The bed is on a glowing pedestal of glass blocks

Sunset, July, 1986

The bed is on a glowing pedestal of glass blocks

When Bill Baum stirs in the middle of the night, there's no groping for the light switch. His entire bed is a glowing night-light. The queen-size mattress sits atop a 3/4-inch plywood platform on a glass-block pedestal, lit from within.

The owner laid the glass blocks on a perimeter base of 2-by-4s nailed to the bedroom's wood flooring (carpet was installed later). To ensure a strong bond between the wood and mortar, he nailed strips of perforated metal plumber's tape loosely along the 2-by-4s.

For the pedestal's rounded corners, Mr. Baum used a table saw to cut quarter-rounds of 4-inch ABS plastic pipe. He backed them with 2-by-4s and filled in with mortar. Several coats of enamel cover the wood and plastic parts of the frame.

The 60- by 80-inch plywood platform was cut from two 4- by 8-foot sheets; a 2-by-4, fastened to the underside with screws and glue, reinforces the seam running the width of the bed. Four 4-inch squares of plywood, screwed and glued near the corners of the plywood cap, fit snugly inside the blocks--so the platform stays in place yet isn't difficult to remove.

To illuminate the glass blocks, electric conduit runs to two ceramic light sockets anchored to the floor inside the pedestal. A dimming switch controls the two 25-watt bulbs, which are just bright enough to wash the room with indirect light. When Mr. Baum turns in, he dials down the light to a soft glow.

Photo: Perimeter pedestal of glowing glass blocks projects a soft light around base of bed. Plywood platform supports queen-size mattress