Nine years ago, we designed this bed for our then-primary bedroom, and I have a lot of unresolved feelings about it. So Bold! So Fun! So Big! So Expensive! The reason we are talking about it now is that you may or may not know the custom bed that is in our current bedroom was actually designed for our guest room, not our bedroom, but the bed we had ordered for our bedroom was having some shipping delays so with the photo shoot looming (2 years ago) we put that bed in our room where it hasn’t moved and cancelled the one that was on its way. That’s all to say that I’m just now getting around to figuring out what is the perfect bed for our bedroom (I don’t love the design of the room as a whole) and I’m toying with the idea of doing something custom, which reminded me of this big bold lady that we had made almost 10 years ago. But as I was picking out fabrics, I remembered that I had some regrets/learnings with this one, so it deserved more of a deep dive, with the help of some hindsight.
Before The Custom Bed…
Prior to designing the new bed, I had recovered this vintage tufted headboard with a navy blue fabric. It was fun, but I suppose I wanted something even more fun, LOL. BOY DID I GET IT.
The Inspiration Of The Shape
I loved the idea of a modern wingback design, but fully upholstered – it felt cozy and simple. At the time, one of my design assistants, Remi, pulled the dimensions from a lot of these above to work off of.
I went through a huge Rebecca Atwood phase (still love her so much) and my love of blue was perhaps at its peak (never gone away, TBH), and I LOVED this marble-y pattern so much. I don’t think I really debated it too much (I was a lot braver then, not sure why!) and make the final decision pretty quickly.
The Drawings To Get A Quote
Remi drew it all out for the guys to get a quote.
This view was specifically important to see how the corners joined within the design that we wanted.
The frame was solidly built and helped us visualize it more.
I remember us debating how to orient the fabric, but not for long – it was pretty clear that the marble should run horizontally on the bed like water. Something to definitely think of for anyone customizing with patterned fabric.
Installed, But Not Styled
Here is what she looked like before we finished the room – it’s a lot of bed. I loved it, but I had some momentary fears of it being “too much”.
It turned out beautifully and exactly how we had asked for it, but it wasn’t a quiet bed. She was LOUD.
The details were really rad though… we did a good job designing it and our furniture guy executed it perfectly.
The Styled Out Room
When I revealed it on the blog, I think it was close to unanimous that it was awesome. Once styled out with everything more balanced it it still had a huge presence but worked a lot better.
I can’t tell if this room is dated or not. I still love it! Sure, there is that still bright/airy midcentury vibe that was so big in the late 2010s but there is nothing in here I wouldn’t own again (and I still have those lamps, that painting, that bench, and that rug).
So Why Did I Sell The Bed Only 1 Year Later/My Learnings?
The easy reason is that we moved into our house in Los Feliz, where our room was much, much smaller, and the bed had to be in front of a low window. This was a high headboard, so even if we could get the bed into the room, it would look EXTRA MASSIVE. The way we designed the side rails and the “wings” added another 12″ overall to the bed, so I don’t think that would have fit with nightstands.
But secretly, I was having a lot of internal doubt about my love of color and pattern, and felt insecure that what I liked was silly. This was 2016, the beginning of Amber Interiors, Studio McGee, and of course, the Modern Farmhouse vibe Joanna Gaines popularized. I think I felt like bold choices like this would look too amateur, young, and silly — not sophisticated, refined, or neutral enough like what was about to happen. Of course, that “warm, neutral California casual” vibe would reign supreme until 2021, where everything has certainly flipped (color and pattern are certainly back). I sold this bed for $1,500 – INSANELY LOW PRICE for what I paid and how new it was. And I’m not saying it is the exact bed that I would want right now, but I do love the boldness and the no apologies that it had. It made a statement with a big side of bravery. I think it’s pretty typical to let the outside trends of the world affect the opinion of your home, while I wish we didn’t. I’m obviously not placing blame on anything or anyone, the zeitgeist is just so strong and at times outside of our control (especially when we are young). I LOVE this bed now, it represents a time when I took chances in a really bold way. Of course, spending $3k on something that you might not love for 20 years is actually the biggest risk of all, and I tend to be a lot more cautious now (taking more risks in smaller pieces or art, rather than large custom patterned furniture).
*Reveal Photos by Tessa Neustadt
