There’s nothing better than climbing into bed after a long, tiring day. I’m fairly certain this is a sentiment felt by every person in the world, and thanks to this there have been some pretty interesting bed designs seen throughout history.

Take a look at these seven weird and wonderful beds:

John & Yoko’s Protest Bed

1)      John & Yoko’s Protest Bed

Possibly one of the most famous beds in popular culture, it was used when John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a ‘bed-in’. Inspired by the ‘sit-in’ protest idea, John and Yoko stayed in bed for two weeks in total in protest of the Vietnam War in 1969. It was filmed and has since been turned into a documentary, which you can watch on YouTube.

Elvis Presley’s Hamburger Bed

2)      Elvis Presley’s Hamburger Bed

This bed was built especially for Elvis Presley and was first called the ‘Hamburger Bed’ by the singer’s daughter, Lisa Marie. It has a stereo and a TV fitted into the headboard and, after Elvis’ death, was given to his father and stepmother. It was eventually sold to the Country Music Hall of Fame and was later listed on eBay in 2007, with a starting bid of $50,000.

Tracey Emin’s ‘My Bed’

3)      Tracey Emin’s ‘My Bed’

This bed caused quite a stir – the art project featured Emin’s real bed shown in a state of disarray, with numerous objects discarded on the floor. They included condoms, underwear and magazines, amongst other things. Emin claimed that she’d stayed in the bed for days in a suicidal depression and had kept the bed in its original state as a piece of confessional artwork. It was eventually bought by advertising mogul and art collector Charles Saatchi for £150,000.

Napoleon II’s cot

4)      Napoleon II’s cot

This crib is definitely fit for an emperor. Napoleon’s only heir, who would later become the emperor of France, slept in this crib which was a gift from Paris to Empress Marie Louise. It was fashioned by the sculptor Pierre-Philippe Thomire, the silversmith Charles Nicolas Odiot, and the painter Pierre-Paul Prud’hon.

The ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ Bed

5)      The ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ Bed

The 1971 Walt Disney film ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ was based upon the books by Mary Norton. In the book and the film, Eglantine Price, an apprentice witch, casts a spell on a bedknob that’s been removed by one of the three evacuated children she’s looking after during the London Blitz of 1940. When the bedknob is reattached, it makes the bed fly and Miss Price and the three children, Charlie, Carrie and Paul, go on a magical adventure.

The Princess and the Pea

6)      The Princess’ Bed in ‘The Princess and the Pea’

This fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen was one of my favourites when I was a child. In it, a prince wants to make sure he marries a real princess. So, when a woman knocks on the door of his castle seeking shelter from the rain and claims to be a princess, he decides to test this by placing a single pea beneath 20 mattresses. His theory is that only royalty would be able to feel the pea. In the morning, she complains that the bed was uncomfortable and that she couldn’t sleep, thereby proving that she was a princess.

The Great Bed of Ware

7)      The Great Bed of Ware

This gigantic four poster bed was built by Jonas Fosbrooke, a carpenter, for the White Hart Inn in Ware, England in 1580. More than 15 people could reportedly sleep comfortably in it. Today, the bed is on display in the Ware Museum.

As you can see, beds come in all shapes and sizes, and people have certainly requested some strange beds in the past! What kind of bed would you have if you could choose?

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Labels: Home Improvement

HMH

By HMH