The Rice Bed

• The rice bed is a very large, Queen Anne-style, four-poster bed that has scrolls carved into the posts. Four-poster beds were very common even before the 18th century, but it's the symbolic meaning of the images that gives the rice bed its reputation and value, because it's a mark of wealth and prosperity.
  
  These beds are built higher than normal beds and require a stool of one or two steps in order to get onto them. They are elaborate and articulate in design, and the carvings in the posts all hold significant meaning.
  
  

A Part of History

• Rice beds originated in North and South Carolina back in the 18th century. At that time, rice and tobacco were those states' major crops. The market for these goods grew incredibly within these states, and the fame of their industry spread quickly throughout the United States and abroad.
  
  The competition between individual plantation owners also grew, and many of them became very wealthy. Many of the rich plantation owners built large estates and established their mark of prosperity by carving images of their primary export--rice and/or tobacco--onto the posts of their beds. These beds were soon called rice beds or plantation beds.
  
  

Family Inheritance

• Rice beds were passed down through the generations and were especially important as an inheritance because they represented family pride and signified ancestors' wealth. Because of the value these beds held for the wealthy plantation owners and their families, the modern world has adapted their appearance into their own quality furniture.
  
  

Quality Furniture

• The original beds were constructed of solid mahogany or cherry wood. They were designed with quality in mind and built for endurance because they were objects of pride that would be left to the children of the wealthy plantation owners as part of their inheritance. The designs of the headboards, footboards and the four posts varied in appearance. Posts ranged from thin to wide and short to tall, but all of them allowed ample room for the carvings.
  
  

Modern Furniture

• Today, manufacturers produce rice beds with superior craftsmanship and durability because they are part of the inherited American history. Most of them will have images carved into the posts and headboard as part of the design, but without the original significance. To complement these beds, manufacturers are also making other bedroom furniture with the same quality wood and detail. These include dressers, night tables, armoires, chairs, desks and step stools.