I’m not saying I want to own this bed.

Just, sheesh! look at that incredible thing! To call such a bed “furniture” seems a bit of an understatement, doesn’t it?

It may not be immediately obvious why it’s called a dragon bed, but in among all the intricate carvings of flower designs are a pattern of dragon scales much like those on the imperial throne of the Qing dynasty, as well as other carvings of dragons and phoenixes. Sprinkled in are the symbols for happiness and long life.

Some experts estimate that it would have taken 10 workers a total of at least 3 full years to complete the job of carving the dragon bed — it’s made of 4 tons of precious jade.

Yang Zhibin, a collector from the city of Banjin, China, is the lucky owner.

If you’ve ever been owned by a cat, you’ll know what a charming pest a cat can be. Bored cats and the desks of busy people are (a) inevitably going to come together at some point, if there’s a cat in the house, and (b) not always a wonderful thing for productivity.

My own habit of obsessively hitting the Save button comes directly from an Important Life Lesson taught to me years ago by a fluffy grey tom named Jasper: A quick trip to the loo, then I stepped back into my home office to see Jasper bathing himself elegantly on my keyboard, one fluffy paw planted firmly on the Delete key. Amazing, how fast that cursor raced backwards and up the screen. And simple astounding, how quickly the screen went blank when the cat shifted round at my yell, successfully quitting the program before I could lunge across the room. Gone, the work of a hard three hours — all gone!

Ever since, and to this very day (although this is currently a dogs-only household, and the desk is my own once more) I save-save-save-save-save as if racking up high score on some Video Game of Life. So, a bad cat incident gave me a good habit, I guess… but something like this Cat Perch box (at The Refined Feline, via a comment at Matt Cutts‘ blog) would have come in handy. Apparently it works for chihuahuas and other tiny dogs (under 20 lbs.) too.

“If you dream it we can create it.” That’s the motto of Sweet Dream Theme Beds & Children’s Interiors, a small family-run company that’s fast making a name for itself in creating custom, one-of-a-kind, theme beds and children’s furnishings.

One recent design project was a very special custom bed — a castle fit for King Arthur, custom made for Susan Van Duyn’s wheelchair-bound, six-year-old son, Sean.

Susan needed a bed that would make her life a little easier by providing easy wheelchair access, give Sean a clear view of his TV, include extra storage for child care items, and, most importantly, provide her son with safety, mental stimulation and comfort.

The Sweet Dream team was up to the challenge… and one month later, after many long hours of consultation, design, and construction work, Sean’s custom castle bed was unveiled.

The custom castle bed was not only beautiful to look at, it was full of fun.

Most importantly, the bed incorporates several clever safety features without a hint of the “hospital feel,” including a wide front gate which swings open at wheelchair height. It’s made from tough, see-thru acrylic and covered with an elegant dragon and lion motif.

Another feature is the thick acrylic barriers at the foot and head of the sleeping area. These keep Sean safe and allow Susan to peek in on her son from any angle, but also gives visual access for Sean to watch TV if he wants to.

The front of the castle towers have built-in covered storage cabinets and cubby compartments to stow essential items for Sean’s care.

As a finishing touch the bed was faux finished to perfection to match the existing faux design in Sean’s bedroom.

Visit www.SweetDreamBed.com to learn more about the Sweet Dream Theme Bed and other imaginative custom furniture for children — including the Princess Castle beds and bunk beds, the Tree House loft bed, and a more “rough-and-tumble version” of the Castle bed, the Boys Pirate Ship bed (coming soon), and many more.

So a luxurious Italian sports car isn’t in reach of your budget? Join the club… And knowing my driving skills, if I had one I’d probably just roll it trying to negotiate the mall parking lot, and then where would we be?

Never mind — Shiba (the smallest of our family’s dogs) would happily live out my AutoBahn dream for me, in comfort (and much greater safety!) with a snooze in this poly-filled knock-off of fine European engineering…

The Furrari Bed — you’ve got to love a bad pun — is available at Wrapables.com — 32 x 24 inches of poofy furry pet bed with a difference. Color? Sporty red, of course.