These designs for bed steps appeared in the 1805 A Collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decorwtion in the Most Approved and Elegant Taste.
Bed steps were necessary for wealthier homes where luxurious carved wooden beds carried on the tradition started around the 14th century of raised platforms high off the ground, often surrounded by curtains or drapes (https://www.thespruce.com/the-history-of-the-bed-4062296).
