Louis Philippe Lit Bateau
We spent a couple of years waiting to find the best example of an 1840's original lit bateau to scale up as the model for our beds. All the detailing, profiles and moldings are taken from this original. They are made in our village in Brittany by Stephen Cook and Pascale du Temple (with 'help' from their children and rescued goats who all stray into the workshop). The timber is locally sourced from ancient managed woodlands (Foret de Teillay, Gavre etc) and kiln or air dried. The waste from a run of ten beds heats their house for about a month in winter (there is no waste in the country!). It takes about 4 days to make each bed even when making 10-15 in a batch.
Every piece of every molding, sabot foot etc is measured and cut to size individually. Even the final sanding takes about a day. They are sent back to Bristol in the van with the antique furniture to be finished as per the clients instructions. They are then stained before an initial three coats of finishing oil with light sanding between coats. The fourth coat is a final oil and wax polish. It takes the best part of a week depending on weather. Everything is done by hand (spray guns are the devils' calling card!). This is how they were finished originally. The oil and wax continues to penetrate the timber, turning cherry especially more opaque ('3D') and allowing colour maturation with time. Commercially produced furniture is sprayed with an acid catalyzed plastic varnish which prevents colour change and scratches; its just quick to do and makes shipping from Malaysia easier! We've been making beds now for over 25 year. We believe that these lit bateau are the best that can be made in terms of conformity to originals, ethical production and quality of manufacture and finishing. They will survive the client by centuries and improve with age. We hope your great grandchildren will appreciate the effort that went into making them.

Footnote on sourcing/soapbox time. One of the founders is a PhD conservation biologist with a bee in his bonnet about tropical timbers. France is 27.3% covered in forest, a figure which is growing. On our own farm we have planted 30,000 native trees for wildlife and perhaps the odd bed after our time. We have never used tropical hardwoods on principle. Most of the apparently similar beds offered in the UK are made in the far east from timber which until yesterday was a gibbon or hornbills home. They are machine made and sprayed and sold on price. The use of the timber is indefensible. They can be stamped with whatever green sounding sticker the buyer might want. We have made sure you will sleep more soundly in one of ours on a variety of grounds.

The bedside cabinets, chest of drawers and wardrobes can be found in our cabinets section
The Lit bateau are also available in solid walnut +£250