Godman.

Donald Judd Inspired Daybed

Donald Judd Inspired Daybed

Last summer I was shopping around for a daybed that would fit well in my Brooklyn apartment, and I couldn’t find anything I liked or that didn’t cost a small fortune, so I decided to make something myself. As a long time Donald Judd fan, I decided to use his famous design as a starting point, did a few quick calculations, and headed to the Home Depot for some 1 x 12″ Pine boards and dowels.

I wanted the piece to be all natural, so after building it, I used pure Tung Oil thinned with D-Limonene (a liquid hydrocarbon made from orange peels) as a beautiful stain and sealer. The mattress is a twin size natural latex of 3 layers. The hidden storage area is stained with pure eastern Cedar Oil to keep out those pesky moths (it was difficult and more expensive for me to source the actual Cedar boards so I just stained the Pine with the Cedar Oil instead).

Its a real shame I’ve never been to the Donald Judd Foundation, so I’ll definitely be making an appointment soon! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or question. Thanks!

Donald Judd Daybed Detail
Donald Judd inspired daybed hinge

Comments

8 responses to “Donald Judd Inspired Daybed”

  1. Brandon

    I love your design! What is the name of that hinged piece you used to create the secret storage space? I’m thinking about doing a daybed of my own and I love what you’ve come up with.

    Reply
    1. James Godman

      Hey Brandon, thanks for stopping by! Those are box hinges that you can buy here https://www.hardwaresource.com/adjustable-box-hinge-white.html Let me know how your project goes!

      Reply
  2. Cole

    Aw man this is so good! Really beautiful. So you just used 1 x 12’s pine and attached them with just dowells? no hardware? You dont have the plans by chance that you made do you? Would love to see a copy to wrap my head on how to make the inside shelves. Thank you- so good!

    Reply
    1. James Godman

      Hi Cole – The only plans I had were in my head. The back and side panels contain threaded inserts so that they can be bolted on and the whole thing taken apart. These come in various sizes, and I recommend stainless steel (I used brass and they were a pain since they are soft). https://tinyurl.com/yb3vvsqu Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  3. Jonathan Dayton

    I am interested in purchasing one or possibly two Judd inspired daybeds. Do you sell these? Do you do custom work? I am moving from Los Angeles to New York City and need some fine furniture. thanks

    Reply
    1. James

      Thanks for reaching out via email

      Reply
  4. Alec

    Hi!
    How are the side/ back panels fastened to each other? Are the screws exposed in the back with the inserts?
    How is the footboard/ bottom front panel fastened?
    Can’t figure out how you fastened everything without showing the screws.

    Thanks a lot!

    Reply
    1. James

      Hi Alec- Thanks for your question. The bottom front panel does have a few screws that connect the inside boards. I counter sunk them and filled them with plastic wood. So this bottom panel and all of the inside boards form the base that does not come apart. The back panel has a few flat head stainless screws that are flush to the surface. These connect to threaded inserts. Wasn’t sure how to tackle this all myself and part of this is a bit lazy execution. Let me know when you get yours completed!

      Reply

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