The bed is not just any place. At no point in time was it only a place for sleep. It’s hard to say whether it is really good and right to watch TV, read and work in bed, even if psychologists constantly do emphasize how important deep and relaxing sleep is precisely in our hectic times. Perhaps beds with box springs, with their stacked mattresses and pads convey an especially comfortable feeling when lying, which is why they are so popular at the moment. That today bedrooms fulfill so many purposes has, on the other hand, meant that designers and manufacturers develop and offer models in the most different of versions and outfits. Anyone who has the choice has a real dilemma: With or without an upholstered headrest or adjustable and freely positionable backrest for reading or working? Do you want a magnificent Baroque design or a purist sleekness? Leant against a wall, or a standalone island in the middle of the room? Be that as it may, why not simply take a look below at what appeals to you. (mm)
Umarme mich, geliebtes Bett
“EDEL” BY LEMA
It almost seems as if the “Edel” bed by Italian makers Lema actually floats above the ground. Combined with the softly rounded headboard the bed has a light and airy appearance, almost defying gravity completely. Even Hans Christian Andersen’s little man who was so small he could sit on a flower blossom, a leaf or a nutshell, would feel good on it. “Edel” is available in three different widths – 1,940 through 2,140 millimeters, and comes with fabric or leather covers. Perhaps it really does whisk the sleepers away into a different world for a fleeting moment or two?
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“CALM” BY SEBASTIAN HERKNER FOR SCHRAMM
A bed by Schramm consists of a combination of base-frame with an integrated two-mattress system. The ingenious idea: an upper mattress with pocket-spring cores rests precisely on a lower mattress as in this way the system responds exactly to the anatomy of the body of the person lying on it – especially in the section where the shoulders rest. The key credo here is: sink into the mattress, don’t fall through it. This system is itself now as good as embraced by “Calm” – a bed designed by Sebastian Herkner and for which he has created an upholstered shell of padded squares for the headboard. Anyone feeling sufficiently sheltered anyway can simply opt for the headboard without a curve to it.
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“LIPP” BY PIERO LISSONI FOR LIVING DIVANI
Piero Lissoni is truly a “gentiluomo per eccellenza” – and that’s something clearly evidenced by his designs. Small wonder then that the “Lipp Bed” he dreamed up to round out the “Lipp” line (a settee and a bench) and presented last year at the imm cologne by Living Divani, is especially luxurious and elegant. The Capitonné quilting of the leather or fabric covers has no sense of the massive about it, as it only takes up a part of the high headboard. Moreover, the bed rests on slender metal legs that lend it a decidedly tender, feminine, graceful and catching touch. The special sizes, such as “American Standard”, “Queen” and “King Size”, available will not doubt make it an interesting option specifically for hotels.
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“DESDÉMONE” BY SODA DESIGNERS FOR LIGNE ROSET
Nada Nasrallah and Christian Horner, who calls themselves Soda Designers, are firmly in favor of curves: Be it their bathtub called “Arne”, their “Bellevue” chair or their “Bow” luminaire, they all boast curved arcs, bulge, and bend. The designers have taken a similar approach with their latest project for Ligne Roset. Their “Désdemone” bed boasts a headboard that forms an embracing shell, bent forward in a curve and duly upholstered, it not only affords those slumbering sweetly protection, but also enables you to sit very comfortably to read, work or watch TV – with a height of either 780 or 1100 mm.
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“HUSK” BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA FOR B&B ITALIA
One of the latest fruit borne of the collaboration between Patricia Urquiola and B&B Italia is the “Husk” line. The upholstery that resembles a quilt blanket or a quilted jacket, gives the settees, armchair, chair and of course the bed too a quite unique character. The original idea was for the line to be developed in less than two years, but Urquiola spent an additional year tweaking the “Husk” to make certain the upholstery provided just the right amount of comfort. A structure that brings both textiles and fashion to mind, the bed can rightly be regarded as a typical Patricia Urquiola design.
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Extravaganz kann nicht schaden
“MAJAL” BY CARLO COLOMBO FOR FLOU
Italian bed specialist Flou delivers the ultimate in comfort in the form of “Majal”. The brick-shaped Steppungen are meant to conjure up an image of Indian women stacking bundles of fabric to dye them, and then wring them out. The impressive headboard is available in two versions: Either as broad as the bedframe itself, or as a maxi-headboard that is no less than three meters wide. The bed is available with fabric or leather covers, and you can choose from a great range of different weaves, patterns and colors, not to mention plaid leather strips – all of which serve to ensure that “Majal” brings a touch of haute couture into the bedroom.
