apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Except for the headdboard thing a full-sized one of those was my first piece of furnture when I moved to New York, having defected the Confederacy for artistic freedom and political asylum.


I liked for the fact that it was a dresser and bed in one, and it worked very well for me. I only gave it up when I moved from Queens to Manhattan because my first apartment in Manhattan had a loft bed and there was no room for it.

I thought the quality was good, and I liked the fact that it was real wood. The only thing that I didn't love TOO much were the handles, but the truth is, even they functioned perfectly, because they were sort of a rectanglular ring that you lifted up, so that when you weren't opening the drawers, they lay flush against the drawer so you didn't knock into them when you walked by.

We bought a captain's bed from Gothic for our daughter. We've only had it since March, and so far, it seems fine. It appears to be better quality than some other stuff we have from Ikea, which at first was fine but started getting a bit loose/wobbly after a couple of years. We'll see what happens to our Gothic bed in a few years.

Some friends of ours have had a Gothic platform bed with drawers for a few years, and it seems to be holding up well. One suggestion they gave us before we bought our bed was to make sure to get the metal tracks on the drawers. They didn't, and they still regret it to this day.

My husband and I just purchased this bed, sans headboard and with 9 drawers per side. We got the birch overlay, as well as the metal slides. It is quality is satisfactory, not great, but it suits our needs-- neither of us loves the look, but it is a lot cheaper than getting a bigger apartment.

Jen

Funny, I just mentioned Gothic and "Ultimate Bed's" site with respect to this same question on a comment to our Apartment Therapy FSBO posting from yesterday. I had seen Gothic's and this when I researched buying our storage bed: http://www.ultimatebed.com/ In the end we bought one from a small maker in San Antonio no longer in business, so I can't help you there. But I can say it was one of the best purchases we ever made! Just make sure you don't have a huge pillow-top mattress or you end up with a very high bed you have to hop into (we have that problem). Good luck!

I almost forgot to say about Gothic... I later had them fabricate a design I came up with for another piece of furniture, and they executed it beautifully. It ended up being a tad unweildy and I had to let it do, too, but that wasn't their fault, it was my own folly. I'm VERY careful to think about ALL such issues when I'm designing anything to be built now.

I had a queen size bed with one set of drawers underneath when I first moved to the city. It wasn't the prettiest bed (and I must say I managed to break the headboard off - I had a plain headboard, not the one in the pic) but it served me very well. THe best part was the 25.00 delivery AND assembly - even to my third floor queens walk up

I drove from Philly to Gothic's showroom in Newark NJ to check it out. Their stuff is very solid. I was all ready to order a queen when I found an ultimatebed.com on craig's list for $700... for a Cali King!

Needless to say I grabbed that, I guess it's payback for seeing a twin of my spiral staircase on craig's list for 1/3 the price I paid...

Anyway, Gothic's all right. If you go to the store they will negotiate a little. It's really crowded with furniture though.

I have also thought about getting a double captain bed similar to the one above as they seem like a pretty good value (well made, low-key design, etc). My only concern was how to finish it in such a manner to not be too country (pickled wood) or too girly (white paint). If anyone has thoughts on how to paint clean lined pine furniture to look fresh & contemporary, it would also be greatly appreciated.

That bed is too ugly to be purhcased.

What about the stratton bed from pottery barn?? Not nearly as much storage but much nicer. Well within your price range as well!!

http://ww1.potterybarn.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=shpcfurbedall%7Crshop%2Fshpcfur%7Crshop%2Frmscrombed%7Crrooms&pkey=cfurbedall&gids=p5382

I've slept on Captain's bed's most of my life, with the exception of college. When my old captain's bed that I brought from my folk's home finally gave out (actually, I sold it on CL), we got a Gothic - the one with three drawers on each side. I like it, the drawers are nice and deep. Keep in mind with the bed in the picture - if you have a nightstand, it may block access to the two drawers closest to the head, and you'll have to move the table each time you need to get something from inside.

Check out the Limo bed with the drawers from Bo Concept. The headboard doesn't have lamp/ book space, but you can get the nightstands to cover that. It's much nicer than most beds with storage, at a somewhat reasonable price. Here are a couple examples from their website:
http://www.boconcept.us/default.aspx?id=55596&ImageID=287
http://www.boconcept.us/default.aspx?id=55596&ImageID=785

I got an queen ultimate bed about 12 years. Only got a single dresser underneath, not a double.

As for the quality, it's held up like a charm. Not the prettiest bed, but if you put a tailored, not ruffled bedskirt on it, you can do a lot with it.

I never got the headboard. But you can get headboards and bedside tables that float above saving floor space.

Wish I had something more constructive to add, but the age cut
off for a captain's bed is about 13.
I have to agree with hshppy, that bed is a visual train wreck.

