Baker is high end furniture and very beautiful. When I was little, my family had furniture stores that carried it. Now, I think it's usually accessible only in Baker showrooms or to the trade. I have heard recently manufactured Baker pieces are not as well made. How old is this piece? If it's truly Baker and in sound condition, I'd snag it. BTW, look for a Baker label somewhere.
Edited to add an example of a Baker label from 1st Dibs

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 9:46

That bed is gorgeous. It's vintage??

Grab it.

Furniture just is not made now like it used to be. Vintage is in fact the way to go when it comes to buying furniture now.

Thanks for the quick response! I will ask DH to take a look. I'm thinking about asking the lady if she will do a layaway for me.

That is a gorgeous bed! I would take it in a heartbeat!!

I like it! You can see the damage to the veneer on the top of the headboard.

If you are planning to use your existing mattress and box springs, you might want to measure the overall thickness and figure out how much of the headboard would be covered by them.

I can't see the details of the photos well enough to make out how the bedding would be supported.

Most important question, though: Do you actually need it? And do you have a shopping/spending problem?

I've always wanted a 4 poster bed. My brother used to make beautiful pencil post beds but I've never been able to finagle him into making one for me.

One of the things that I like about pencil poster beds is the lower headboard height which is what I like about this bed too in addition to the burled wood veneer.

The woman said that the auctioneer told her it was a mahogany bed w/ the wood veneer.

I saw the chipping on the headboard which the seller also pointed out.

I would not be in a huge hurry to refinish it at this time. DH has some quick fix stuff to bring the wood back to life & I certainly am not into perfect museum like pieces.

I would assume that we will have to make the cross pieces to support the mattress & box spring.

I can see it dressed in white linens w/ lace. My favorite look. Rich masculine wood mixed w/ light airy femininity.

This post was edited by TheFoxesPad on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 9:53

Oh my, I would buy that in a heartbeat. It is beautiful. Yes there is some damage to the veneer but that can be fixed. IMO it is a steal at $300.

Tibbrx -

Good question - one I always ask myself.

No - don't actually need it but I know what I like and want. Because I don't need certain things but would like to have if it became available, I will periodically check some places a few times a year.

I have a few guidelines:

I have to have wanted something in that style for multiple yrs & it has to be at a certain (cheap) price point. When I say yrs., I mean in excess of 7yrs or so. Need to make sure there is no flip flopping of design wants.

Since core pieces rarely come up that I am interested in for the long haul, I have to be prepared to be able to walk away from it w/ no regrets if everything else is not aligned.

I believe in fate. If something came up once in 2 or 4yrs, it will come up again sometime or it was just never meant to be. I won't buy just to buy. I won't ever stress about trolling for just the right thing day after day, place after place. Those were the yrs that I made all of my decorating mistakes and worse - financial mistakes but I always thought it had to be fully decorated yesterday. I wasted a lot of money!!!!!! Not so the past 5 yrs or so. there is not one piece of anything that I've bought that I regret. (Well maybe some picture frames here and there!). If it finds it's way to me and it's the right time & the right $. Then, and only then will I even consider it.

I also periodically go back to my favorite design books to review what I have tabbed off as my 'what makes my heart feel good and sure' pictures. Now when something comes up I typically know right away if it will be a part of my end goal.

Thanks for asking! It really is a good question. So glad I learned to slow down.

Baker Furniture is high end. And that is a beautiful bed. My dining room set is Baker. I bought it on CL. I paid $1,200 for the table and six chairs. That's high for CL, but a bargain for Baker. Every time I walk through the DR and see that magnificent wood I smile.

If your DH does furniture restoration he should be able to repair that damage. I can see that bed fitting well with your style, especially dressed out in white linens. Go for it!

I have an antique bed and rather than trying to build a support for the mattress attached to the frame, I just set a Hollywood-type metal frame on the floor inside the antique frame. Of course, you have to use a bedskirt to hide the metal legs. Your husband could probably build something that would be exactly the right height.

That's a beautiful bed and a deal at $300 even with the damage.

It's a steal. If you like it, go for it!

I have a few Baker pieces I bought new. I would call it pretty high end.

I think the bed is stunning. Probably a bit cheap because of the color, which some would say is out of style. I too would buy it. ASAP!

As another poster said, today's mattresses are sooooo high they mes up the line with a lot of old beds. You may need to switch to a low profile box spring to help amerliorate "hidden headboard"

Go for it - now! That is one beautiful bed.

Was mentioning that missing slats but I see you already have that figured out!

