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
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