Best of Category

Simpledoubledeux

It may or may not become a conjugal bed, but Simpledoubledeux is a bed that conjugates: Its two slatted platforms slide together, interlocking to form a twin-size bed, but they also pull apart to make a double bed and separate completely to provide two singles. The product captivated the jury with its simplicity and range of functions. "It's really smart," Gillingham-Ryan said.

The jury was sold on the bed's solid craftsmanship. The frame is made of molded plywood for corners that are rounded yet stiff, and the planks retain their shape well because they're thicker than those of conventional platform beds. (Some conventional beds use molded plywood at a thickness of 7 to 8 mm, but the Simpledoubledeux's plywood members are 15 mm thick, to support the frames on both sides.) Two Swiss craftsmen make all of the pieces for each bed, which helps explain the $3,000 price tag; the bed's beech veneers must be glued, layer by layer, in a steel mold, pressed under heat, then sawed and drilled by hand. A CNC process would work just as well, but would have to move slowly given the hardness of the glue, and the designer reports being charged "by the minute" for access to the machines.

The multifunctional bed seemed to answer Mount's concern about home economics, and Saez admired its user-friendliness. "I think it's a winner. You can combine it to do many things-it's a very easy move from one bed to two," he said. When used as a single bed, part of the frame can be left pulled out to be used as a low table. "It's a simple idea, well done," Hotchner said. "If you have to buy a platform bed rather than a box spring, this is an interesting way to do it."

Design Drexler Guinand Jauslin Architects (Zurich): Daniel Jauslin, principal
Materials Molded plywood, beech veneers
Software Form-Z (mockup)