The other night I was perusing Craigslist and saw an image that took me back decades; a listing for a bed included a photo of its platform. It looked like a piece of pegboard with an orange and white sticker indicating that it was «Westnofa Furniture, made in Norway.» It was furniture déjà vu, and I knew that platform from my childhood.
My parents favored Scandinavian design and had plenty of luck at estate sales when they moved to the US in the early 70s with three daughters, a tight budget, and no furniture.
I called my mom for the story behind the bunk beds. Purchased before I was born, they were an estate sale score chosen for their clean lines, low price, and solid construction. Easily broken down and hauled away in my dad’s station wagon, they would go on to be stacked, separated, and reconfigured several times over to suit changing accommodations for my big sisters, and later for me.
I never slept on the top bunk but would go up there to play, and slept on those beds every night from the age of five until some time in high school when I compelled my parents to get me a full sized futon (which I thought was the coolest thing ever). The bunk beds were beautiful and effortless, and it wasn’t until I saw that sticker that I realized that my love of Scandinavian design was informed by countless nights in those bunk beds, looking up at the underside of the top bunk’s perforated platform, seeing the teak frame first thing every morning. It took a Craigslist ad to realize the imprint left by my childhood furniture.
Have you ever experienced furniture déjà vu?
(Image credits: 1st Dibs; Craigslist)
