The cushions are in! They are just a little wavy because the foam is a little wavy because it was compressed dramatically in shipping and they just need to settle out. Also, they weren’t cut perfectly by the vendor (harumph) which means they may be straining a little in their covers. I will let them settle out for a while and if they still need some help, I may go at the foam with my hot knife a little.
In any case, the Bednette is now really a thing! It looks like this in Dinette mode. Thick foam cushions are firm but comfy. Plenty of leg room, even for my monstrously thick thighs, with the table at not-quite-max height. The table is about as stable as can be expected for a center-pedestal design. If you don’t lean on it hard or load it very badly, it’s fine.
I had some concerns that the hound’s tooth pattern in the fabric was going to be too busy-looking, but it really does just blend away into a texture, not so much a pattern. Color-wise, the gold and the brown tones individually pick up the wall and floor colors and collectively kinda blur into a soft green, which is also completely acceptable as green is my accent color!
The cushions were supposed to be 20.5″, 16″, and 10″ wide x 5″ thick. That’s what I ordered from the foam vendor. The idea was to lay them out at 20.5 + 20.5 + 16 + 16 + 10 = 83, just slightly compressed to fit snugly across the 82″ wide platform. But no, that’s not what happened at all!
Instead, I have 16 + 20.5 + 16 + 20.5 + 5 (one 10″ cushion on edge, shown at the right) pretty much spanning the entire range. The left over 10″ cushion is actually sitting on top of the other one (at left) and forms a headboard of sorts. I can also just set that one aside for bed mode if I don’t want both head and foot cushions.
As it is, my 73″ long self just fits nicely across it as shown. And I don’t usually sleep quite so linearly laid out, anyhow, so in practice, there’s more clearance fore & aft. The one thing I’d do differently for real than I did here would be to swap the right two cushions so the narrower one was totally captive on the bench and the wider one had at least a corner captured by the bench (like it is on the left), helping keep it in position. As shown, the 16″ cushion at my thighs could slide off into the room if I wasn’t careful. I’ve thought about putting a feature on the edge of the table that can catch and retain the cushions, but I won’t do that unless it proves necessary.
So whether I’ll set the extra 10″ cushion aside or use it like this when in bed mode remains to be seen. I am pleased to report that the thick, moderately stiff foam does a fine job as both seat cushions and mattress. I think it will be just fine to sleep on. Obviously, time will tell, but it was plenty comfortable to pose for this photo, so I’m expecting it will work out just fine.
The table landed on the support cleats is in fact quite stout and becomes part of a solid bed platform all around. A little bit of care is required to avoid the fan when entering/exiting, but nothing dramatic.
I am pleased. This will work just fine for its intended purpose. Transforming from bed to dinette and back was quick and easy. I am unlikely to actually bother with bedsheets. I’ll probably just use a sleeping bag or a blanket under me to keep the cushions tidy. When it’s cold, the blanket can fold over me and make me a taco, or I’ll use a sleeping bag. When it’s warm, I’ll sleep on top of the blanket or maybe use a flat sheet as just the slightest cover if I need it. In all cases, the bedding will be readily stowed in one of the benches during the day.
So is it done? Well, mechanically, essentially, yes. I do need to protect the wire from the lifting column (you can see it in the first and last pictures). The benches are currently unfinished. I should probably give them a once or twice over with some shellac like most of the other wood, but really, that’s it, and that will be quick and easy.