What do a home in San Francisco and a villa in Mangalore have in common? Both make use of vintage four poster beds to bring a sense of classic charm in modern homes. Culled from the AD archives, here is a collection of the most dreamy vintage four poster bed designs.
A Charming Goan Villa
Though it may be a new construction, this villa in Goa seems to emerge as a seamless, timeless extension of its tropical environs. It evokes a sense of familiarity; the slow, susegad kind; fitted, however, with all the trappings of modern comfort. Dubbed Villa Da Zita, this sprawling 5-bedroom takes inspiration from 16th-century Goan design, but it is also so much more. It is a charming repository of locally sourced curios and artwork, classic wooden furniture, and regional materials in earth tones, all enveloped in a layout that seamlessly blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces.
This ethos of expansiveness and indoor-outdoor living isn't relegated to just the public areas of the house but the private ones as well. All but one of the bedrooms are located in a "private wing" of the house, connected by the foyer. The bedrooms are cleverly designed to open onto their lush environs and the indoor courtyard, while accounting for complete privacy when needed. Charming four-poster beds, exquisitely detailed furniture, Juliette balconies, and thoughtfully selected artwork. Each bedroom is thoroughly unique, yet bound by a cohesive design sensibility that runs through the house.
Text by Nuriyah Johar; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
An Ode to India in San Francisco
This 4,000-square-foot traditional-style house was remodeled in 1993 by architect Kirk Hillman, who introduced a wood-beamed ceiling, a stone fireplace, a chef's kitchen, a family room, four ensuite bedrooms, and a lush vineyard. All it needed was a cosy, homely touch, with the right paints, accessories, and elements that reflected the client’s Indian heritage and well-travelled lifestyle.
The master bedroom with its four poster bed, printed bedding, inlay console table, and ethnic art stands for the best of India. The ceiling beams add warmth to the room, while the room’s accessories add a much-needed dose of colour to an otherwise all-wood space. The architect reconfigured the layout to allow more natural light and opted to paint the walls white for a brighter, more open feel. All the brass fittings are from Kohler, the floor tiles were sourced from India, and the lighting fixture was purchased from a retailer in San Francisco. The large vanity ensures the space remains uncluttered and functional.
Text by Aditi Sharma; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
A Farmhouse in Tulasigeri
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Most weekend mornings, when they’re not busy treating patients at their dispensary in Bagalkot, Karnataka, this doctor couple likes to disappear into the forest at their farmhouse in Karnataka's Tulasigeri. “If not physically, at least visually,” clarifies architect Shreyas Patil, who coolly takes credit for their weekly disappearing act. When Patil designed the farmhouse, about fifteen kilometres away from the couple’s primary residence in Bagalkot, he envisioned a viewing gallery on the side facing the forest—an Eden-like oasis for watching birds, enjoying the breeze, and just generally blending in.
The two bedrooms of the home feature floor-to-ceiling sliding windows on the courtyard side, creating open connections to the central, open-to-sky courtyard. Patil introduced vintage four poster beds, matching side tables, coat hangers, and teakwood windows, grounding the space in timeless charm. Every detail was thoughtfully considered, blending the past with the present to create a home that feels both rooted and refreshingly modern.
Text by Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
A Geoffrey Bawa-Inspired Home in Madurai
This home was born of a dream that architect Sumanth Ram Sriram, based in Madurai, had dreamt up when he was a student of architecture. His father had started working on its bones back in 2010; by the time Sriram graduated college in 2018, he had already started to fill in with paint.
This home, is an ever-evolving space, every little change and addition thought through with care and mindfulness. The furniture is either bespoke or collected from all over the place as antiques and curios. A majority of them are sourced from Kochi’s iconic Jew Town, while Sriram’s bed is from a haul in Kolkata, believed to be an East India Company cot with the British Raj’s emblem engraved, and a mirror on its headboard.
Text by Arshia; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
A Dark Academia Home
Peeling walls and fading floor tiles aren’t exactly the sort of thing that would excite anyone, but there was something about the tumbledown Mumbai apartment that would become interior designer Shraddha Shah’s next canvas that charmed her almost immediately. “The apartment had remained untouched for years, so there was this beautiful rusticity that shone through,” says Shah, the founder and principal of Mumbai-based interior design practice Olive Roof.
The primary bedroom is a soothing sanctum characterised by Borastapeter’s lavender blue wallpaper, reclaimed wood panels, and an undeniably vintage character. The four poster bed is enlivened by a headboard wrapped in Warwick’s beautiful deep maroon fabric. The dark grey terrazzo floor is softened by a white and blue Obeetee carpet. The teakwood dresser, also sometimes used as a desk, is inspired by a Victorian library.
Text by Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
A Typical Mangalore-Style Villa
Architect and founder of Mangalore-based Hiraya Design Studio, Apeksha Naik’s 90-year-old family home is a typical Mangalore style villa. Located in a quiet residential area in Mangalore town, it was owned by her father’s paternal uncle. “Since my father was very attached to this villa, in 1987, my grandfather decided to buy it for his son. This is where my brother and I have grown up,” she shares.
The primary bedroom on the ground floor, occupied by Naik’s parents, has terracotta-hued, patterned Athangudi tiled flooring. The ceiling is covered with gorgeous indoor Mangalore tiles made from clay that are interlocked in a fabricated metal structure. The mirror unit and the easy chair are family heirlooms. The four-poster bed is an antique piece which was bought and refurbished for this room. The two charming suspended antique brass lights are Karaikudi finds.
Text by Deepa Nair; Edited by Khushi Sheth.
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