FineIronBeds.com Blog

Los Angeles, CA - February 26, 2008 - FineIronBeds.com and Just Fine, Inc. President Ward Poulos toured the Wesley Allen, Inc. manufacturing facility and walked away with a new appreciation. Having been personally invited by Wesley Allen Director Wesley Sawan to see the process of creating their high quality iron bed frames first-hand, Mr. Poulos was given full access to all of the various stages of production at the enormous Wesley Allen complex near downtown L.A., where they have been for over 31 years.

“The quality and craftsmanship of these iron beds is truly outstanding,” said Mr. Poulos, “The artisans at Wesley Allen have an amazing eye for detail and go above and beyond to make sure that they are proud of every iron bed that goes out through their doors.”

The first part of the tour consisted of seeing how the raw cold-rolled steel begins its journey into becoming a bed. Long steel tubes are cut to the proper length for each section of the particular bed that is being made. Skilled craftsmen then bend the steel on specially designed templates to match the often intricate and ornate curves and flourishes that make up many of the Wesley Allen beds. The next step involves the precise welding of the various pieces together to make up the frame. Welders along with a high-tech welding robot make sure that every seam is exceptionally strong and made to last a lifetime.

After welding, the finials and other decorative elements are cast onto the bed frame. These beautiful designs are conceived and then sculpted in clay by Wesley Allen’s talented artists, some of which have been with the company for decades. After the clay model is perfected, a mold is created and the hot metal is poured and cast directly onto the tubing of the bed for strength and durability. Once the decorative elements are attached to the bed and cooled, the entire frame is sanded and prepared with an electro-static primer for the hand-finishing. With more than 40 finishes to choose from, Wesley Allen has specific finishers that specialize in certain finishes, so their quality remains consistent. “One of the most interesting parts of my tour was seeing an Artist apply one of the Textured Gray Mocha finishes,” said Poulos, “It really is a very manual process, with him hand dabbing the finish onto the frame over and over to create the complex textured look.” Another key ingredient to the Wesley Allen finishing process is the highlighting of the decorative elements. Without individually applying a highlighted color variation on each decorative area on the bed by hand, it wouldn’t have the rich and dynamic look that Wesley Allen beds are known for.

After the iron beds are finished, checked and double checked for quality, and ready for shipment, they are packed with styrofoam blocks specifically made to cover the corners of each individual bed. This protects the vulnerable areas of the bed while in transit. Wesley Allen also triple wraps the other key areas of the bed and packs them in very strong corrugated boxes to make sure they arrive to their destination unharmed. The tour wrapped up with a discussion about Wesley Allen’s impressive commitment to making a minimal environmental impact. They have installed a huge array of solar panels on their facility’s roof, along with using efficient lighting systems and relying on natural light where possible. They have also implemented a sophisticated filtering system to clean and recycle the air from the building where finishes are applied. “I walked away with a real appreciation for what a unique company Wesley Allen is. Their commitment to quality and the sheer size of their operation is astounding. Owning a Wesley Allen bed is really owning a piece of artwork, and one that will serve one well for a lifetime!”

About Just Fine, Inc. Founded in 2004, Just Fine, Inc. is a specialty Internet retailer focusing on premium/luxury furniture and home accessories for the discriminating customer. Their online stores are designed to provide shoppers with a better way to browse and purchase discounted products that would normally only be found in high-end specialty stores.

The President and employees of Just Fine, Inc. not only built the eCommerce site FineIronBeds.com, they shop there as well.

“We strive to offer high quality products to our customers. Products that we stand behind, and products that we own” stated Ward Poulos, president of Just Fine, Inc. Poulos continued “I feel we can better serve our customers if we own and experience the products we sell. ”

Poulos received his Matte Black Wesley Allen “Sunset” iron bed last week and took the opportunity to photograph and document the assembly process which he uploaded to the website for future use of customers. Poulos stated “Purchasing and assembling this bed has enabled me to have a first hand experience with our products and has allowed me to share that with our customers. The high quality products we sell are easy to assemble, but there’s no substitute for seeing in in pictures!”

Other Just Fine, Inc. employee are looking into purchasing some of the new products offered in the FineIronBeds.com Lighting and Accessories sections. With a wide array of modern and design-oriented lamps, mirrors, clocks, tables and many other unique home decor items there is even more of an incentive to get first hand knowledge of the products. The employee discount doesn’t hurt either.

Los Angeles July 16, 2007 - Just Fine, Inc. has announced the availability of 2 new nickel plated Wesley Allen iron beds on its eCommerce site fineironbeds.com.

The 2 new beds, the “Belair,” and the “Korbel II” are both traditional styled beds finished in 1 of 2 Nickel finishes. Ward Poulos, the president of Culver City based Just Fine, Inc. stated, “These nickel plated iron beds are really unique and would add a very clean look to any traditional bedroom.”

The two new nickel finishes are “Satin” and “Polished” - each offering its own distinctive look. Poulos commented on each finish: “The satin nickel finish offers a soft, natural nickel look. It offers a more traditional appearance, with shiny castings and matted nickel posts. The polished nickel is a refined, golden hue with a high elegant shine.”

Both the Belair and Korbel II join the Dorset as the only Wesley Allen beds available in the new nickel finishes.