I took a look at Gothic and I wasn't impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship given the price of a completed (eg: finished)* bed. I was interested primarily for the space-saving drawers and low price.

When I looked at the examples they had in their showroom it looked like some of wood panels were fastened together via staples rather than nails (in the drawers, I didn't check the whole bed). Nonetheless, staples are a strong indicator of below-average woodwork.

I would pay $250 for a wooden bed given the staples, but the bed I would have ordered from them came to around $600 + delivery + tax. I wouldn't pay that much for a bed that is held together with staples, even if it is just the drawers.

I think for that price, you can do much better than Gothic.

*Note that the prices advertised on Gothic's website are for unfinished pine--which is very soft wood.

Honestly, you should go custom-made from a cabinetmaker. You'll be happier and have more control (on the details) and they will likely be able to fit your budget.

I used Westwood Custom (westwoodcustom@mac.com) for my armoire desk and bed and I just can't say enough good things about them. If you email me (meredyth[at]gmail[dot]com) I'll send you photos of my stuff I had made.

Jose, you confirmed for me that what I discovered about a chest of drawers I got from Gothic about 7 years ago (which I disassembled a couple of years ago to caninalize the drawers for the closet project I once posted on AT) is still the case today.

The chest of drawers was made from solid wood posts on the outside corners but the rest were off cuts with odd shapes and sizes, everything was held together with staples and glue in certain strategic places. The top, which looked like a solid piece of 1" ply, was merely 3/16" ply braced in the middle.

Having said all that, the thing was strong and rigid. I had stood on top of that chest numerous times without it ever breaking and the drawers, whilst being crudely constructed did stand up to abuse. Breaking it up was not as easy as I thought it would be so this bed should stand up well to abuse also.

I have the 2-drawer platform bed from Gothic (http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/platform-drawers-full-p-1645.html?cPath=8_79). I've been very pleased with the quality (metal runners a must), and while it doesn't store quite as much as the one pictured, I find it a lot more attractive.

Very Captain Ahab. That's not a good thing.

I buid custom furniture and can assure you that ANY mass manufactured furniture will be an attempt to save money from both parties. You try to save money by giving up on some ideas of what you want. they try to save money by using the least costly materials they can. this doesn't mean it wont work for you. it just means that i can design and/or build something at a comparable price that would be a colaboration of what you want or need and what you are willing to pay. Plus it will last darn near forever.

keithdouglaswest@mac.com

You'd get as much or more storage if you just built shelves, cabinets, and/or drawers along the wall(s).

I'd go for one row of drawers under the bed at most, but the one that is shown is just too thick for my taste.

that bed is so hideous it hurts. it reminds me of awful 80's era waterbeds with the huge built in headboards that took up half the room.

please please please do something else. have a carpenter friend build a platform bed with enough space underneath to slide some small dressers, or have shelving and drawers built in with more of a console feel, with sliding doors concealing shelves and baskets. my dad and i constructed a bed from cedar fence posts and a slat bed box. the mattress sits a good 3-4 ft above the ground, and i hacked some ikea consoles that fit perfectly. it's sleek, modern, and the bed is sturdy, all wood, with memories from my dad and i spending time together.

for shelves above the bed, look at ikea's lack shelving or something similar for a clean look above the bed. it will give you plenty of space for books and whatnots while maintaining an uncluttered look.

consider something classier if you're going to spend *that* much on a bed.

Honestly, I'm all for asthetics too, but much of the hideousness of the bed can be hidden under the right bedcovers...

I looked at both Gothic and the "ultimate" bed before deciding on the Chelsea bed at Hold Everything. If you're ready to buy NOW, Hold Everything still has full and king sized Chelsea beds for sale ($400 for full with storage headboard, $480 for king with headboard after the 60% discount they're offering right now -- see the link in my name). But the Hold Everything site is going down TOMORROW, June 30th, so don't dwadle...

I purchased the bedframe (alas, no room in my bedroom for the headboard) and we love it. I'd say the quality is on par with Crate and Barrel (at IKEA prices now).

Virginia in Chicago

Have you thought about getting a bed like this:

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=1769248

The mattress lifts up for storage. I am obsessed with the idea of getting this bed. Does anybody own this or something similar?

I'm also scoping out Gothic... their prices are right, but construction concerns--esp w/regard to the under-mattress support--have me looking at abundantearth.com & platformbeds.com since they both offer 'extra slat' options... Has anyone ordered from either of these? And/or have thoughts on paying extra for more slats?

Also: it's true about going into the stores to bargain. Especially toward closing when on-commission staffers are trying to makeup for a slow sales day. I've been offered such discounts at several NYC locations