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Swyft Beds: an interview with the designer

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Olivia Lowry
Swyft Beds: an interview with the designer

This week we’re catching up with one of our Swyft Home designers to find out some more about the addition of two new beds to the Swyft family. We’re sharing some insight into the design process, challenges and successes of this product range and its much-anticipated arrival.

 

Q: Hi! Can you introduce yourself to us?

Absolutely. I’m Jim, and I’m part of Swyft’s design team. We’ve been working to design, prototype and manufacture two of Swyft’s first ever beds - it’s exciting stuff!

Jim Swyft designer

Q: Can you tell us about the thinking behind the Swyft beds?

Keeping our core principles protected was one of the most important factors when creating the Swyft beds. We were really keen to use what we’d learnt from our experience designing our much-loved sofas, and apply this to beds that not only look amazing but also take away the usual outdated headaches of bed buying and assembling.

 Bed 02

Q: What do the designs look like, and where did the inspiration come from?

In terms of design, we wanted a couple of options that would appeal to not only existing customers but new ones too. For this reason, we designed our Bed 01 in a more classic look with pulled-button detailing on the headboard - a simple and timeless design which is a nod to the aesthetic of our sofas (especially Model 02). 

 

Model 02

Bed 01

(First above: Model 02 Sofa with pulled-button detailing. Second above: Bed 01 Super King)

When it came to designing Bed 02, we looked to create a hotel-inspired winged headboard which is a bit more contemporary - almost mid-century modern. This one really encapsulates that wow factor that we’ve delivered so well with our sofas in the past.

Bed 02 Double

(Above: Bed 02 Double in Natural)

What's the difference between each bed frame?

Bed 01 is made up of a birch plywood frame, with a lower profile and rubber-coated feet. Bed 02 sits on a solid ash wood plinth with taller feet, much like our Model 02 sofa. On our single beds, there’s one easy lift on/off slat piece so there’s no messing around with trying to squeeze slats in place. On our double beds and larger, the frame piece is still whole - but folds out in the middle for super quick and easy assembly.

Bed 01 folding slat frame no tool assembly

Q: What about colours and fabrics?

We’re known for being pretty versatile in our fabric offering, and the beds are no different. We wanted to be able to keep a few customer favourites in there such as Vine, Teal, Charcoal and Mustard velvets, whilst also bringing something new to the table with the introduction of Midnight, Natural and Stone linens. 

Our upholstery team over in Porto have worked closely with us through the development phases to make sure we could launch Bed 01 and Bed 02 in 7 different shades, across a choice of linen and velvet fabrics. There really is something for everyone with these designs and we're really looking forward to seeing them in customers' homes. 

Fabric colours Bed 01 and Bed 02

Q: Are the beds still as easy to put together as Swyft sofas?

They absolutely are, and I’m really proud of that. We wanted to keep the same concept of no-tool assembly that’s so well-loved with our sofas, so the fact we’ve been able to replicate this on the beds is really exciting.

Previously, our sofas have featured various hook and lock mechanisms, like the Swyft-lok and Swyft hooks. For the beds, we’ve designed a system called Swyft-fix. This version features an easy slide-in panel mechanism, made up of reinforced materials that are durable and strong.

Swyft-fix mechanism Bed 02

The result is a bed that’s super easy to put together, and also to take apart when moving house. With this design, we’ve eliminated the traditional way of assembling and disassembling beds which usually involves a lot of hardware, tools and time. If you’ve ever had to build a traditional bed or take one apart, you’ll understand! Watch how Swyft-fix works here

Q: Thanks, Jim! One last question - what’s next for Swyft?

No problem. Great question… we’ve got a lot in the pipeline including some smaller furniture items, as well as continuing to expand this particular new bedroom category. All I can say is there’s a lot more to come! 

To discover Swyft's new range of no-tool assembly upholstered beds delivered in just 24 hours, tap here


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