Architectural Arts is frequently commissioned to produce custom beds. Below you will see two examples of custom handmade beds produced to match photographs from magazines. Although we enjoy furniture design, reproducing someone else's work has its own rewards and challenges.
This Thonet queen size bed is the most technically difficult piece of custom handmade furniture that Architectural Arts has ever been commissioned to build. The client had a picture of an antique Thonet from a magazine called "Italian Style" that identified the bed as being made from Mahogany, an extremely difficult wood to bend. After completing the project, we would find out that the original bed was actually made from easy to bend beech. The forming jigs we designed to bend the wood have as many as 24 individual pieces, each needing to be put into place within seconds to prevent the wood from cooling after 10 hours of steaming. The bed was last manufactured in the late 19th and early 20th century, and we were able to contact the extant Thonet factory for some early drawings. The client's bed was considerably customized to meet their aesthetic and practical specifications. This bed is part of a set of Thonet style furniture, which includes a custom entertainment center and a custom sofa table.
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This custom bed is made from northern hard maple. The client brought a photo that she admired from Architectural Digest and wanted it reproduced in queen size. |
