To sleep, perchance to save space...

January 14, 2018 4:38 AM

For primarily lack-of-space reasons, need a solution that is of the sleeper sofa ilk but will be far and away used as a bed more than a sofa/seating option for anyone. So comfort for sleeping, long-term, is the #1 priority.

I have reviewed all the previous AskMes about sleeper sofas etc. and still feel inadequately informed per my snowflake needs, so here goes...

This post by 1000Monkeys was the most informative, and I really appreciated the post-post-followup to confirm that as a man of (apparent) size, the IKEA options frequently recommended did not end up working out.

It's for a college-age dude's room; he is tallish (6 1") but under 180 lbs. He's in the room solo, but it should accommodate 2 people occasionally if need be. And it should not threaten collapse should... things occur on it, if you get my drift.

Also important is ease of use- it can't be of a style that requires any real degree of "assembly" or construction in order to achieve sleep-readiness. If it's too much effort to turn it into a bed, he will just flop on the shared LR couch as he has been doing for a year now, and that's been the cause of back issues and other problems. I would REALLY love to avoid "bar in the back" or noticeable gap in cushion separation issues too.

(I also know that futon-style options are not desirable. He's tried them and hates them.)

Lastly, price. (As much as I would like it, American Leather is just too much.) It needs to be ideally in the $500-$1K range, and shippable (no way to transport from an actual store).

So to sum up, whatever the solution is, it must be/have:
- Small footprint when not in use (room is too small to allow space for an actual bed/mattress at all times)
- Fast and easy to turn into a bed on the regular
- Comfy over the long-term (adding a topper is a possibility, but not if that means too many steps to sleep-ready)
- Under $1K
- Shippable to major midwestern location

Thanks in advance!!

posted by I_Love_Bananas to Shopping (17 answers total)

Have you considered a daybed? The seat is a twin sized mattress, the furniture that holds it reads more "couch" than "bed". Converting from bed use to seat use can be as easy as smoothing out the linens and putting the pillows to the back as cushions.
posted by Sublimity at 5:27 AM on January 14, 2018 [5 favorites]

It's also possible to DIY a daybed by buying a regular twin mattress and frame, then arranging pillows on the back to appear like a couch. When it's bedtime, you just throw the pillows on the floor.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:44 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Alternatively, you might consider an air mattress that you can stand upright behind another piece of furniture when not in use. I'd recommend the Coleman Quickbed, which I actually used as my primary bed for a good four or five years. It doesn't leak air like some air mattresses do (the dreaded mattress taco), and quite comfortable (especially if you put a mattress pad on it). Plus it's cheap ($35 including pump for a twin) and widely available at places like Target.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:49 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Check out the "euro lounger" style couches. My roommate and I had one years ago when our apartment was the crash apartment, and it was perfect: good for sitting, clicks down into a bed in seconds, good for sleeping, clicks back into a couch in seconds. It was the perfect piece of furniture for the use case of sometimes random people sleep here.

There are 100s of kinds now so I don't have any particular brand to recommend, but lots of places have floor models you can try. (Sometimes Costco and Target where I live have them out, for instance; I'm sure even more retailers if you have access to a large suburb.)

If it's a couch style you think will work for you, I'd pick one in your price range with the best reviews on a site like Wayfair or Overstock since those sites both have tons and deliver.
posted by phunniemee at 5:49 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

It sounds like you really need a queen size Murphy bed, but my brief googling doesn’t show any that would be under $1000, plus you need to supply the mattress. Maybe see if there are any for sale locally - Nextdoor, estate sales, that kind of thing. If you’re handy, I do see plans for sale.
posted by lakeroon at 6:05 AM on January 14, 2018

Daybed definitely seems like a solution. Here's one example of many options.
posted by gudrun at 7:06 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think the *correct* answer for a 6'1" person with space concerns and occasional sofa needs is a good-quality twin XL mattress on a low-profile frame that can used as a daybed. I assume there is some reason this doesn't work or it would have happened by now. (I mean obviously it's not good for sharing, but people do make it work. Depends how often it needs to be shared.)

