Four-poster beds – our pick of the best

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. 

Gjora Bed frame,  195, Ikea

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.

Hartwick Four Poster Bed in Weathered, £1330, Worldstores