BY TIFFANY SCIACCA

Pinterest is the devil. Well, not really of course but it definitely puts your loves and, let’s face it, materialism into perspective. One of my 55+ (hush!) boards is entitled If I Had Money to Burn. And it includes pottery older than Hera and beds that no longer exist. Or if they do are locked away in the perfectly preserved loft of some long dead Italian socialite. That gave me the idea of writing reviews for these and other items that I may never be able to obtain because of a lack of funds or that they simply no longer exist. It would also strengthen my copy writing chops, so win/win! Maybe this will become a new genre, fan reviewing? (Just kidding.) My second effort follows below and more will follow soon!

Here is a flash timeline on the history of beds.

In ancient times people slept on nothing but bundles of straw, animal skins and other natural materials. Sometime later, someone had the wonderful idea to raise this bedding off the ground to avoid drafts and crawling critters. Then came stone boxes, and in Egypt, the more important you were, the higher your bed was. Imagine having to climb steps in order go to bed. Talk about making an entrance! Later, we had beds made of fine woods, carved intricately or gilded becoming even more a status symbol, later on the 18th century, iron came into play, one of the selling points being that insects could not penetrate iron. True!

My first bed, not counting my crib or ones provided by mother, was a futon. Futons were the rage when I first moved to Chicago in the late 90’s. In Chicago, one store I can remember that was all about the mighty futon. Bringer of stability and the sense of having made it in the world, I cannot remember the name but it had everything from the frame to the mattress, to the bedding. Perhaps pillows and those 7-foot lamps in black or white to bring the whole look together.

When I was able to get my first futon (after sleeping on my own palette) I felt like a queen. A bed that turned into a couch, I could sleep and entertain or entertain in my sleep? Buying two pieces for the price of one? How could I go wrong? The mattress was horrible of course. I had the basic model and may as well been sleeping on a pile of coats stuffed with bones but it was better than the floor. I have since graduated from that futon, the biggest being a King Deluxe that my husband and I bought at a DEEP discount at the local Big Lots. We now sleep on two twins beds pushed together one of which being his childhood bed! We now share bad backs as well as bad beds.

While pinning photos to my Giallo fashion Board, I came across this Ico & Luisa Parisi bed from the 50’s. What first caught my eye was the smooth wood, Teak. The bends in the headboard and footboard, on a second look are fashioned like giant barrettes. Look at the way the metal pin slides behind and peeks through the geometrical windows on either end. I also like that the bed is so close to the floor making for easy access and exit, a throwback to the old days and very organic in structure as it looks like it could easily be fashioned together. No fuss, but definitely makes a statement and would make a great gift for a lover of Modernist furniture. The only source I have found on this bed is the original picture uploaded on Pinterest. I did see that a similar bed sold about a decade ago for under $7,000. Sure, for around $6,000 less you can splurge on the most expensive bed at IKEA but, remember we are talking about money to burn. Besides, since someone most likely slept in this bed, not only are you purchasing art but you are also shopping green!

Tiffany Sciacca is a writer who has recently moved to Sicily from the Midwest. Her work has appeared in the Silver Birch Press, SOFTBLOW and DNA Magazine UK. When she is not learning a new language or trying to blend in, she is reading horror anthologies, binging on Nordic Noir or plugging away at her first Giallo screenplay. @EustaceChisholm