of powder-coated metal and turned wood is pretty unique.
Abacus Four-poster Bed, £1195, Heal's
This versatile four-poster bed, featuring clean lines and a simple silhouette, would suit most interior styles. The solid-wood bed frame is hand-crafted by skilled workers in Indonesia from reclaimed teak.
This charming four-poster bed is perfect for more modern bedroom schemes. Its light colour means it won't look too imposing in smaller rooms, either.
Four-poster Bed, £1731, Raft Furniture
The slim silhouette of this metal four-poster frame - finished in a soft Gunmetal Grey - ensures this bed makes an impact without overcrowding the space. Includes a pocket-sprung, king-size mattress for an extremely comfortable night's sleep.
Something about this bed makes me want to travel the world... or at least daydream about far-flung destinations while I'm lazing on a weekend!
Tuvalu King-size Bed and Mattress, £2590, Oka
This beautiful Arts and Crafts-inspired four-poster bed, with its lean tapered poles, has been fashioned from aged limed oak and finished in a contemporary colour.
This is a great example of modern design reworking a classic style - the four posts without the top rail creates drama and draws the eye endlessly upwards! Plus, this shade of indigo is on-trend for decorating this season.
Pinner 4-poster Bed, £945, Heal's
For those with traditional bedroom ideas, you can't go wrong with this Georgian-style four-poster bed that features a classic trellis-like canopy. The hand-crafted solid timber frame, which is finished with hand-applied silver leaf, has a regal feel worthy of a palatial pad.
Georgian Four-poster Bed, £6425,And So To Bed
A pared-back wooden four-poster bed with a modern aesthetic, this natural-wood bed makes a feature of carved geometric detailing on the headboard. Its simplicity makes this smart double bed a timeless bedroom addition.
Flores 4-poster King-size Bedstead, £1099, John Lewis
Complete a little girl's princess bedroom with this single four-poster canopy bed. Part of the Mia children's furniture collection, the all-white bed features an essential storage drawer (for hiding away all those toys), and a cut-out heart motif in both head- and footboards. The elegant four-poster frame, with its crisp white curtains, also comes with the airsprung Elliott mattress.
I would have loved this princess bed when I was little - it's so cute without being flouncy or overly pink and girly.
Mia White Four Poster Bed with Elliott Mattress, £364, Argos
This contemporary looking four-post bed features clean, smooth lines; finished in a brushed and weathered finish and upholstered with a natural cotton. This bed frame is available in kingsize and has spring slats, ensuring this lavish bedstead provides ultimate comfort as well as style. Bed frame only.