Art Nouveau Bed
Life and Death In the Garden
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Beautifully hand crafted Marquetry and carving. This bed depicts life in a garden with its depictions of a blooming climbing rose bush. Death is depicted by a spider and its web.
It is in the details
The framework of this bed was done in solid African Sapele lumber. Every square inch was hand worked with small power tools and lots of miscellaneous carving tools.
Old world craftsmanship
The Marquetry veneer work was all hand cut on a 17th century French Chevalet cutting saw.
There were no power tools used in the veneer cutting
The making of it
Idea and Design Insperation
I have always loved the Art Nouveau style with its flowing carved wood pieces and the highly ornate veneer work. This bed is a take on that style with a modernistic feel. I wanted a new bed and one day it just came to me. With just a few sketches I was ready to start the undertaking.
Drawing
Drawing full size plans was the next step. Figuring out all the joinery methods and art work at this stage makes the whole process almost trouble free. All of the drawings were done on 1/8 hardboard for a durable shop print.
Veneers
The Veneers were selected for this project from my personal collection of exotic and domestic woods. The main background panel is a bookmatched Imbuya Pomelle with a Zebrawood and Maple border. The crest inset is Amboyna burl. The flowers are Maple,Holly and Sycamore naturally colored woods. The stem of the rose bush is Sapele with multiple dyed green woods for the leaves. All of the rose parts were hand cut with the Chevalet saw and burned in hot sand for the shading effect. After they were shaded the pieces were assembled and then knife cut into the background.
Pietre Dure
Pietre Dure or stone marquetry/inlay was a process used to create the spider and silver web. The sterling silver spiderweb and spider was cut into the background after the panels were pressed. I modified a tool I had to cut grooves for the real sterling silver wire to be applied to the panel. The silver wire was glued intot the cuts with epoxy. The stone spider was made from a jasper rock slab. I cut the spider parts on a wet bandsaw and finished shaping with a grinder. I used chisels and a hobby knife to cut the recesses for the spider parts. This was my first attempt at inlaying metal and stone into veneered panels, It looks great but could of been better.
Wood Frame
The framework for the bed was made with 12/4 solid sapele lumber. With the full size plans I prepared the lumber to fit the beds design. The flat stock was cut to size and joinery cut for the final assembly. I shaped and carved the lumber in sections at a time and did the final shaping once they were pieced back together.
Dimensions
This bed is a queen sized platform bed. The headboard measures 132 inches wide and 86 inches tall. The platform has 4 large drawer boxes and sits 16 inches tall.
Custom Beds
Summer Love Bed
A beautifully crafted one of a kind bed. This bed features a marquetry inlay of frogs sitting on a blade of grass. Bed was made out of solid walnut with the main veneers of quilted maple and zebrawood.
Footboard Detail
This beds footboard incorporates many domestic and exotic wood veneers. All pieces were hand cut and sand shaded in burning hot sand. The frogs eyes were made from repurposed antique elephant ivory.
Headboard Detail
The headboard has a dragonfly inlay made from 5 various dyed veneers . The wings are made from abalone shell.
12 Foot Tall Bed
This king sized bed was made from macassar ebony wood. it took 4 bending molds to make the radiused panels. A tv lift is in the footboard with a black granite top
Details
Radiused corner panels, radiused footboard cabinet and radiused nightstands
Canopy Detail
A sunburst veneered canopy tops this fabulous bed. A 32 piece book matched panel with can lights.
Ferdinand The Bull Bed
A marquetry bed made for a special client. This bed depicts Ferdinand the Bull from the Disney Fantasia movie. This is an actual scene from the movie made from various woods.
Detail
Footboard detail with a burled tree and various flowers. Ferdinand standing at attention.
Detail
Headboard detail of tree top and clouds in the sky. The bed is made from solid mahogany and veneers of satinwood, imbuya pommelle, sapele pommelle, poplar and various dyed woods.
Ebony Bed
Ebony and sapele pommelle king size platform bed. An awesome bed with lighted sapele boxes inset into the macassar ebony headboard.
Ebony Bed
Ebony and leather king size bed. A custom made king bed with white leather inserts. Finished in a super gloss finish.
Oceanfront Beds
6 mahogany beds made for a condo in Destin Florida. Platform beds with very large storage drawers underneath.
Bunkbeds
A custom set of 9 beds in a Michigan lakehouse. These beds were 11 foot tall and made from pine.
Bunkbeds
The second wall of the custom bunkbeds. Notice the large dovetailed joinery of the frame rails.
Repurposed Bed
A bed made from the front door of a house. This bed is in a lakehouse in Michigan
Tables
Conference Table
An exquisite veneered conference table. Woods used were solid sapele, veneers of sapele, karilean burl, amboyna burl, macassar ebony, holly and gaboon ebony
Detail
Corner detail of tabletop. Woods shown are sapele, gaboon ebony, holly, macassar ebony and karilean burl
Table Top
Conference top has slight radius edges. Veneer cutting patterns were cnc cut to insure accuracy in form. Amboyna burl 8 way bookmatch is the center piece to this table.
Rustic Table
Rustic knotty hickory table
Turned Post Table
A paint grade table with a solid 18 inch round turned post
Custom Veneered Tops
Here is an Imbuya Pomelle dining room table. It has a 16 piece bookmatched top a karelian burl pedestal wrapped with a maccasar ebony banded edge.
