Constructing a bespoke bed headboard

When we contacted him, he was designing bespoke furniture for a client's bedroom, including a giant, floor-to-ceiling headboard installation. It had to be fabricated in the Freebird workshops, transported to site, then easily and securely installed - without any visible screws.

The approach that Alastair decided to take was to fabricate a chassis frame, cut from MDF with CNC precision. The chassis had cut-outs to fit around preexisting electrical outlets and would give the installers the freedom to firmly attach it to the wall directly into the structural studs, as well as correcting for any unevenness in the wall.

The CNC cutting programme included rebates in the chassis for the Type 1 Flush Fixes. Alastair set the Fixes so that they stood 0.5mm proud of the surface, to ensure a positive engagement with the fascia panels and allowing for tolerances in the assembly. In the short video you can see the prototype he made to test the principle. The whole installation measures over 3m wide, to be clad with six smaller panels, machined with grooves to create a slatted appearance.

Each fascia panel has 9 x Button-fixes to securely attach it to the chassis and hold it flat. Alastair remarked that, with that many Button-fixes, the panel was held very firmly and not easy to displace - ideal for panels that only need to be removed infrequently, for repair or to repurpose the furniture elsewhere. For panels this size that need to be more easily removable, for example for service access, you can find some tips in this Insight story.

We look forward to seeing the finished installation and hearing from Alastair how the installers got on.