Greene and Greene type bed design


dlamulle

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Hello friends,

My wife has informed me today we are about to make a complete bedroom change and I need to get cracking on a new bed. I'd love to build something in a style similar to G&G but it doesn't have to be exact. These are my problems at the moment:

One-- My wife HATES our present bed because of the footboard. She wants the end of the bed to look nice but no footboard at all. She wants ease of making the bed and she loves to sit on the end of the bed to do things.

Two-- We need a sturdy headboard that is high enough to prop up lots of pillows to read or watch TV or read stories to the grandchildren.

Every design I see with a tall headboard and no footboard looks unbalanced to me. Maybe it needs to be broken up or something in the design process to not give that impression I'm not sure but if anyone knows what I mean or has any advice please chime in. I have about a week to gather my supplies and get started so I'm anxious to get some input from everyone.

Dave

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Hello friends,

My wife has informed me today we are about to make a complete bedroom change and I need to get cracking on a new bed. I'd love to build something in a style similar to G&G but it doesn't have to be exact. These are my problems at the moment:

One-- My wife HATES our present bed because of the footboard. She wants the end of the bed to look nice but no footboard at all. She wants ease of making the bed and she loves to sit on the end of the bed to do things.

Two-- We need a sturdy headboard that is high enough to prop up lots of pillows to read or watch TV or read stories to the grandchildren.

Every design I see with a tall headboard and no footboard looks unbalanced to me. Maybe it needs to be broken up or something in the design process to not give that impression I'm not sure but if anyone knows what I mean or has any advice please chime in. I have about a week to gather my supplies and get started so I'm anxious to get some input from everyone.

Hi Dave. Not exactly Greene & Greene but I designed and made this bed a few years ago in Maple it does have a small foot board I agree but at least your wife could sit at the end and the headboard is certainly high enough to sit at with all the pillows you can muster.

Just a possibility?

Dave

post-1421-0-97336700-1301226752_thumb.jp

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I would say a sleigh type bed (similar to the bed shown) can offer a nice balance. The one we built for a customer incorporated underbed half length draws at the toe end (simply because it was fitting in a recess). We used European oak and a clear laquer as to the customers taste however i would have prefered to use Ash due to the tight room size ( i know oak can be light but the Ash would have been MY preference).

This design offered good shaping opportunities and a nice storage use.

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This is not Greene and Greene, but the two head boards can be angled for reading purposes. Since the headboard is lower than most, you might get the proportions you want.

Anyway, the dog's happy with it. :D

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HTH

John

Hey john,

I love the headboards on that bed!. How are the individual sections hinged to move and how are they locked in place so they don't shift while reading? I can work with those proportions for sure and can fit in some G&G design elements as well. Thanks so much for this photo. I had been admiring the other ideas as well as continuing the drawing process myself but you hit me with a different direction with this.

A hearty thanks to all others who sent their input as well. I appreciate all your help.

Dave

Dave

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Glad you like it - so do we :rolleyes:

Here's a side view, though remember that this is a MDF and wallpaper construction (even though we paid a premium price) so I think you can do much better with solid wood:

post-2037-0-21102000-1301648618_thumb.jp

The 'real' headboard to the left is 350mm high from the top of the mattress. The front curved headboard is 430mm and the folding leg is 130mm. I think you can see from the photo where the hinges go.

I'd add a stop for the folding leg - ours doesn't have one probably because of the 'fake' wood used. The result is that one of the leg hinges has sagged a bit, after 10 years use.

Your best bet would be to make up a little mockup and find the most comfortable position for you and your wife. (Just reread that sentence, no I'm not insinuating anything :P). Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, I'm sure you'll do a mockup anyway...

John

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Glad you like it - so do we :rolleyes:

Here's a side view, though remember that this is a MDF and wallpaper construction (even though we paid a premium price) so I think you can do much better with solid wood:

post-2037-0-21102000-1301648618_thumb.jp

The 'real' headboard to the left is 350mm high from the top of the mattress. The front curved headboard is 430mm and the folding leg is 130mm. I think you can see from the photo where the hinges go.

I'd add a stop for the folding leg - ours doesn't have one probably because of the 'fake' wood used. The result is that one of the leg hinges has sagged a bit, after 10 years use.

Your best bet would be to make up a little mockup and find the most comfortable position for you and your wife. (Just reread that sentence, no I'm not insinuating anything :P). Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, I'm sure you'll do a mockup anyway...

John

Thanks John for the side view of the hinge and leg for holding things in place, this was very helpful. My wife likes the idea so with the approval of SWMBO I will start soon. I wish I was good with Sketchup so I could draw up some different styles before I make some poplar prototypes. Maybe I need to sit down and start practicing until I can get the hang of it. Well, for now I'm back to the shop to work a bit on my Morris chair then I'll draw some on it tonight. I'll keep you all clued in on how it progresses.

Dave

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