High Quality Platform Beds
There’s a lot more to making a bed than California Kings and Pima Cotton. When the Saxons "made a bed", they did exactly that. At the end of the day they took a sack or animal skin and filled it with leaves, straw or moss. Pea pods were sometimes used for stuffing, which must have been rather lumpy indeed – and maybe the story source of the Princess and the Pea. Today’s high quality platform bed designs at Viesso reflect modern life, emphasizing clean edited lines, natural sustainable materials, and a marriage of form and function.
Shakespeare and the Bed
The history leading towards the present day modern platform bed design is a history of life and people. As Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." In the Tudor era, travelers staying at inns or hostels were expected to share their beds with complete strangers. If a rich person turned up, a poor traveler was thrown out of bed to make space. When Shakespeare died he left his "second-best bed and the furniture" to his wife, Anne Hathaway. Anne was no doubt delighted, as beds were often a man's most valuable possession.
Georgians to Victorians
Rich Georgian beds were completely covered in drapes. Louis XIV had 413 beds and some elaborately embroidered in pearls and gold. Some Victorian beds were so high off the ground that special bed steps were needed to climb into them - Queen Victoria's bed had seven mattresses! It was the Victorians who invented the comfort of coiled mattresses along with metal bed frames to discourage bedbugs.
Modern Time
Hammocks, trundle beds, canopy beds, bunk beds, water beds, or the famous In-A-Dor Murphy fold away bed - the modern day platform bed represents the cumulative efforts of individuals over the last 9000 years to give us a better place to rest our head. The basic modern platform bed design with quality wood-raised frame, with or without slated supports, and mattress, is the modern design for life. It is the design result of paring down all other bed styles to create real comfort with an unfettered appearance.
Early twentieth century design in both Europe and America incorporated elements that led to the style and variety of platform beds available today. Minimalist influences in painting and sculpture found their way into furniture design, rejecting the elaborate ornamental designs of the Victorian period. The edited and serene Asian approach and their cultural appreciation for natural materials also lent a hand in defining the feel, shape and mood found in current platform bed designs. Mission furniture reflected precise craftsmanship and a simplicity of materials, which lead directly to the geometric building block motif seen as a crucial element of the modern platform bed. In the 1940’s futon and futon frames derived design ideas from the simplicity and line of platform beds and continue to this day to be a popular variation on the platform bed design.
Modern Platform Bed Styles
When seeking a contemporary high quality platform bed, the choices are varied and uniquely considered to enhance personal lifestyle and comfort. The general design of neat spare lines and low to the ground architecting draws attention to the natural light and space in the bedroom and enhances modern furnishings. The platform design supports a mattress without the use of a box spring, and this mattress support technology extends design possibilities to include new looks for the modern bedroom. Viesso, known for their spare and sustainable sophisticated modern furniture options, offers a wide selection of quality platform beds designed to meet those current expectations.
Japanese-Style Platform Bed
A most noticeable influence from which the modern platform bed design is derived, is from the traditional Japanese bed. Traditionally, Japanese beds are very close to the ground and very flat. Japanese-style modern platform beds are indeed lower to the ground than traditional beds and other platform designs. Also, many mattresses that accompany the bed are firmer than standard mattresses to assist in spinal support while sleeping. Some platform beds even incorporate Japanese Tatami Mats, and some have an extended frame around the periphery of the bed.
Storage Platform Bed
No bed design marries the idea of form and function better than the storage platform bed. Designed with a raised solid frame, the interior is created as a storage space, either hollow or with drawers. This style eliminates the need for a separate chest of storage drawers or a bureau and is perfect in an economical space. Viesso offers storage platform beds in sustainable solid bamboo warrantied for life, with custom optional drawers, in a choice of sizes and styles.
Modern Platform Bed with Extended Headboard
This modern style incorporates the elegance and clarity from Italian Modern and Mid Century Modern designs. Headboards are extended in both height and width and may be upholstered or tufted with deep buttons. Headboards my include quilting in the designs. Wood framing may be offered in finishes or veneers or fully upholstered, adding grace to the spare lines. Viesso’s handsome California King Ludlow Bed is a perfect signature modern bed design with high leather button-tufted headboard in a wood frame outlined border. It is a chic statement piece with a seamless smooth matching leather base and wood border.
The modern platform bed comes in all sizes from twin to California King and, though generally lower to the ground than a traditional bed, there is also a choice of heights. Design options include optional storage in headboard and frame, and options in leg designs. Wood or fully upholstered frame designs with or without headboards are also design considerations. Mattress placement can seem to float atop the frame or sink deeply into it. Back rests and side night tables may also be included in the bed frame designs.
Viesso is a contemporary company that acts as a purveyor of modern designs in home and office furnishings, outdoor furnishings and complimentary accents. The real essence of the company lies in providing elements that enhance contemporary life – designs for living. Their customizations, sustainable offerings, chic and detailed inventory and ease of access, describe the original ideals of the Modern movement where a union of art, architecture and the environment are key principles in creating a harmony in life. Their selection of platform beds is exceptional. Browse their website, www.viesso.com and choose something wonderful for your bedroom.