When Christopher Columbus set out to find Japan in 1492, he might have discovered futons, but instead he found the Bahamas and hammocks. The name came from a word meaning "fish net," and the West Indians made their hammocks out of sisal, suspending them between trees to avoid being bitten by snakes and pests. Columbus brought several examples back to Europe, and eventually the Royal Navy did away with traditional berths in favor of this new kind of bed. The naval hammock was made of canvas with enough fabric to wrap the sailor in a cocoon as he slept, preventing him from falling out. The hammock rocked with the movement of the ship, and was easily stowed during the day.
From here, the story takes a Huckleberry Finn turn: Cap'n Josh was a riverboat captain in 19th century South Carolina. He found the canvas hammock too hot for the sultry Southern nights, and the rope hammock too scratchy, so he set about improving the details. Using a smooth cotton rope, he devised a double lattice, and then he plucked some slats from an oak barrel and created a spreader bar. This changed the shape of the hammock entirely and gave us the Pawleys Island Hammock, a classic American design still woven on Pawleys Island. These days, it's one of many notable options. Here are five favorites:
Above: The classic American Cotton Rope Hammock, created by Cap' Josh and available from the company he founded, Pawleys Island Hammocks, for $159.99.
Above: The Maritime Brazil Cotton Hammock resembles the unstructured hammock adopted by the Royal Navy. It's available at Novica for $67.49.
Above: Made in Denmark, Skagerak's Sambito Cotton Hammock is 11.5 feet long and 4.5 feet wide; $240 at Fjorn.
Above: A striped Cotton Hammock with Spreader Bar made in Austria; €206 ($226.76) at Manufactum.
Above: A Le Beanock Hammock, $570, in a Swedish country house. To make a facsimile from a drop cloth, see DIY: Instant Summer Hammock.
For more hammock dreams, see:
- 10 Easy Pieces: Nap Worthy Hammocks.
- DIY: Instant Summer Hammock.
- For more of Megan Wilson's columns, see Object Lessons.
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