A Cottage Bed

Goodness! Almost five months since the last post. Real life ... well, you know that story. *sigh* I'm glad to be back in the land of the minis!

A few days ago I built a little rustic chaise longue for a friend who has recreated his grandfather's brick cabin in Australia. Grandfather was a ship's carpenter, and although the chaise is rustic, it has the nice lines of Victorian style. This is the inspiration -- a photo of Grandpa's bed.

I did a rough sketch but didn't make a detailed blueprint. I had the approximate measurements in my head and winged it. I used scrap wood with wood glue, white craft acrylic paint and a final coat of clear satin finish polyacrylic. I was so busy building that I forgot to snap any other construction photos.

Here are the three components: the frame, the bit that keeps the mattress from sagging between the slats (Is there a name for that? Somebody help me out here, please!), and the mattress. The mattress is thin and lightly padded. It consists of two halves glued together. Each half has a piece of paper, a piece of heavy flannel, and the cover, which is light cotton. By having the paper as a core, the mattress can be bent to the angle of the backrest and will hold its shape.

The photo was unclear as to whether this part was wood or cloth, but since Grandpa was a ship's carpenter, I opted for aged canvas. It is glued in place.

When it was finished, I invited the old farmer over to check it out. He found it quite comfortable. The mattress ties were added to give the mattress a more realistic appearance. I trimmed them a bit after this photo was taken.

I hate to tell you how long it has been since I made the commitment to make the bed. Once I got started, it took just over a day to complete, even allowing time for glue and paint to dry. Anyway, it's on its way to Australia. (Wish I were delivering it in person!)

Now I'm looking forward to getting back to the Pierce/Bohemian Inn. The innkeeper is getting testy over the construction delays!