- design - aerobics -------------------------------

--- day-bed history part 2: --- despite the relative simplicity of their tools, craftsmen of the ancient egyptian greek and roman civilizations created day-beds whose design have provided furniture makers through the ages with the most basic forms. see the DAY-BED HISTORY PART 1 / role of the day-beds in different cultures. (... the chinese saw no distinction between furniture for sleeping and sitting. the american indians rested in a day-bed they called 'hamaca'. the arab world lounged on piles of rugs and textiles...) some of the skills where never completely lost in the middle ages. because of the unsettled lifestyle of the nobility in the early medieval period, and the constant moves from one castle to another, lighter and also portable furniture became highly important. --- T I M E L I N E ----------------- 900 - 1700 ------------- 1700 - 1850 ------------- 1850 - 1920 ------------- 1920 - 1950 ------------- 1950 - 1970 ------------- 1970 - 1990 ------------- 1990 - today --- 900 - 1700 --- --- wooden chests made with ends and long enough to lie down on, late gothic. --- medieval drawing of a day-bed, early 13th century. --- beds doubled as daybeds in medieval camping, people lived and slept in a tent. --- rope bed, the basic construction of the daybed was very simple, but the piece was given importance by the use of costly drapery and cushions. wall-hangings above the bench transformed it into a seat of honour. from a byzantine ivory, 13th century --- it became customary for royalty to give audience in the bed chamber. the bedchamber became a place for reception as well as for rest. it was usual for beds to be enclosed in drapes. the hangings gave added warmth, and assumed ceremonial importance. the baldaquin was used not only to magnify the bed but for the purpose of preventing the dust falling upon the persons lying on it, nord europe, 15th century --- italian tent daybed renaissance 1400-1600 --- folding field bed, it was adorned with curtains and cushions, italy, 16th century --- resting bed (in french 'lit a repose') composed by one single piece, with 6 or 8 turned legs. england, later 16th century. --- 'drop-arm' sofa with adjustables sides, when the sides are lowered, the sofa is transformed into a day-bed. england, early 17th century --- william and mary long chair, new england, 17th century --- long chair with 8 legs, england, 1685 --- T I M E L I N E ----------------- 900 - 1700 ------------- 1700 - 1850 ------------- 1850 - 1920 ------------- 1920 - 1950 ------------- 1950 - 1970 ------------- 1970 - 1990 ------------- 1990 - today --- aknowledgement many thanks to the participants of the first design-aerobics course (theme: chaise-longue / duration: nov. 2002 – feb. 2003) a special thanks goes to the following people for their contributions to this ‘guided tour’: aiste zalatoriute, akemi tanaka, alejandro pachon, alexander ho, anna lorenzetto, brandon warren, cristo bugarin x-abeleda, delphine foo, david lai, diego montero espina, douglas homer, elsa mickelsen, felipe goldring, garth roberts, jamie wong, jeanine brennan, katarina lipicnik, kristin will, mauricio fernandez, novella capuzzo, rene ravenel, roman bezdenejnykh, vorakorn kanokpipat, vu ngo