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“CLIP” BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA FOR MOLTENI & C
Patricia Urquiola’s “Clip” resembles a broad ribbon that ripples on itself along the way. The headboard can be set at numerous angles, and a bedside table with a circular top can simply be slid over the bed – a marvelous rest for your Notebook or coffee. And anyone who likes to hear a purring at their neck simply folds the headboard horizontally to make space for the best furry companion of all time.
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“ADELE” BY STUDIO HANNES WETTSTEIN FOR WITTMANN
At Wittmann the beds are still made by hand. They consist of an upholstered base, a main mattress (rubber or high-quality pocket sprung), slats and a headboard. Every Wittmann bed, and that includes “Adele” designed by Studio Hannes Wettstein – is available in special sizes. Anyone who is not quite sure whether they really want to buy such a luxurious bed should note: Wittmann actually issues s “Guaranteed Good Night”: You can have the feather-sprung mattress replaced in the first six weeks of use.
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“CIPRIA” BY FERNANDO AND HUMBERTO CAMPANA FOR EDRA
What good fortune that the brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana became designers after all – although the one studied Law and the other Architecture and never really intended to create furniture. As otherwise the world would have been deprived of the one or other exalted design. Among the latter is most certainly the “Cipria” line, consisting of an armchair, settee and a bed – launched in 2009 for Edra. It is all somehow reminiscent of a large powder box and is so fluffy it’s almost impossible to resist stroking it. The effect the bed has can change dramatically depending on the covers you choose for the individual round sections, be it fluffy fur, leather, fabric or even a gold-coated textile.
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“DC BED” BY VINCENZO DE COTIIS FOR CECCOTTI COLLEZIONI
Architect and designer Vincenzo De Cotiis creates furniture that oscillates between the brutal and the charming and which always takes to the stage in a glamorous vein. Alongside his own “Haute” collection, which he distributes through his gallery in Milan, kooperiert er auch seit Jahren mit Ceccotti Collezioni, die für ihre handwerkliche raffinierten Möbel aus edlen Hölzern in Kombination mit glänzendem Metall und elegantem Leder bekannt sind. De Cotiis „DC Bett“ schaut aus wie ein aus Männerphantasien geborener Traum – und lässt einen irgendwie an eine Motorrad-Werkstatt denken, mit seinen Messingeinsätzen und dem speckig glänzenden Leder. Born to be wild.
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Strenge Bettruhe
“NOVA” BY BERNHARD MÜLLER FOR FOR [MORE]
Sleep, sit, work – a lot is possible on “Nova” by Bernhard Müller for More. It combines clarity and flexibility: The cushions can be slotted into an aluminum frame wherever you want them. Leather and a range of fabric covers are available for the cushions, rolls, feet – and a chromed arc, along with a variety of lacquer finishes. As such, the bed can be adjusted to whatever you might want it to be.
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“BED” BY JASPER MORRISON FOR CAPPELLINI
Jasper Morrison presented “Bed” at the beginning of his fruitful collaboration with Giulio Cappellini – and since first coming out in 1991 it has always been part of the program. Probably because “Bed” does not seek to be anything other than a bed and is therefore simple, self-explanatory and archetypal. An upholstered headboard which, seen from the side, tapers upwards slightly, with a mattress that ends flush with the covered frame, and polished aluminum feet, nothing more, nothing less. The leather and textile covers can be taken off, the frame is made of pine with poplar laminate, the slats made of birch.
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“LIPLA” BY JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD FOR PORRO
Hard-edged and technical: With “Lipla” for Porro, Jean-Marie Massaud has created an absolute statement for the bedroom, above all thanks to its angled headboard that runs down under the mattress. “Lipla” is made of wood, can come with leather or textile covers, but can also be lacquered. The striking and radical shape makes it perfect for a cool and reduced setting.
