Making Crane
Clutter
Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term “carport” when exploring alternatives to the garage. Wright believed that garages promote clutter (and he was certainly correct when it comes to my garage). Another thing that promotes clutter? Drawers in nightstands! Mine was full of pens, ticket stubs, partially filled notebooks, less partially filled gift cards, and miscellaneous cables from obsolete gadgets.
Back to Basics
We wanted to get rid of any preconceived ideas and start with what is absolutely necessary in a nightstand.
We broke it down and thought of the following:
- A lamp for reading before bed (and in case inspiration for a nightstand comes in the middle of the night).
- A small area for an alarm clock.
- A place to keep reading material.
We sketched a nightstand that had a bit of flat space for a lamp and clock, and a little shelf for books and/or an iPad for reading. We thought one thick piece of steel could be bent to serve both purposes.
Playing Favorites
We designed a few for a single-family project we were working on. When a friend went through the house, he said that the nightstands were one of his favorite parts and asked where we bought them. We didn’t have a good answer, so we made a place.