Upholstered, Rattan, or Gilt
The obvious split is upholstery versus rattan versus gilt. Upholstered pieces like Sophia Button, Alexander, and Legacy give you a padded headboard, good if you actually sit up and read in bed rather than just sleep in it. Rattan (Sophia Classic Rattan, Villeneuve Oak, Beaulieu Rattan) is more textured and a bit more relaxed looking. Then you've got the gilt end: Gold Leaf French Button, Gilt Curved, Beaulieu Gold Leaf, where the gold detailing is basically the whole point. I wouldn't say one's more authentically French than another. They're just pulling from different decades of the same look.
Low or High Footboard
Footboard height trips people up more than they expect. Go low (Antoinette Low Footboard) and the room stays open, which matters in a smaller bedroom. Go high (Beaulieu High Footboard, same bed different footboard) and you get something more traditional and enclosed, closer to the period French bedroom people picture in their heads. Figure this out before you get attached to a specific fabric, because a lot of these beds come in both heights.
Sizes and Matching Finishes
Sizes run double, king, and super king through most of the range. Colours go up to ten named finishes, antique white, Parisian grey, warm oak, and so on. If you've already got other french style bedroom furniture in the room, matching the finish across pieces is genuinely what separates a bedroom that looks designed from one that looks like it was bought in stages.
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FAQs
What does "Louis XV" mean when it's part of a bed name?
It refers to the French period style the design is based on, curved lines and detailed framing rather than a straight, boxy silhouette. A few beds in this range, like the Alexander Cane and Alexander Upholstered, use this naming directly.
Low footboard or high footboard, which should I go for?
Low keeps a small room feeling open. High looks more traditional and a bit more enclosed. A lot of beds here come in both, so it's really a style call.
Rattan or upholstered, what's actually different?
Rattan gives you texture and a slightly looser look. Upholstered gets you a padded headboard, which matters if you're the type who sits up in bed a lot.
What's the difference between a curved bed and a sleigh bed in this range?
A curved bed (like Versailles or Gilt Curved) has a rounded headboard profile without the raised sides of a sleigh design. A sleigh bed, like Antoinette or Marbella, curves the frame itself upward at the head and sometimes the foot, closer to the shape of an actual sleigh.
Does every colour come in every size?
No. A few finishes only exist on one or two specific beds, so check the product page once you've settled on a style you like.
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