This article examines in detail the main criteria for choosing a canopy for a bed: its advantages and disadvantages, its shape and design, and how to make such a canopy yourself
When a person is getting ready for bed, it is very important for him to feel in a protected place, and usually a canopy over the bed gives the person falling asleep such a cozy calmness.
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Ceiling canopy for bed
It protects from light and from extraneous sounds, and simply makes the space feel more intimate, and therefore more comfortable for sleeping. The canopy in the bedroom was used even before our era: not only in rich, but also in poor houses. The poor covered the baby's cradle with linen, and the rich decorated their sleeping place with expensive materials. Nowadays, such a canopy can be made for both adult beds and children's beds. This article explains how to make a canopy with your own hands, what types, fabrics and frames of canopies exist.
Such curtains in the bedroom above the bed protect against insects, bright light and noise. The canopy also retains heat: if you live in an unheated house, this can be a lifesaver on cold autumn nights. In addition to the practical function, the canopy also has an aesthetic one: a canopy made of beautiful fabric over the bed looks very elegant.
Interesting: the word “canopy” itself means “expensive silk fabric from Baghdad” (“Baghdad” is translated into Roman languages as Baldacco). In Russian, the word appeared in the time of Peter I and did not mean a canopy, but rather expensive oriental fabrics imported from the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia.
What types of canopies are there?
Before installing a canopy, it is worth finding out what types of such canopies exist. It is very important to choose exactly the variety that is suitable for your bedroom.
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Wall canopy for bed including curtain
If the bedroom is small, then it is better to choose an arched canopy. This is a semicircle of pipes, the ends of which rest against the wall. The fabric is hung on the pipes in the same way as curtains are usually hung on a cornice.
If there is a lot of space in the room for sleeping, then you can install a canopy around the perimeter of the bed. In this case, vertical posts are placed in each corner of the bed, and a horizontal structure is attached above the bed itself, on which the fabric is already hung. You can use ordinary window cornices rather than pipes as fasteners.
A “crown” canopy will also be conveniently located in a spacious bedroom. This is a round pipe fixed to the ceiling through which the fabric is pulled.
For a small room, a single pipe mount is suitable: it is fixed in the middle of the bedroom and the canopy fabric is thrown over it.
Interesting: originally a canopy was a canopy made of fabric on a wooden frame and poles. Such canopies appeared in the ancient East - they protected from the sun. They can be seen on ancient Persian reliefs: there they are always canopies over the throne or bed of the ruler. In ancient Rus', a canopy was called a canopy, and it was usually erected in churches. The inside of the entryway was painted with gold stars on a blue background and the symbol of the Holy Spirit, a white dove, was placed in the middle.
Arched canopy
Canopy around the perimeter of the bed
Canopy “crown”
Canopy on a straight pipe
The truth is that four poster beds are now more inexpensive.
Everyone can afford a bed like this, go ahead and take a look at the ideas I have selected for you and get some inspiration to put a canopy bed in your apartment. You can find a design that will suit your daughter's room perfectly. Enjoy and have fun!
If your children are sharing a room, then you have the opportunity to make the space more comfortable, interesting and exciting by adding two four-poster beds. You can find them in a variety of designs, styles and sizes, so you won't have any problem finding one that will fit perfectly into the room and ambiance. The photos below where we see how to place a canopy on a baby crib are very interesting and exciting and I can't take my eyes off them.
How to choose fabric for a canopy
The fabric for the canopy is, in fact, what the canopy itself is made for over the bed. You will look at it every day before going to bed, so it is very important that you are completely satisfied with the choice.
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Canopy for children's Princess tent gray
Tip: a bedroom with a canopy will look especially harmonious if the fabric chosen for the canopy is repeated on other textiles, for example, on window curtains, pillows or bedspreads.
Lightweight fabrics are well ventilated and easy to wash. These include chintz, linen and even cotton. They will flutter beautifully in the wind and lull you to sleep with their shimmer before bed.
Heavy fabrics protect from bright light and noise, and they also retain heat (imagine autumn in an unheated country house). These are tapestry, jacquard and velvet, and washing these fabrics is usually a lot of hassle. Depending on the style of the bedroom, the material is decorated with tassels, flounces and fringe.
