CLIENT
Knickerbocker Bed Company
PROJECT
emBrace Frame
MISSION
Partner with Knickerbocker to reinvent mattress support from a utilitarian item that had been unchanged for many years to a high-end piece of furniture that adds safety, function, and style to any bedroom.
CONCEPT DESIGN
ERGONOMICS
MECHANICAL DESIGN
MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
PROTOTYPING
PRODUCTION DESIGN
PRODUCT RESEARCH
For generations, the folding metal bed frame has been the industry standard for mattress support. It was a highly functional, utilitarian product that had not been designed for ease of use or elegance. These traditional bed frames often required tools for assembly and had loose fasteners.
DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
This new bed support system would meet key specifications as determined by the partnership between Knickerbocker and Brownlie Design:
LOOK OF “FURNITURE”
SQUARES NATURALLY
NO TOOLS NECESSARY
ASSEMBLES QUICKLY
ROBUST STRENGTH
The new product is “Bedroom Furniture”, not a bed frame.
CONCEPT DESIGN
Early in the design process, Blue Sky ideation sketches were produced to quickly communicate a wide variety of design possibilities, from functional assembly schematics to color-styling explorations.
CONCEPT DESIGN
Later, in the concept design phase, more detailed sketches and early computer-generated layouts were created to narrow down the design direction and prepare for the next phase of development.
DESIGN REFINEMENT
After a functional, engineered concept was agreed upon, several appearance concepts were evaluated through detailed design sketches and full-size, painted models.
In this phase, material volumes were calculated, and production costs could be accurately determined.
DETAIL DESIGN
3D CAD layouts were then constructed to evaluate all details of the chosen design direction. These layouts allowed moldability to be evaluated, plastic volumes to be calculated, and three-dimensional prints to be produced.
FINAL PRODUCT
Now in its tenth year of production, the emBrace Bed Support System is sold in furniture and bedding retailers throughout the United States and Canada, and in several countries worldwide.
HEART OF STEEL
The embrace Bed Support System provides the ultimate in strength with doubled sections of steel angle. Elegant on the outside, this new system boasts an internal “Heart of Steel.”
While bed frames of the past required tools and sometimes took a considerable amount of time to assemble and adjust, the new emBrace system drops together in just minutes—tight, square, and error free.
SAFE, SMOOTH CONTOURS
Sharp, exposed steel corners do not exist with the new emBrace system. All internal steel components have smoothly contoured plastic exteriors that protect delicate feet and add to the “furniture” look of the frames..
