Not very satisfying that he didn't actually design a flatpack bed.

There is an interesting optimization problem in this that the author didn't touch on: create a design that maximizes the useful material use.

So you might start with a design that is really spindly, and has too many joints. Then run that through the optimizer, so that you can see the proposed layout. This design will have lots of waste, but you will also be able to see where you could add strength or functionality by consuming the offcuts.

In the author's design[1], the overlaps can simply be cut out of the other members without reducing strength too much. The central portion can then be cut into cantilevered tables, and a few more offcuts can provide bracing or legs, which gives you free integrated nightstands (as wings off the existing bed).

[1] https://kevinlynagh.com/newsletter/2025_07_flatpack/cad_nest...

There is a whole book based on this idea, but for clothes making https://www.birgittahelmersson.com/ “zero waste patterns”