Interesting: In Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, canopies on four supports were made mainly for protection from the cold: heavy fabrics retained heat well, because bedrooms were not heated at that time.
A little later, in the era of Louis XIV and Louis XV, fabrics for canopies were made of brocade and decorated with gold embroidery and lambrequins. At that time, canopies were also made from velvet, satin and damask. From the East Indies to Europe came the fashion for printed cotton canopies and slightly cheaper French toiles. Nowadays such canopies can be seen in the Chateau of Versailles.
Fabric selection
When choosing material for a canopy in a crib, you should take into account the features of its location. If the baby sleeps in his own children's room, where it is quiet outside the window, there are no drafts and direct sunlight does not fall on the crib, you can simply choose airy tulle trimmed in the color of the rest of the interior. It looks great, allows air to pass through perfectly, and at the same time reliably protects from dust.
It is better to protect a crib in “sunny” or “noisy” rooms with thicker fabrics. Linen, satin and cotton work well. They will better protect from direct sunlight, provide some sound insulation and help better separate the child's sleeping area in cases where parents share the same room with the baby.
Beautiful canopy for a crib
Canopy for a crib
But it is better to immediately abandon the considered “royal” options made of velvet and velor, as well as synthetics in any of its forms. No matter how stylish such a canopy may seem to you, remember - we are talking about the quality of the air that the child will breathe while sleeping. It is better not to neglect the safety of his lungs and give preference only to natural fabrics.
A few words about the style and design When choosing a decorative style for a baby crib, remember: short options are purely decorative. They cannot protect from anything, because they simply do not reach the sleeping place. But they serve as a spectacular accent in the interior, turning an ordinary children's room into a real princess bedroom.
Beautiful canopy for a crib
Canopy for a crib
The canopy for an infant's crib should be of medium length. Sufficient to hide the baby from drafts and insects during sleep, but not interfering with taking him in your arms, as will be the case with floor-length canopies.
Long options are optimal for older children. They ideally contribute to the creation of “your own” corner, maintain a special atmosphere in the room and, due to the child’s age, no longer interfere with anything.
When it comes to design, a canopy will suit almost any style. Difficulties may arise only with trends like high-tech, but children’s rooms are usually not decorated in such a style.
In order for the canopy to fit perfectly into the interior, it is worth keeping it in the same color scheme as other children’s textiles. For example, carpet and curtains. You can also add accessories in the same style to the room - for example, decorate both the canopy and room curtains with identical fringe.
Beautiful canopy for a crib
Canopy for a crib
Choosing a frame for a canopy over a bed
The canopy frame can be of three types:
- fabrics on supports;
- design with suspended consoles;
- arbitrary textile compositions.
The most popular design is the canopy on a frame. The frame is a wooden or metal structure, and it is usually not only a support for the canopy, but also a decorative element that emphasizes the height of the ceilings. The frame also emphasizes the bed itself: its size and finish. Lovers of luxury often decorate the frame with forged elements or carvings.
An arc-shaped frame is an option for those who avoid excesses. The arched frame with its shape provides the drapery with softness and smooth lines, and also simplifies installation: fastening does not require additional supports.
Canopy over the bed made of light fabric
A canopy can also be made using two crossbars: one secured at the head of the bed, and the second parallel to the first on the other side of the bed. These two crossbars perpendicular to the sleeping place form support points through which a piece of fabric is thrown.
Canopy over the bed with carvings
Canopy over the bed - two supports
Canopy design
A canopy is a canopy over a bed, which can be purely symbolic, playing only a decorative role, or functional, that is, actually covering the bed. The designs of canopies are very diverse - there is plenty to choose from.
Traditional functional canopies are curtains attached to the elements of a bed frame with posts. This canopy allows you to create maximum privacy. However, this solution is the most expensive and difficult to implement due to the need to order or buy a special model bed.
For girls' bedrooms, the most popular canopies are in the form of a mosquito net . The canopy is hung above the bed on a ceiling hook. Girls really like this type of canopy, because they look truly magical.
