Private Cloud: Is It A Functional Design For A Bed?
If I don't like a design, I usually don't write about it. But in the case of the Private Cloud bed, I think there are some functional elements that may have been overlooked. The Private Cloud, or something liike it, could be improved to be really ergonomic and help you sleep too.
The Private Cloud, designed by Manuel Kloker, is a patented rocking frame for a bed that moves back and forth like a rocking chair. It sells for an average of about $6,800 depending on the size ordered, without the mattress.
Assuming there is a mattress on the frame, the Private Cloud rocks best when one is dangling his legs over the bed or when someone is pushing the bed like a swing, from the back. Neither of these positions are sleep-conducive, are they? And, if they were, would the forward-back motion of the boat, I mean bed, lead to a restful sleep or seasickness?
Rocking chairs are made with a back and forth motion; but cradles are made with side to side motion, and no one sleeps better than a baby, at least metaphorically. When you are treated for a back injury by physical and massage therapists, they rock your hips from side to side, very gently, to relieve the stress on your muscles and, not only does that motion relieve back pain, but it relaxes your whole body "like a baby."
Good design needs to consider function, as well as line and color. And, especially when it comes to beds, some research needs to be conducted on the physics of movement and relaxation. How far can something sway or swing before it is uncomfortable and counter-functional? Which direction - side to side or back and forth - is most relaxing, and how great should be the distance from the extremes? How much effort does the user need to contribute to the movement of the bed? (Why not build a switched-on bed in its optimal direction?) What is the perfect width of a rocking bed?
These are questions I would like answered before shelling out $7,000 for a bed frame. And if you want to answer these questions with research, and build such a bed, I will not claim prior disclosure; but I would like a healthy discount on the bed!