my new bed.

i would rather be without than have something that i feel mediocre about. for years, i have been sleeping with a mattress on the floor because i never found a bed that i truly loved. antique french iron beds are my favorite, but they don't come in a queen size, and it rubs my principles in a weird way to make something into something that it's not. anyway, i decided to make my own bed. jse said that if i figured out all of the measurements and bought all of the right pieces, he would build it for me.

the pieces

so for weeks, i had measuring calipers in my back pocket, pipe fittings scattered around my house, and my trusty sheet of paper with all of the measurements, revisions and notes was with me at all times (jse said i should use google sketch up, but i never did).

well, that didn't work out. too complicated, too many pieces, too much. so i pared the design down, bought the pieces and jeremy made good on his promise.

cutting the angle iron to make rails (note the trailer beside j, also a recent project)

the point of attachment for the bed rails

little muffins, dingo and pistol, watching

"welding is hot"

i really didn't want any welding involved. i wanted the whole bed to be threaded. and my theory worked, except for getting the last piece in. i thought about it a million different ways, but the one that worked the best compromised strength. it would have to be welded in one spot (jse thought of it in a moment of brilliance). but i won't tell and i don't think you could find it.

8 hours later, the completed frame

put together

i used s hooks so that i could attach things to the foot board rather than throw them on the floor. and then i took duck cloth with some buttons i had collected over the years (i have a very soft spot in my heart for tufting) to my seamstress and had a headboard made.

i love it, i think it's a great blend of pragmatism, elegance, quirk and austerity. it looks modern but like it has history too. i'm not sold on the headboard yet (feels a little cottage-y), but i am going to live with it for a while and see what happens...

*like the wine bottle to cup making project last winter, i put in about 7.5 minutes of physical effort.
**all but the last three pictures were taken on the iphone 4. if you are curious as to how it lives up to the hype, have a look...