Over two years ago, when I designed my last showhouse space, I designed a daybed for a "teenage girl". I decided her name would be “Phoebe” (cute, right? ;-)
READ MORE: Design Plan | Phoebe’s She-Cave
To this very day I still get emails about it, most of them containing the question:
Carla... How can I build this daybed myself? -Or-Where can I buy this daybed?
I usually answer each email I receive individually. But I thought having the instructions available here on DESIGNED will save me a lot of time. Now I'll just reply back with this link.
For a while, after getting so much positive feedback, I considered having the daybed manufactured - that is until I realized I wasn't quite "well known" enough to design furniture for a manufacturer.
Apparently you have to be a “celebrity designer" these days for a furniture company to consider you. I put the thought on the shelf, hopefully to have it developed later.
Need design advice? Click here!
So, instead of waiting for the moment when I finally see it manufactured, I think I’d rather see lots of creative renditions of my daybed being built by all you, instead of keeping my tips to myself. After all, I may never see the day when my daybed gets manufactured ;-(
So, please, use these drawings and information as inspiration to design and build it yourself ;-)
Oh, and send me a pic when it's finished! I’d love to see your take on my upholstered daybed! And, of course, I'll post it here for the rest of the world to love.
Design Your Own Daybed
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The very first thing you do is take accurate dimensions of your bed - and no, I don’t mean off a website! Sometimes beds vary by a few inches, especially in height. So measure your mattress carefully.
Next, you design the frame around it.
We had some beds for the showhouse available that were borrowed and, well, they were super thin. No one would be sleeping on them. So, these dimensions, while appropriate for this particular bed, wouldn’t be ideal for a taller, fluffier mattress.
In other words: design accordingly.
I had this bed built by a local upholsterer who regularly makes custom headboards and ottomans. They built a frame and then wrapped it in foam and dacron wrap.
I wanted a bit of a retro vibe, so I went with a smooth, rich-looking vinyl, which turned out to be the perfect material for this bed.
The longer, king-sized headboard went in first.
The headboard was notched out to fit into the frame snugly.
Bunky Board | Crate&Barrel
The slats were inserted to give support for this special box spring I found online.
Crate and Barrel has a low-profile support piece called a “bunky board”. It’s great for platform style beds with a 2” thickness. I used the bunky board on top of the slats for good support.
Finally, you just add the mattress and bedding, and you’ve got yourself a great daybed!
BTW: After the showhouse, I designed an adaptation of this daybed, this time for a younger girl. We used a full-size mattress, added a few curves, and some painted white legs. Cute, huh ;-)
While designing this, have some fun and let your imagination wander. And don’t forget to let me know how it goes!
And then later on, I did one for a young boy’s room too.
Looking for a daybed to buy already made and ready to go? I’ve got some cool ones right here.
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A young, male client of mine needed a custom daybed for his long, narrow room. Here's what I came up with...