Make a Mid-Century Modern Bed Frame | Build Plans

Build Tutorial Videos
PDF Headboard Cutlist
PDF Frame Cut List

Dimensions

Materials

  • 3 Sheets 3/4″ Walnut veneer plywood
  • 2 Sheets 1/2″ lower grade plywood for drawers (I used Baltic Birch)
  • 14 Board feet solid 1 thick Walnut
  • 11 – 1″ x 4″ x 96″ pine for slats
  • 5  – 2″ x 4″ x 96″ spruce (Dimensional lumber)
  • 2  – 2″ x 6″ x 96″ spruce (Dimensional lumber)

Design Features

  • Able to collapse and rebuild for moving
  • Headboard mounted on cleat to wall
  • Floating night stands
  • Nightstands notched to pass through charging cables
  • Two large bottom drawers for bedding
  • Walnut drawer pulls
  • Durable solid wood edging

I have always been a fan of the Mid-Century Modern bed frame so I set out to design and build one for myself. This post will cover the planning and materials for the project while later posts will cover the build process.

Traditionally, Mid-Century furniture is made from a mix of veneered plywood and solid wood of the same species which is usually Walnut, Teak, or even Rosewood. I really favor walnut and found someone selling three sheets of walnut plywood for $100. The sheets where originally purchased in the 70’s and never used! One of the sheets had a different grain pattern which looked great for the headboard.

I was able to find Walnut shorts (less than 48″ long) at $6.99 a Board foot and additionally purchased a 96″ long piece of Walnut at $14.95 a board foot.

Using walnut plywood (normally $180 per sheet) and solid walnut edging may be pricey for some. You can always substitute for a more affordable species and apply stain to get a similar effect. This plan was designed for a king size mattress (76″ x 80″) so the dimension will need to be altered if you have different a mattress size in mind.

Check out the video link at the top of this page and make your very own!