Bed of Storage

The first month we lived in our home, Alex built a king-sized bed frame for our room. We had decided to downsize during the move, using our previous bed in the guest room and buying a king bed for our room to accommodate two cats and a dog.  (Little did we know, the occupants would soon include another 40 pound girl!)  For reference, the mattress was from Tuft & Needle, and we have loved it - although I think my hip issues may have escalated with my side sleeping on the extremely soft surface!

This worked well, but as we settled in, we realized that more storage would be needed. I went through several design options with my shop supervisor and we decided on a simple pair of frames with deep drawers.

Using 3/4" plywood cut into ~24" widths at the lumberyard (two from each 4x8 sheet of plywood), we cut two boards to length for each side of our bed, then three dividers and two ends from ~16" widths (three from each sheet). We used L brackets to hold the frames together and to support each of the interior dividers. These guys were heavy just as boards, so when the frames were built, they were solid. They lived in the "walkway" of our room for about a week while we plotted the next step.

The support system Alex had built on the original bed included a 2x4 frame, similar to an interior wall.  The 2x4s were covered by 1x8 boards, and the legs were made out of additional appearance boards of narrower widths.  We decided to reuse some of the previous materials in building the frame for the center of the drawers.  Two of the boards were cut down to the length of the frame and anchored to the backs of the dividers and end frames, ~ 1-1/2" below the top surface.  Additional boards were cut down to the right length for our mattress to fit across on top of the "slats" resting on the ledger boards.  At the head and foot, the slats were secured into the two sides for safety.

This was also the day we started painting our room! It only made sense for the bed to be pulled out from the wall before assembly, and we took this opportunity to clean really well behind the headboard as we were not clear how easily we would be able to remove it. Thus far, that has not been my burning desire.  We finished the painting the following weekend, and it has been one of our favorite decisions so far in this home.








We found that the drawer frames could be used as cubbies while the drawers and trim pieces were addressed.  Andy and I cut down some underlayment, previously used on the slatted frame, to use as backing for the drawer cubbies, and I crawled under and hammered them in.

This winter when we pulled out our warmer clothes and outerwear, I strategized putting summer things away under the bed as we only need to access those twice a year for the changeover and it should be as easy as possible instead of my ear warmers being MIA into November...  The clear bins we use for clothing storage fit under the bed with a little breathing room, and I also stashed our summer comforter and pillows in space bags there as well near the opening for easier access.

Need a seat?

After a year of living in our home, we decided to add some storage and seating to our living room with a window seat.

The bay window in our space has some unique angles but the windows themselves are beautifully symmetrical, and we found ourselves drawn to sitting in the area.  We had tried a chair and small bench in the window area, which did not fully utilize it, flipped the room arrangement around for the love seat to fit on the shorter wall but block the light, and finally decided to take the plunge and build a permanent seat in the living and family space.

Our first phase was deconstruction and framing. Our friend Andy helped in this part and also in cutting a number of the lumber pieces so that framing came together quickly.  We removed baseboard trim around the windows so that 2x4s could be anchored directly into the studs the entire height of the seat.  

We marked the studs and used 2-1/2" nails for attaching pieces and to the walls.  When the entire surface was framed, we used 3/4" birch plywood for the base, then attached additional risers to the studs and framed out the top as well.  We used 1x4 appearance boards for the facing and Alex built up blocks inside of the cabinet to the correct height for the drawer slides to fit over the front baseboard, then I left him to the drawer devices.

WHOA!

GUYS! We disappeared but are back and the action has not stopped around here.  Happy New Year!

Since we last posted in July, a lot has gone on:


Alex settled into his new job, marking the end of his time with the startup turned corporation that helped us decide to move to Chicago, and his full transition into the world of product management.

We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary, with a fantastic chef's table meal at Band of Bohemia in Ravenswood. Alex secured a vegetarian meal and beverage pairing and we got to be, like, humans for a night.

I attended another plant-based conference in Raleigh and met (and drove!) a who's who of prevention-focused experts in nutrition.



We adopted Nyobi's sweet Shadow puppy after six months of fostering, and have been so happy to continue to see her (and winter sweater collection!) grow.






We went to freaking Japan!  Alex has wanted to do this for a long time and we finally pulled the trigger.  It was our longest adventure together to date and so, so enjoyed and needed. At left is the Hiroshima Bomb Dome, a structure that withstood the blast and is part of the memorial.

We decided that I needed a break and pressed pause on my road to RD.


My dear friend Lisa came to visit before winter weather really hit, the first time in years we were both free of obligations bearing down at the same time.





Our sweet, feisty Charlotte gave us quite the scare with a liver infection and hospitalization, coming home during poor Lisa's time here.

Ugh and this election, which at least brought Joe Biden memes to a greater audience.

But, we've surfaced and want to stay in better touch!  Many projects have come and gone and a number are in the works, so I'll try to get you up to speed on that front, and hopefully Alex can get a lot more sympathy for what goes on here.

Happy 2017!