Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Design

I suspect that everyone has a little bit of designer in them. Everyone has come across something that's put together in a way that just clicks with them, that feels right at the subconscious level, or they've had something that never does seem *quite right, that they'd change if they could. For me, lately, its been beds and bathrooms. I spoke about the chamber of flowing waters the other day, so lets think about bedrooms. In particular, beds and sidetables.

When Nelson Rockefeller was Vice President, and moved into the official vice presidential quarters, he had a $35,000 bed designed by Max Ernst for the house. He didn't use it but one time, but what a nifty concept! And, of course, Hugh Hefner had (for all I know, still does have) his famous revolving bed. Most of us, if we think of remarkable beds at all, think of things like the Craftmatic, which appears to be essentially just a hospital bed sold for private use. Beds are -- well, they're better than a rock to sleep on. (I've read of religious orders that actually do that, and I've wondered if its just that by the time it comes to sleep they're so dead tired they'd pass on on a brier patch?)

My thought for the improvement of bedroomdom is: bedside tables, with storage, that can be slid over to be at the bedside level, levitated up to be used as a breakfast-in-bed table (I have never gotten through a BIB with a tray where something didn't spill), or serve as easy- access storage for books, radio, glasses, all of that -- and when not needed, slid back into a docking station in a wrap-around wall. Yeah, thats the ticket.

Exactly how to do this, escapes me -- but maybe I'll finally get to sleep, here, and I'll dream of it.

4 comments:

African Kelli said...

I'd use one of those! Now, make it cottage white and shabby chic I'll even buy it!!

Cerulean Bill said...

Are you a shabby chic chick, Kelli? I would never have guessed that...

Unknown said...

It's funny - I was just reading about a small boat design called "Nancy's China". It was named after Nancy Reagan's multi-thousand dollar per place setting china that she ordered for the White House. Just after Ronnie had cut some funding, or was it when he killed off the wooden boat industry?

(It was in "Wooden Boat" magazine; a journal devoted to telling us all about those wonderful hours we could wile away on a nice boat. But with precious little advice on how we could afford such hours... But some really nice pictures of boats that we could all wile away some wonderful hours in...
:-)

We bought one of the beds that has movable ends; it's really neat (although we're screwed if the power goes out for any length of time!) and very comfortable. It was a bit expensive, but it's helped the Mrs' when her back was bothering her; it was a real help when she had an operation on her foot, too!

I like your bedside table idea... Now, if I can only get the cats to bring me breakfast. (Not that I usually feed them in the AM; I'm rarely awake until somewhere approaching noon...)

G'night! :-)
Carolyn Ann

Cerulean Bill said...

I 've never read Wooden Boat, but I've read about it in a book I've got, 'Boatbuilder'. Apparently, it is that rarest of things, a labor of love that became profitable.

I'm glad that your bed is comfortable. I have to say, I was surprised to find that the fully-adjustable one in the hospital, wasn't! Something about having the back up, sliding down into the pocket thereby created, and having no way to push myself back up again. Asymmetrical thrust, you know. The nurses always seemed to think it funny. When I finally could reach the control buttons (which were in the middle of the guard bar; bad positioning, I think, unless you have quite short arms), it was a little better -- but still, not fun.