What's a parent to do when an existing platform bed is too attractive to the younger members of the family, who view it as "their own personal jungle gym"? If you're creative and handy with power tools, the solution is obvious — build a new custom bed for the master bedroom and give it a vintage look by artificially weathering the wood.

To go from the hand-drawn plans above to the finished build below takes time and power tools, but the step-by-step instructions make this project seem surprisingly accessible.

After building this queen bed in an outdoor parking space on a gloomy day, this couple stained the wood with a combination of Rustoleum Sun-bleached wood stain and a homemade apple-cider/steel wool cocktail. The final result looks like a bed built with reclaimed wood, though the plans would work equally well with a different finish, depending on your style.
For detailed instructions and more photos, check out Dear Emmeline: The Building of a Bed
(Images: Dear Emmeline)


Stanley Console by ...
I like it, and would love to see a more detailed how-to. where does the mattress/box spring sit though?
I assume the second picture was taken before they put supports in
@zrossiter - the link at the bottom of the post goes to much more detailed instructions, including how they built the supports for the mattress.
Love their bed! THere are also plans for similar and other styles of beds (and tons of other furniture!) on ana-white.com. Building furniture can actually be easier and more rewarding than a lot of people think! I've built some shelves, a side table, our (king size) bed, and a changing table and feel like all of them have come out to be worth the effort.