Lofty Ideas pt. 2:Hit the Hay

By beccajo

It's getting closer to March 1st, which means, as I purge extras from my current apartment, I need to start narrowing down my loft-living choices. I've talked my parents (and sister) out of getting me a Murphy Bed for my new apartment.

The expense, coupled with the idea of having to keep my bed perpetually made (so it can be folded into the wall) scared me off. But I will still need a bed AND an attractive place for guests to sit when they come over to my 540 sq foot castle.

DAWN OF THE DAYBED

Hey, it worked for the Romans and Egyptians, why not me? Here are some nice choices from West Elm, I'd probably go with the dark wood for any of them.

I like that they are open, it will give the look of more space if they're not solid wood or upholstery.

But how to keep it from looking like a bed, when I want it to be a couch?

TAILORING IS KEY

A fitted cover and couch-y looking pillows will help create the illusion of a couch. And they'll hide underbed storage. I know it's bad for your feng shui to have crap under your bed, but come on, I'm Swedish! I have a warren of happy carpet and dust bunnies under there. Late at night, I can hear them singing 'Bright Eyes'. But I digress.

DIY? OR JUST BUY?

Although it would seem rather easy to build one of these things myself, (it's just two funky ends, a back, and a frame, right?) I'm not sure that it's worth less that $400 of my time and effort. Although I don't want to get into the whole debate about cheap-o furniture......

I'm pretty confident in my mad sewing skillz though, that I could make a nice tailored looking cover for the mattress and pillows. Now if only I could make up my mind on covering my chair....maybe that would be a good test run. Hmmm.......

Tagged:
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December 27, 2006

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About: I'm obsessed with making the world a prettier place. I make my living as a production...

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dmittleman

January 01, 2007

Magazine under it makes perfect sense. I invested in those plastic slider plates, which work well for my computer armoire. This little bench I thought I could slide without any sliders. Oh well.

Yes, WestElm furniture has to be assembled at home. As does Ikea and Home Decorators Collection. I have all three in my loft. Ikea uses more expensive hardware and the fittings are tighter - so, overall you get better quality assembly. West Elm is mid range of the three. HDC... Well lets just say that the ship with extra plastic cam shafts as they realize you are probably going to crack a couple of them tightening with a screwdriver. They must have figured out that sending a few more pieces of cheap plastic cams was cheaper than switching to metal cams (which Ikea and West Elm use.)

Not that you asked me any of this... But I vent.

beccajo

December 31, 2006

dmittleman, that sucks! did you have to assemble the whole thing upon delivery? is that where it came apart?

my trick for moving furniture when i'm alone (which is usually the case) is to slip a magazine or catalog under the side that's being dragged or pushed. it helps reduce the friction enough to keep the thing from falling apart. usually. HA!

dmittleman

December 31, 2006

I like WestElm's design aesthetic, but I bought a piece from them and was not at all impressed with the price/quality value proposition. For what I paid (much more than a comparable Ikea piece would have cost), I would have liked something that has better joinery. Mine collapsed when I dragged it across the carpet. I reassembled with carpenters glue and some el brackets, but I shouldn't have to do that.