Design Process

I started the design process knowing that I needed to design a bed frame for a queen size mattress. I also wanted to have good storage under the bed to accommodate my gear collection. I took some measurements of storage containers that held my gear, and decided 14" was a good height to allow for the storage of most bins. I then drew up a design on SolidWorks. The legs of the bed frame would be made from 4" x 4" posts, and the bed itself would be framed by pieces of 2" x 8" pine. The lateral slats were made from 2" x 4"s, and attached to the bed frame using Simpson Double Shear Joist Hangers. A combination of 4 lateral slats, plus 2" x 4"s screwed into the top of the legs was determined to be extremely sturdy, and  a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" plywood was used, cut creatively to span the majority of the surface area which the mattress rests on. Assembly was straightforward, and utilized a copious amount of screws, wood filler to cover any blemishes and hide the screws, and then the bed frame was finished with a couple coats of stain. The night stand was built from three 18 "x 12.5" wooden crates, which ideally could be found for free. An abstract design was chosen to connect the three crates, and then they were screwed and nailed together, and stained with the same color as the bed frame. 
Future Changes: The main change noticed when I needed to move the bed frame from one location to another was just how huge and sturdy the thing was. It was definitely designed for maximum sturdiness, and built to last, so moving it proved to be extremely difficult. The second place I moved it into had a very tight upper hallway leading to the bedroom, and the frame made it halfway into the bedroom before getting stuck. One of the side pieces needed to be unscrewed to make the bed frame fit into the bedroom. I plan on selling the bed frame before moving into my next location, and then designing a more modular bed frame that can easily be taken apart for ease of moving and storage capabilities.