貝爾內特的擇牀之道

Of all the furniture you’ll ever buy, “the bed, the sofa and dining table are the three biggest things,” Jeffrey Bernett said.

在所有你將會購買的傢俱當中，“沙發、餐桌和牀是體積最大的三件。”傑弗裏·貝爾內特(Jeffrey Bernett)說。

Mr. Bernett, 50, is a product designer with a particular interest in the last item, thanks to a back injury in his mid-20s that still gives him trouble.

今年50歲的貝爾內特是一名產品設計師，他對最後所提到的這件傢俱尤其感興趣，因爲在二十五、六歲時他的背部曾經受過傷，這讓他至今仍有困擾。

When you’re buying a bed, “you only have a few basic choices in size,” he said, because “the bed is so defined by the mattress.” But the range of aesthetic choices is wide.

當你去買牀的時候，“在規格上，你只有幾種最基本的選擇，”他說，因爲“牀的大小侷限於牀墊。”但在審美樣式上，你可選擇的範圍就很寬了。

Mr. Bernett’s personal preference can be seen in his recent collection for Design Within Reach, a line of Modern, low-slung bedroom furniture called Parallel. “Because we live in tall cities,” he said, “keeping things horizontal and a little bit lower helps ground people and create a sense of nesting.”

貝爾內特的個人偏好可以從他最近爲Design Within Reach公司設計的系列作品中看出來。這是一整套現代、低矮的臥室傢俱，名爲“平行線”(Parallel)。“由於我們都住在高樓林立的城市裏，”他說，“所以讓東西儘量處於水平狀態，並且高度略低一點，可以讓人住得安穩，給人一種安逸的感覺。”

Like his DWR series, the ultra-minimal ’64 bed from Cappellini is well suited to tight urban spaces. It has been reduced “to its bare-minimal components,” he said, and “allows for the most effective footprint possible.”

卡佩里尼(Cappellini)公司的一張’64系列（指該款傢俱設計於1964年——譯註）的超級迷你牀，正如貝爾內特設計的DWR系列作品一樣，非常適合空間侷促的都市住宅。這張牀已經精簡到了“幾個不能再少的組件，”他說，並且“將有限的面積儘可能地效用最大化。”

For traditionalists, Mr. Bernett suggested the Arc Four Post from Calvin Klein Home, which has the architectural structure of a four-poster without the fussiness. “The lines are a bit more modern,” he said. “Calvin Klein really thinks about the home, and their pieces embody the rigor and structure that I admire.”

貝爾內特爲一些因循守舊的買家推薦了一張Calvin Klein Home的弧形四柱牀(Arc Four Post)，它有四柱牀的框架結構，但免去了那些複雜的雕花裝飾。“牀架的線條更具現代感，”他說，“Calvin Klein充分考慮了家庭的需要，而且他們的東西體現了我所崇尚的設計結構和嚴謹的做工。”

The Highlands bed by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso, on the other hand, is anything but rigid: The headboard is split into two sections that flip up or down, depending on the preference of the person on that side of the bed. For couples with different sleeping styles, “it’s an interesting solution,” he said. “You can have your independence but still spend time together.”

相比之下，帕奇希婭·奧奇拉(Patricia Urquiola)爲Moroso公司設計的那張高地牀(Highlands bed)，則一點也沒有嚴謹的感覺：這張牀的牀頭被劈成了兩部分，可以讓睡在其中一側的人按其喜好，折起或放平。對於那些睡姿不同的夫妻來說，“這是個有趣的解決方法，”他說，“你們可以各自享受自由，但依然與對方同牀共眠。”

Whatever kind of bed you’re buying, Mr. Bernett said, it’s a good idea to give the corners a hard shove with your thigh, to make sure the construction is solid and won’t creak.

但無論你要購買什麼樣的牀，貝爾內特說，最好還是用你的大腿去壓一壓那幾個牀角，以確保這張牀足夠結實，而不會嘎吱作響。

Presumably this wouldn’t be necessary with the massive Slab, which he admired at BDDW, in TriBeCa. A king-size bed with built-in nightstands, it had a monumental headboard nearly 13 feet across.

這個方法，大概不必用於他在翠貝卡(TriBeCa)的BDDW商店裏看上的那張Slab大牀。這是一張特大號(king-size)的牀，兩邊有嵌入式牀頭櫃，碩大的牀頭板寬度將近13英尺（約4米）。

It also had a monumental price tag: $72,000. Still, Mr. Bernett noted, “Nothing speaks volumes like big pieces of well-made material.”

這張牀，還有一張奇貴的價格標籤：7.2萬美元（約合人民幣44萬）。儘管如此，貝爾內特指出，“什麼都比不上材質精良的大件傢俱更能彰顯特色。”

No matter what your budget, he added, the most important thing is to make sure you’re comfortable. “If you can’t sleep well on your bed,” he said, “this city will eat you alive.”

但不管你的預算是多少，他補充道，最重要的還是確保你能睡得舒服。“如果你在自己牀上睡不好，”他說，“這座城市就會把你活生生地吃掉。”