Canopy bed in children's room
Canopy similar to a mosquito net
To build such a canopy with your own hands, you can look for an “adult” mosquito net on sale. They are often made from gauze or similar cheap material. You will only need the frame and fittings, and the gauze can be used later for household needs. Having tried on the mesh and decided on the size, you need to buy the desired fabric and replace the gauze with it.
However, the frame is so simple that you can probably make it yourself - for example, from very stiff wire or an old lampshade. You should look for hooks for hanging in home furnishings stores.
Canopies in the form of drapery at the head of the bed are, of course, less interesting for little girls, but no less impressive in decorative terms. Canopies of this design are often preferred by teenage girls and young women. Drapery at the headboard will decorate the bedroom, make it more feminine and cozy, while the bed will not look childish.
The design is simple: the fabric is hung on the wall above the bed and drapes beautifully. A short curtain rod, a frame in the form of a chipboard shelf, or a forged decorative pendant, which can be ordered from an artistic forging workshop, can be used as a fabric holder. By the way, such pendants are called “crowns” , and the canopy itself is called royal .
Similar models of canopies take on a “different sound” if they are hung above the long side of the bed.
Another easy-to-implement option is a sail-type ceiling canopy . A wide strip of fabric is fixed to the ceiling at both ends, but is not stretched, but gently sags. To create a canopy, you can use curtain fittings or make do with ceiling hooks and rope.
Canopy bed in a girl's room
Canopy over the bed in the children's room
If you are planning not only to decorate a girl’s sleeping place, but also to change the decor in her room, you can buy or order a bed with a canopy frame . Well-known manufacturers make it possible to purchase additional elements for canopies that are suitable for specific bed models. Well, if the furniture for a girl’s bedroom is made to order, the design for creating a canopy can be developed together with the designer.
You can also order the production of a canopy from a curtain sewing workshop. But it’s not so difficult to make a canopy with your own hands, even if you have little experience in handicrafts. The main thing is to select elements for hanging and purchase the required amount of fabric. Here are some simple solutions.
1. Buy wall holders for curtains, mount them above the bed and attach a wide strip of fabric to them.
2. Buy a short ceiling cornice, hang it above the bed and string a curtain (or curtains) with a drawstring onto it. Or you can simply throw the fabric over the cornice and drape it.
3. Make a round frame (from wire or even from a hoop), string fabric onto it, decorate the frame with decorative elements, and securely tie ribbons or braid to it. Next, you need to mount the ceiling hook, tie the ribbons or braid in a knot and hook this knot to the hook. Half an hour of work - and the girl’s bed will be transformed.
Simple canopy for a girl
If you are not confident in your abilities, come up with a canopy design, buy fittings, prepare a frame or hang a cornice and make a test canopy from an old sheet or curtain. Happened? Now you can buy good fabric and build a finishing version.
How to hang a canopy over a bed: options for attaching to the frame
There are several fastening techniques:
- loops (wide strips with Velcro);
- eyelets (metal rings on fabric with a uniform indent from the edge);
- corrugated tape (ribbon with loops sewn to the edge of the fabric).
Loops can be used on any fabric. Don't forget to sew on Velcro, as this will make the fabric easy to remove for washing and ironing. Hinges are used on tubular and narrow beam structures.
Eyelets are usually used for thick fabric. They are suitable for narrow pipes on which rings are strung.
Corrugated braid also includes hooks onto which the braid loops are placed. This option is suitable for those who like to live and make everything themselves: you can easily create such a canopy with your own hands.
Canopy with braid
Interesting: The canopy represents temporal and spiritual power in many cultures. During the era of the Crusades, even stone canopies appeared over statues in cathedrals. In temples, stone or bronze canopies were made over altars and burials of important people of those times.
Bronze canopy
Canopy for a teenager's bed
Making a canopy for a regular bed is somewhat more difficult. The best option would be models suspended from the ceiling. Building a frame attached to a bed is also not easy, with the exception of factory-made bedroom models. The tailoring itself can be organized either independently or entrusted to experienced seamstresses, whose services are offered by curtain salons and other studios. Due to the fact that the canopy is for children, you can sew a simple model, without any folds.
