My personal taste in furniture is mostly Eastlake, Craftsman / Mission / Greene and Green, and Shaker styles. I also like modern derivatives and interpretations like those available from studios like these: NW Fine Woodworking, The Joinery, and Thos. Moser.The pictured bedframe with drawers (and legs!) is a product of Whittier Wood Furniture a Eugene Oregon company, which offers unfinished and flat-pack ready to assemble furniture.
I was first exposed to Whittier's products through Fred Meyer, a local we-sell-everything chain. I've even finished and assembled a few of their products - all well made, all out of good wood (generally Alder) and nicely veneered plywood. Their products hold up very well - it is real furniture. A bargain if you can apply a decent finish yourself, or buy one of their pre-finished pieces like the above bedframe. I recommend their work as a better alternative to anybody considering buying particle board from IKEA.
However in this case I want something a bit different, more in the Craftsman style. Fumed quarter-sawn Oak instead of cherry finished Alder, and instead of 6 ball-bearing glide drawers, probably just 3 pull-through drawers resting on UHMW runners, so no matter how you position the bed (against one or another wall, etc.) you'll still be able to get at the contents of the drawers. I like the drawers for storage of extra bedding, not for daily use in place of a chest of drawers. The extra bed height I've always liked, so that isn't an issue for me. I also like the legs rather than just having the drawers rest directly on the carpet.
I still need to figure out exactly what I want for a headboard & how to balance style with functionality. I really enjoyed the bookcase-with-lights headboard I had on my waterbed back in the early 80's, but by my current standards it was pretty hideous. Any suggestions?
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I am completely with you about the bed frame. I have an old waterbed frame that is the ugliest thing in the world, but so useful. I like beds to be high, wish I had the time/ingenuity/dedication to make what I want. Should be high, have drawers underneath, and shelves on the headboard to place books, reading glasses, and such. Also want the 4 posts with rails at the top to hang the mosquito netting. I know it's overdone but I still like such stuff. I am always eyeing the big manzanita bushes around my place as I think the wood is SO beautiful and would build my bed out of it, well at least the 4 posts which would be the legs as well. Manzanita is hard to find that is big and straight enough for such a monster, but it does exist. The frame rails would actually have to be build out of something else I think, something straighter so that the drawers could hang from the rails and still clear the floor by enough inches to allow cats to chase mice under and back out, or leave body parts for me to fret over when the smell becomes too strong (just thought of that). Not enough room for dogs to get under. Love the idea of the drawers going either way, except I thing three smaller shorter drawers at the foot of the bed would be good for maybe off-season clothes.
Long drawers underneath would also be good place for rifles and other such things that you might want close but out of sight. That's something I have thought deserves a good hidey hole.
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