Goodnight, My Green Someone

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Styx sang Come Sail Away with Me and we all wanted to jump on board and head for the open sea. Savvy designer David Trubridge jumped on board, as well, when asked by the inventive New Zealand company Okooko to design a bed that challenges how we sleep.

He responded with Float, a seaworthy lounger that will cradle you to sleep for $25,000. I know that sounds outlandish, but it really is a marvel in terms of engineering and beauty. The mostly eco-friendly design, constructed of natural latex, bambo and wool, is framed with sustainably harvested Totara wood, a water resistant timber. (Less lovable acrylic fabric finished in Teflon encloses the base and canopy.)

Trubridge is an avid sailor who has voyaged with his family through the Caribbean and the Pacific. The experience apparently influenced his exploration of sleep when designing his floating cocoon.

“Sleep is a voyage through dreams when we wholly give ourselves up in trust, lying curled up in our bed vessel feeling safe and cosy,” says the designer. “It can be ten minutes in the office, an hour on the lawn or all night in any place we pull our cradle to.”

Float was voted “Best Piece of Bedroom Furniture” in a New Zealand competition that invited designers to explore sleep with functional and fit creations. It’s not surprising given Trubridge’s other impressive home furnishings, including stunning honeycomb light fixtures and modern outdoor rocking chairs.

The word Okooko means “to cradle in arms” in Maori. The company, which sells its products in New Zealand and Hong Kong, recently opened a new store in Philadelphia at 205 Arch Street (215-667-8240). Check out its series of other wonderful eco beds with names like Pause, Fusion, Shift and Drift, all built to lull green landlubbers to sleep.

Luanne Bradley

Luanne Sanders Bradley is the West coast Editor at EcoSalon and currently resides in San Francisco, California.