- An ordinary 2- or 3-way profile or forged cornice is attached to the ceiling. Keeping in mind the safety and reliability of the design, it is better to give preference to the first option, since forging is much heavier, and given the mobility and activity of children, there is no chance that it will simply fall.
- The main fabric chosen is light and translucent, such as nylon or veil, but for decoration you can choose something denser. Frills can only be at the edges, or they can imitate curtain drapes.
- For decoration, you can sew a lambrequin; the simplest type is a rigid strip. That is, we take 10-20 centimeters of dense fabric and glue it with non-woven fabric. Then, using Velcro, we glue it to the outside of the cornice. This way you can hide the hooks from hanging the fabric.
- Having hemmed the fabric on all sides, you need to sew a grosgrain ribbon on top of it and pull it down to the length of the cornice.
- We attach hooks to the walls so that we can hang fabric. Next, you need to make ribbons with loops to hang the fabric from these hooks. Loops made from decorative cord look simpler and more original.
- Having ironed it well and hung everything in its place, you can add a couple of pillows from the same fabric. They will add zest to the new look of the children's room.
Any thing made with your own hands will certainly bring pleasure and please the eye, especially if it is a canopy in the bedroom, which will always talk about care and love before going to bed.
photo: depositphotos.com/zhykova, Nomadsoul1, ttatty
I am generally against the canopy, since its curtains can collect a lot of dust, which is quite harmful to the child’s health. But the ideas are quite interesting, especially for a bed with the younger generation.
The canopy is still the decoration of the room; it looks very beautiful, whether on a child’s bed or on an adult’s bed. But when a child grows up, many people want to get rid of the canopy, and this may be wrong.
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Canopies for a children's room
Canopies for a newborn's crib are often sold complete with the crib itself.
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Children's bed Yoyo up white
You can also purchase them separately. In this case, they are attached to the arena on a bracket with a ring on top. Unlike canopies for adult beds, the crown canopy is fixed not on the ceiling, but on the crib (or playpen) itself. Baby canopies are usually made from voile or fine mesh and can be attached to both girls' and boys' beds. A closed canopy gives the baby a sign that it is time to sleep, and thus he gets used to the correct daily routine.
Advice: if your child has allergies, then it is better not to buy a canopy for him, as it accumulates dust.
When the child grows up a little, you can make a cozy house out of a canopy. It is very important when a person has his own space, and children often create a small world for themselves in their corner.
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Canopy for children's Fairy dome
In this case, the canopy is attached to the ceiling, and comfortable pillows and blankets are placed below so that the child can sit comfortably and read, draw or just dream.
For preschool children, we can recommend a canopy for the bed. Still, it also has a practical function: it will protect the baby from insects, heat and drafts.
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Canopy for the children's Magic dome
The fasteners for the canopy will be the same as for an adult’s bed, only the structure will be smaller in size, since the bed is smaller.
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Canopy for children's Princess tent white
A beautiful canopy will also suit the interior of a teenage girl’s room: on a bed under a canopy you can hide from the adult world and keep secrets with your girlfriend. Such a canopy will add comfort, but will not contribute to the feeling of an enclosed space. It is better to choose dim colors so as not to cause anxiety in the child. Pastel shades will give the interior a fairytale-like quality that a child will most likely like.
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Canopy for children's Princess tent pink
By the way, the canopy can also be installed on a bunk bed: you just need to take the fabric a little longer than for a single-tier bed, and also make the mount for the canopy 5-10 cm larger.
Bed Pinokkio
Table of advantages and disadvantages of canopy
| Flaws | Advantages |
| Another dust collector, and dust contains a lot of bacteria and even mites, which can cause allergic reactions | For summer time it is perfect as protection against mosquitoes (as well as flies, and indeed any insects). |
| The canopy fabric must be removed, washed and ironed at least once every two weeks. And the fastenings should be wiped once a week. Such cleaning of the structure takes a lot of time and effort. | The dense fabric of the canopy protects from the sun, noise and cold. If you sleep in an unheated room, then a canopy will save you on cool nights. |
| A canopy should not be constructed in small rooms, as it will visually reduce the space and clutter it up. | A convenient design solution for zoning space: for example, if the bed is in a room that is used as a living room during the day. |