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Komm mit auf meine Insel
“MALY BED 2” BY PETER MALY FOR LIGNE ROSET
A child of its time: Peter Maly originally designed the bed in 1983 for Ligne Roset, inspired by Japanese aesthetics. The backrest cushions can be slotted into the bed frame at any point, and the broad wraparound rest-cum-edge can turn the bed into a real island of relaxation that can be positioned anywhere in the bedroom or living room. Fans the world over and Michel Roset ensured that “Maly Bed” was relaunched last year – in a new, leaner, less expansive version and in two different heights. Hard to imagine more of an island in the sea of beds.
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“BUG” BY PAOLA NAVONE FOR POLIFORM
For the “Bug” line, Italian designer Paola Navone was inspired by a ladybug that landed on her hand. Although she can look back on a long career, surprisingly she did not actually present the model back in the 1970s but not until 2009. For she has definitely stayed faithful to her approach to design, whereby furniture needs to be created with a certain fun factor. And because organic shapes will presumably always find people who love them and because the 1970s style is back en vogue for furniture and precisely for fashion, this fully upholstered recliner-isle is a must-have for anyone who likes to live, love and laugh in bed.
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“LULLABY DUE” BY LUIGI MASSONI FOR POLTRONA FRAU
Round about 1968 many ways of life changed – and with them the related objects. Elvis Presley, Hugh Hefner, Ike and Tina Turner… and round beds were simply part and parcel of any 1960s or 1970s pad where wild parties or possibly even orgies got celebrated. One of these objects was and still is the 360°-rotating bed “Lullaby Due”, from where you can watch the world and the goings-on from any number of different perspectives. Conversely, anyone who lounges on it presents themselves perfectly to all and sundry. The first version of the “Lullaby” bed dating from 1967 is today only to be had at auctions of vintage furniture: With its massive backrest of artificial leather it had a far more rustic feel.
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“JAAN” BY EOOS FOR WALTER KNOLL
With “Jaan” for Walter Knoll, which smoothly blends with the eponymous series of modular settees and associated side tables, designers Martin Bergmann, Gernot Bohmann and Harald Gründl at EOOS seek to overcome human awkwardness when in the horizontal. For with its wraparound aluminum frame and filigree feet, “Jaan” seems to set the mattress floating. Moreover, the designers seek to break with the habit of sticking the bed’s headboard up against a wall and instead move the bed into the middle of the room. And to make everyone realize the fact, the headboard has its own shelf attached.
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Schlicht und natürlich
“SLOPE” BY LEONHARD PFEIFER FOR MÜLLER MÖBELWERKSTÄTTEN
“Slope”, made of multiplex beech, proves that shelves and a bed can be combined. The brainchild of London-based designer Leonhard Pfeifer, it was presented by Müller Möbelwerkstätten at the imm cologne. The headboard boasts space to house those favorite objects you want to have close to you in bed, books, a tablet PC, an eye mask, cherrystone pillows, the one or other toy, and so on … The rest above the shelf is ideal for positioning a luminaire or other utensil – rendering a bedside table superfluous. The “Slope” may derive its name from one of those ski slopes, as the bed really seems to take off.
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“SIEBENSCHLÄFER” BY CHRISTOFFER MARTENS FOR NILS HOLGER MOORMANN
The dormouse is a rather sweet little animal, with big trusting eyes and a bushy tail, all in all a creature you can empathize with. The dormouse actually burrows deep into the earth and then spends seven to eight months hibernating. Humans, who are not known to hibernate, will have to make do instead with the “Siebenschläfer” bed that Christoffer Martens developed back in 2007 for Nils Holger Moormann using veneered plywood. But it’s just as good, as all you need to do is count in hours instead of months and you can slumber as deeply as the dormouse who is proverbially dead to the world. The bed simply slots together and is available in various sizes, both with or without a headboard.
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“SIMPLE SOFT” BY FORMSTELLE FOR ZEITRAUM
Another dream ship that simply glides through the bedroom. Formstelle alias Claudia Kleine and Jörg Kürschner created this plain bed which goes by the name of “Simple Soft”. Optionally in pure wood or upholstered, with or without a headboard. Typical of Zeitraum and from our viewpoint the most beautiful of them all is the version with the headboard made of maple, beech, oak, ash, cherry or walnut, solid wood in each case, but from sustainable forestry. Incidentally, the upholstery covers can simply be taken off for cleaning.
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