My second suggestion is something like the folding full XL mattress my husband and I sleep on when we go car camping (i.e. sleeping in the car). Husband is 6'4" and weighs a good bit more than 180lbs, and he complains that he bottoms out on the 4-inch mattress, so for everyday use it might be better to go with a 6-inch mattress. On the other hand I'm around 145 and I am very comfortable on it. Also even though we use a king-size mattress at home, we do all right on the full XL in the car, so it's definitely sharable although I wouldn't want to share it indefinitely.

A nice thing about the foam mattresses, too, is that they're lightweight - even if you don't get a folding one you could easily tilt it up against the wall when it's not in use.
posted by mskyle at 7:13 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Something like this?

https://www.ballarddesigns.com/bd/10796

It's also available with a trundle ... that would accommodate two people, although the "activities" would probably need to be confined to the main part.
posted by mccxxiii at 7:54 AM on January 14, 2018

Yeah, daybed with a trundle will solve a lot of these problems. We all had these growing up and they worked well for sleepovers both sanctioned and, later, unsanctioned. And you sleep on an actual mattress, hooray. We had a metal frame with a pop-up trundle, but I'm always eyeing the IKEA Hemnes for my own life. A cursory Google search suggests that similar items also exist in Twin XL.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:20 AM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

FWIW, day beds are actually terrible for sitting in. They do not make a comfortable couch.
posted by SLC Mom at 8:51 AM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

FWIW, day beds are actually terrible for sitting in. They do not make a comfortable couch.

This is 100% true, but since OP specifically says that sleeping is the priority, I think a daybed is still the way to go.

The folding mattress I recommended is also terrible as a couch.
posted by mskyle at 9:12 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also if you get actual foam back pieces instead of using the pillows they make pretty good couches. Or get huge European pillows or some foam custom cut. Normal pillows are too low for long term comfort for a tall guy. But as Op said he's more worried about sleeping comfort then it's not so much a problem.
posted by wwax at 9:22 AM on January 14, 2018 [4 favorites]

What about a full-sized loft bed? Put some seating underneath. You can buy DIY kits and mattresses of your choice. Depends on available ceiling height of course.
posted by emjaybee at 9:42 AM on January 14, 2018 [1 favorite]

To sit comfortably on a daybed, get one with a solid frame. I have a fancier clone of Fyresdal, and with bolsters on the side and half a dozen Sanela cushions plus some smaller pillows it's plenty comfortable - the key seems to be reducing the depth to a manageable distance. When the bed's being a bed, just pile the lot in the corner / in the closet / under the bed.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 9:58 AM on January 14, 2018

I think a twin daybed with arms would probably be too short for a 6'1" person, unless he sleeps curled up. A twin bed is 6'3" long - a 6'1" person could press against the headboard with his head and the footboard with his toes at the same time. A corner daybed might work but just a plain bed with no footboard would probably work better and can be obtained in extra-long sizes.
posted by mskyle at 10:01 AM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It looks like the IKEA NYHAMN is the new version of the BEDDINGE. This is the most awesome sofa bed ever for several reasons.

- The mattress folds down the middle! No need to sleep on iron bars or a skinny foldable mattress.
- Comfortable thick mattress.
- It’s big enough for a tall person. It’s 6.5 feet long.
- It folds up and down very easily and the angle of the back can be adjusted into various positions.
- Separate storage containers are available to store linens or other stuff under the bed.
- Price is great.
- Multiple slipcover options.

If there’s an IKEA anywhere near you, you should definitely check this one out. They also have delivery options depending on where you are or you can always find people on Craigslist or TaskRabbit who’d pick it up for you.
posted by bendy at 9:49 PM on January 14, 2018 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I love the way the NYHAMN looks and it certainly seems to tick all my boxes. Thanks all! I will float that idea and hope it sails.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 8:14 AM on January 15, 2018 [1 favorite]