I found an interesting article that has some good tips on what to look for when buying furniture. There is a particular quote regarding how to find quality furniture that I think describes the iron beds we sell on our site quite well…

“High-quality materials, excellent design and construction by skilled craftsmen are the differences between high and lower quality pieces,” says June Price, owner of Anew Design Inc. and K. L. McCall Interiors Ltd. “Look for good quality craftsmanship. The more ‘handmade’ it is, the better.”

Our Wesley Allen and Amanda Sutton iron beds are all hand made in America and are regarded as some of the best in the industry. Our site has a page that describes the Wesley Allen quality where you can read more about Wesley Allen iron beds.

Read the complete The Fundamentals of Furniture Buying article.

One of the questions we get the most here at FineIronBeds is “Which finish should I get”? While the ultimate decision comes down to you and your specific tastes, we can offer some tips and advice.

Tip #1 - There is an appropriate way to view the Finish samples.
Each large picture of the wide variety of Wesley Allen finishes shows two key areas. To left is the “post” or straight section of the metal. To the right is the “casting” or detailed-area of the metal.

This is somewhat complex to explain, so let’s use an illustration. This picture shows the Weathered Russet finish. You’ll see that the castings are a dark brown and the posts are a light orange. Several of Wesley Allen’s finishes have a distinct casting color, that differs from the color used in the majority (re: posts) of the bed. Another finish, Aged Brass, is a popular finish that has this difference. The casting is a dark, brownish gold, while the post is a shiny brass. Always remember to look at both the post and the casting of the finish sample to get a good feel of how the bed will look.

Other finishes, such as Brass Bisque and Natural Rust are consistent throughout both the posts and castings. These type of finishes will end up giving the bed a uniform look. This picture shows the effect of a this type of finish. Notice how both the castings and posts look uniform.

Tip #2 - How many castings does your bed have?
This is especially important if the finish you are interested in has a distinct casting (see Weathered Russet example in Tip #1). For beds that showcase a lot of casting and detail, you’ll definitely notice the castings. The “Canterbury” and “Dawson” are good examples of a bed with a lot of casting. However, beds such as the “Sunset” and “Eastman” have virtually no castings, thus a finish with a distinct casting like Weathered Russet would only showcase the lighter orange, “post” color throughout the entire bed, and none of the darker brown shade.

Tip #3 - Match your hardware to your bed.
Aged Bronze is one of our most popular finishes, primarily because it’s neutral gold/bronze tone goes so well with most hardware. The Matte Black also proves popular because of it’s adaptability with such a wide variety of bedroom furniture. We’ve spoken to many folks who were initially interested in an Aged Brass bed only to change their mind for something like a Brass Bisque bed because the finish is darker and works better with their furniture and hardware.

Tip #4 - Call us at FineIronBeds.
Our toll-free number is (877) 463-6819. We have seen almost every finish firsthand and are happy to discuss your specific quandary in selecting the right finish for you.

In the end, the choice is up to you. The exciting thing is that Wesley Allen creates some of the sturdiest, highest quality, wrought-iron beds in the industry. Each finish is beautiful, and hopefully these tips will help make your process that much easier.

Los Angeles June 13, 2007 - Just Fine, Inc. has launched a new BLOG about bedroom furniture and fine living.

Regarding the launch, Ward Poulos, the president of Just Fine, Inc. stated “We intend to offer information to consumers through this BLOG that will help educate them on products as well as introduce them to tools that we offer on our site.”

Just Fine, Inc. plans to use this new BLOG as a resource that will help simplify the process of buying furniture online by offering current and relevant information to consumers. “We will be providing information about our site as well as offering links to informative articles that we find all over the internet” added Poulos.

About Just Fine, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Just Fine, Inc. is a specialty Internet retailer focusing on premium/luxury furniture and home accessories for the discriminating customer. Their online stores are designed to provide shoppers with a better way to browse and purchase discounted products that would normally only be found in high-end specialty stores.

Los Angeles June 13, 2007 - Just Fine, Inc. has announced the availability of 9 new Wesley Allen beds on its eCommerce site fineironbeds.com.

The new products cover a wide range of styles and are available in up to 39 finishes. Ward Poulos, the president of Culver City based Just Fine, Inc. stated, “These 9 new additions fit well into our diverse offering of high-quality American made iron beds.”

About Just Fine, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Just Fine, Inc. is a specialty Internet retailer focusing on premium/luxury furniture and home accessories for the discriminating customer. Their online stores are designed to provide shoppers with a better way to browse and purchase discounted products that would normally only be found in high-end specialty stores.

Los Angeles June 13, 2007 - Just Fine, Inc. launches a new online tool designed to help visitors locate the perfect iron bed on its eCommerce site Wesley Allen Iron Beds.

The FineIronBeds.com “Bed Finder” allows users to enter their budget, and several key specifications and then produces images and descriptions of iron beds that match the users’ parameters.

“We introduced this tool June 1, and are already seeing some increase in conversion on the site. More people are finding a bed that fits their budget” stated Ward Poulos, the president of Just Fine, Inc.

About Just Fine, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Just Fine, Inc. is a specialty Internet retailer focusing on premium/luxury furniture and home accessories for the discriminating customer. Their online stores are designed to provide shoppers with a better way to browse and purchase discounted products that would normally only be found in high-end specialty stores.

We at Fine Iron Beds are excited to announce that the new Wesley Allen beds have arrived. The artisans at Wesley Allen have out-done themselves with these new additions to an already stunning line.

To browse these new beds, click here