7 No-Frills Ways to Design a Canopy Bed

If your bedroom is big enough to have a bed as a focal point, then a bed will do the trick. Antique designs tend to lean towards dark wood and lots of fabric, while today’s versions are cool, modern, and largely curtain-free.

If your bedroom is too large (or medium-sized and lacks furniture), choosing this style bed can be a stylish way to fill the space without adding clutter. Take a look at these four poster designs for inspiration.

1. Deliver Some Scandinavian Cool

Choose light and light woods, such as ash, birch or oak, to pay homage to classic Scandinavian style. Although this canopy bed is a striking piece, the layers of neutral colors (not to mention the load of natural light) dilute the drama.

2. Make Your Wallpaper Sparkle

In contrast, the charming four-poster bed in this elegant room is full of drama.

A spacious, high space needs a queen bed, but it can’t cover up the beautiful wallpaper. This dark wood quad poster has a lot of presence, but it complements the botanical wallpaper rather than blurring and countering it.

Dark cornices and mirror rails tie the look together.

3. Try the Traditional One

This airy period room shows that sticking with the classic canopy bed doesn’t necessarily mean heavy curtains or lines.

The pillars, although ornate and dark, are slender and delicate. While previous beds looked great in their own environment, in this room they can appear bulky.

The bed curtains are light and neutral in color, giving them a modern look.

4. Reduce Your Color Palette

This simple room is yet another testament to the versatility of a four-poster bed. Like the floor, the curtainless, minimalist four-poster poster is painted white and cleverly distressed to add character and history to the room without overwhelming it.

Painting the bed and background in white or other light neutrals is a smart way to tone down the grandeur of this style.

Although this bedroom is filled with precious objects, especially paintings and faded fabrics, it doesn’t look messy, as everything is associated with the shades on the plaid blanket and floral pillows.

5. Increase Wealth

Satin, silk, ebony and chinoiserie provide a luxurious base for any bedroom. Add a canopy bed and you’ll need strong design skills to create something fresh and modern, not something dark and overwhelming.

The bed itself is thick, but the light jade and cream color scheme makes the bed appear brighter. A single curtain at the back provides just the right amount of texture.

6. Place It in Center Stage

A four-poster bed gives the impression of a more complete and enclosed unit than a standard bed, even though it is such an airy, minimalist design.

The benefit of the boxy effect is that when the bed is placed in the center of the room, it doesn’t look floating, as depicted in this sun-bleached coastal space.

To achieve such a layout, you’ll love the style with a built-in headboard. Otherwise, the pillow has no place against the wall, and it will be a bit painful to read a book or eat breakfast in bed.

7. Don’t Overlook Smaller Rooms

This fun design, which looks like a classic cast iron bed frame, is doubled in height, showing that you don’t need as much space for a canopy bed as you might think. The key lies in the ultra-thin frame, which makes the four-post frame not too bulky for a relatively narrow room.

Also pay attention to the solution of bedside lighting, as there is little space on either side of the bed. Including the fixture inside the bed frame seems to reduce its size and match its color to the frame, especially the patterned wallpaper, giving the effect a uniform and calm look.

Underneath each light switch is a small shelf, possibly painted white, that provides enough space for a glass of water and a paperback book.