Given the humble origins of bed nooks and box beds, it might seem counter-intuitive to book a luxury escape in the knowledge that your sleeping quarters might just be smaller than your own at home—or even resemble the setting of a children’s sleepover. Rest assured, though, that bed nooks are very much for grown-ups, and have been since medieval times.

Across much of Europe until the 20 th century, these cabin-like compartments would carry voyaging nobles over oceans and mountains in ‘bed carriages’ aboard ships and trains. While staying put, farmers in need of some shut-eye built these sturdy, well-insulated beds into their barns to keep warm and avoid being trampled by livestock overnight. As time went on, embellishments were added, such as hand-painted motifs, wood carvings, drapery,

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