Senufo Wood Bed, Ivory Coast

Over six feet of solid wood, and you are supposed to find it restful.

This bed is wood, made by the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, West Africa, in the 20th century. Senufo carvers are known for long, low daybeds cut from a single trunk, which served for resting through the heat of the day and were often associated with elders. A slightly dished plank curves up at one end to support the head. Short block legs lift it from the ground, and tool marks and pale streaks run along the grain. It measures 77.5 inches long and only 12 deep.

A mattress would only have complicated things.