This post was edited by arapaho on Sun, Aug 24, 14 at 11:28

Omg, that bed is fabulous! Where do you live? I would buy it in a red hot minute as Baker makes very good furniture and it is beautiful. I have a lot of it from my mother, and a new piece I purchased recently is the same, if not better, quality. That color goes in and out of favor, but it is always perfect for the right room. You have found a DEAL!!

Omg, that bed is fabulous! Where do you live? I would buy it in a red hot minute as Baker makes very good furniture and it is beautiful. I have a lot of it from my mother, and a new piece I purchased recently is the same, if not better, quality. That color goes in and out of favor, but it is always perfect for the right room. You have found a DEAL!!

Mr. Fox wanted to pass on the bed. He said that the headboard was really rough, especially the top. Since it wasn't a 'had to have' I am graciously letting it go.

For now.

It's really pretty. Even with the headboard damage - adds character. ;)

I'm also from a furniture store family. My parents have several Baker pieces bought at market almost 30 years ago for their then new home. Baker has always been considered high end.

Mr. Fox and I seem to speaking a different time frame language. He's speaking Whovian and I am speaking Klingon.

I said: "It doesn't matter to me when it gets touched up - I can live w/ it like that for a few yrs."

He heard: "I can live w/o a fourposter bed for a few years and then if nothing turns up, somebody will build one for me."

Ahhhh, the language of the sexes. Lol! She came down once on the price already. Maybe she will again and I will make an executive decision.

If it's what you'll like for years, and it sounds like you will, get it if it can be fixed eventually, maybe get it and be done.

Are you kidding? $300? Buy it.

I'd skip the table and buy the bed instead! Tell him it's an investment! A bed like this doesn't show up very often, but round claw foot tables do. BTW, have you ever thought about doing a resale business? With your eye, photographic skills and luck in finding things you could easily turn your finds around quickly (just by staging the pics) for a nice little profit!

The mattress thing is a big deal. We sold our mahogany bed for the reason brought up already; that the thicker mattresses (even with a low profile box spring) and large pillows/shams that are in vogue now, often don't fit the proportions of an older bed. Yours may be fine, but do check the height of the headboard. You may be in luck as your DH might even be able to add height somehow.

It is an absolutely gorgeous bed. If the height will work with your mattress and bedding, I'd grab it in an instant.

I just sold a Baker armoire for $8K( b/c I didn't like how it fit and am going to replace it w/ something else). I'd buy the bed for sure!

And if you don't see "Baker", I'd not worry. It is obviously
a fantastic buy and gorgeous. Some Restore -a-Finish
would go a long way to bring it back to life. For linens,
a newer, fresher look would work beautifully: a simple
white bedspread ( did I say "new look"?!!) with
Your sleeping pillows laid flat. You can lay a runner
over them, or drape starched pillow cases over them.
Or go really old school and arrange spread over them.
Some of you remember making a bed that way?
However, the mattress height is key. The headboard
on my antique cannonball bed is always mostly hidden,
even with above arrangement.
Oh, and big ditto to WMA's thought. Probably too busy with
Kiddos now, but a little design/ consign shop is in your future!
What wonderful vignettes you'd create!

OMG, that is so sweet and nice everyone!

WMA8 & Martinca, yes that is exactly what DH & I have talked about me doing for a few yrs now & want to do. I really, really want to fix up cast off & cheap but quality finds and resell to people who would not otherwise be able to afford brand new. I think that we all deserve quality and heirloom pieces that aren't fads & made in China. Not everyone starting out wants their home entirely furnished in box store, cookie cutter, flat packed furniture. In fact I just got home from a pow wow w/ my boss & friend about why it was more preferable to me to reduce my hrs, follow a dream and keep a friend. Every time I wonder if I should wait 'just a little longer' you all give me such a good feeling about going for it and why it will work!!

PS - still talking w/ seller. She e-mailed me to let me know that she spoke w/ Mr. Fox for awhile. She told me that w/ a deposit she would hold the bed and let me pay it off. So tempted. Really have to consider it and sit down w/ Mr. Fox. It's not that I don't have the money to pay for it - it's just that I have to make sure that Mr. Fox will refinishing the bed for me down the road. I have so much furniture that has required refinishing of chipping veneer that I don't think will ever see the light of day again.

Her interest certainly seemed piqued when our truck pulled up so maybe I have found someone who can source things for me and/or keep me in mind first when she gets things from auction.

PS - Our current mattress is very low profile but we desperately want a new mattress. What is the average mattress thickness now? Just thinking ahead and will take measurements. The four poster bed headboard height is 41".

Baker tag is on bed.

This post was edited by TheFoxesPad on Tue, Aug 26, 14 at 5:57