Indian Marble Day Bed

A bed of solid marble. Nobody ever called this a soft option.

This day bed comes from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 19th century. It is made of marble. Day beds served wealthy Indian households for daytime rest and for receiving guests, and marble stayed pleasantly cool in the heat. A flat, broad slab forms the sleeping surface, with a stepped molding around its edge. Pierced panels of carved tracery rise at each end, one crowned by two openwork roundels. Turned legs, thick and bulbous, hold the whole thing off the floor, with carved blocks where they meet the frame. Eighty inches long.

Cushions are not optional. Neither is a strong floor.