From mancave to guest room

January 26, 2011 6:39 PM

I want to buy a convertible couch so guests can sleep in the man cave. What style of couch do I need?

The man cave hosts a mini movie theater. Furniture currently consists of black leather recliners and a round poker size tables. But we are going to have some extended guests staying soon and this is the room that it makes most sense for them to occupy. What can we replace the recliners with? I would like to present my husband with some options that won't ruin the man cave vibe. Are there any reclining sofa beds? Or any temp bed options that make the 'grownups must sleep here' cut?

posted by bq to home & garden (15 answers total)

I wouldn't replace the leather recliners! Can you move them out of the way when you put in the new sleep area, or push the tables to the side at night instead? Leather recliners areperfect for enjoying video, etc.

I would get something like this--more comfortable and nicer than a futon, and mancave friendly.
posted by misha at 6:55 PM on January 26, 2011

A close relative of mine has a La-Z-Boy sleeper couch in his man room. The mattress is an inflatable air mattress (a lot like an Aerobed). It's the most comfortable pull-out couch I've ever slept on, and it's actually a comfy couch. A quick glance at their website suggests you could get a sleeper couch or sectional in a wide variety of colors and fabrics/leathers.
posted by willpie at 7:03 PM on January 26, 2011

Agree with misha about not not outright replacing the leather recliners. HATE pull out couches. Hates them. Not sure about the room you have available, but inflatable beds have become surprisingly sophisticated and comfortable. I have a much more basic one I paid about $70 for stashed on my buddies converted old boat. It gets used all the time, everyone loves it.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 7:09 PM on January 26, 2011

This thread from a few months ago might have some interesting options. It doesn't have the the "movie theater" vibe but everyone seemed to like the IKEA Manstad.
posted by victoriab at 7:20 PM on January 26, 2011

2nding air mattress. They've really come a LONG way. Fold-out couches have not. I've had enough people sleep over that the air mattress and fold-out couch were in use. The unlucky souls who had the fold-out folded it back in and one slept on the couch and the other opted for the hard wood floor.
posted by lodie6 at 8:05 PM on January 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

I like our sleeper from Room and Board. It's more like a futon than an hide-a-bed, in that it flattens into a bed. It's significantly more comfortable as a sofa than any futon I've ever slept on and it's more comfortable than most air mattresses, too.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:14 PM on January 26, 2011

Warning: Air mattresses are bad if the room is cold -- the sleeping surface stays cold all night.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:22 PM on January 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

I despise air mattresses for the reason LobsterMitten mentions above regarding cold room = cold sleeping surface. And I'm referring to those new ones that are on the market costing upwards of $500 so if you go that route, some padding to buffer the cold air bubble in the mattress would go a long way in ensuring comfort. This is assuming the room is not adequately heated.
posted by loquat at 8:39 PM on January 26, 2011

I agree that air mattresses are better than they used to be, but also agree with LobsterMitten that they are not good in the cold. And honestly they're OK for a couple of night, but "extended stay" and "air mattress" are not a good combo.

I definitely think you should try to keep the leather recliners. It would be a shame to get rid of furniture you regularly use which fits the space, and replace it with something that is compromise based on one guest stay. Also I imagine it would be easier to persuade your husband that the two of you should invest in this new piece of furniture, if you are not also trying to get him to throw out the recliners (which I assume he likes).

Is there space to have a sofa sleeper as well as the recliners? What about the poker tables, can they be folded up? Assuming the recliners and/or tables can get pushed to the side while the sofa sleeper is unfolded, and maybe the sofa sleeper is in a corner or something? If your budget allows, you could get a leather sofa sleeper, so the new addition doesn't feel out of place with the existing recliners.
posted by Joh at 9:26 PM on January 26, 2011

We have the sofa bed from La Z Boy that willpie mentions. Everyone who has slept on it says it is very comfortable. There is a regular thin, hide a bed mattress on it but then attached in a clever way is an airbed on the top. It comes with an electric blower to inflate and sets up very quickly. I just checked and the air bed option is called SlumberAir.
posted by jvilter at 10:44 PM on January 26, 2011

We have the Ikea Manstad sofa bed mentioned above and have hosted many people on it. We really do like it. It's more comfortable than a fold out couch by far. The storage room is nice too. And there's no better place to have a lazy Saturday with a toddler, although I suppose that's not really consistent with the man cave vibe.
posted by mbd1mbd1 at 5:43 AM on January 27, 2011

If you want some suggestions for stylish sofas that can double as beds, check out Better Living Through Design. Lots of stuff in a variety of styles and price ranges, selected because they look great.
posted by paindemie at 6:42 AM on January 27, 2011

I can nth the airbed. I have an inflatable queen size double height no-name-brand-from-walmart for 50 bucks for guests. It's really comfortable (when I sublet my apartment last year, one of my tenants used it for 4 months and had no complaints), has a built-in plug-in pump for easy in- and deflation, and packs away when not needed. It sets up in about 10 minutes, including making the bed with sheets.

If temperature of the sleep surface is a concern, get a mattress pad. When my ac died last summer, having a bed that stays cooler was nice at night :)
posted by yggdrasil at 11:35 AM on January 27, 2011

lodie, you're wrong. :)

We got one of these. It's the only comfortable sleeper sofa I've ever slept on. I The sofa has a 3 section platform bed folded inside. The mattress is a firm foam mattress. So, no springs and no bars. No squeaks. It's great and I re-recommend it. It's even better though with a memory foam topper.

I hate air mattresses and will in fact refuse to sleep at a Radisson b/c they switched all of their beds to those annoying inflatables.
posted by reddot at 7:55 PM on January 27, 2011

Thanks everybody. We are still trying to figure this out, and enjoying our movie theater seats in the meantime.
posted by bq at 3:51 PM on April 7, 2011