The next selling point, and this is a point of contention, is that they are very appealing stylistically. They may not be making headway in any of the top designer magazines or whatnot, but they offer a very simple design, and they don’t require a ton of labor for manufacturers to produce them; hence, they are a reasonably stylish option that can be had on a budget. Now, when we get into the futon bunk beds and so forth, it might be a different story, but for the most part their simplicity not only appeals to people on that fact that it is simple, but also the simplicity allows it to be dressed up with blankets, pillows, etc. for a more personal touch.

What isn’t so simple, unfortunately, is buying a futon sofa bed. There are a number of things to keep in mind. Chief among your concerns, like any other piece of furniture, should be comfort. But take your normal concern over comfort and multiply it by ten. Futons can be notoriously uncomfortable. They can be hard as a rock. They can sag to one side. Some have big lumps in the middle where the stuffing has bunched up. You name it, it can be a potential problem in a futon. And, again, just to be clear, we are not talking about a futon bunk bed that you might be considering for your kid’s room. Those will encounter all of the standard problems and then some, and you’ll need to be extra careful with a purchase like that.

Getting back to how you should go about buying a futon bed. The most important thing you can do is go sit on the thing in a store. Sit on it in various positions. Unfold the thing and sit on the edges of what was the backrest. Then lay down on it. Make sure to be thorough in your inspection. Look for any inconsistencies in the stuffing, and things that you know will bug you later. Trust me, they have tons of them. The salesperson will not be offended if you say, “you know, I like this style, but the mattress doesn’t seem quite right, do you have any more in back that I can swap out for this one?” Before you finish your sentence, he will have sent one of his co-workers to fetch a replacement. They are looking to make a sale, and they have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to stuff like this. So, be picky, and know that if you have a feeling something will bother you six months down the road, it’s much better to say something before you buy it in the first place.

Now, I also understand that not everyone has time to visit a futon store, or perhaps doesn’t have a store in their area that sells them. I have owned several in the past couple of years, and have friends that have owned others. I took the liberty of picking a few from Amazon to list here that I know are great. Again, just suggestions, and you’re welcome to take them or leave them, just remember to do your research. Check out these items listed below:

Baxton Studio Fabiana Tan Futon-Style Convertible Sofa with an Asian Flair

Taupe Adjustable Storage Sofa Bed

So, we’ve established that this is an important decision, and one that shouldn’t be made without some consideration. But, what kinds of things should you be thinking about as you make this purchase?


Perhaps the most important thing to consider is what size bed you’ll want for your guest room. Of course, this might be strictly a function of what size bed will fit in the room. If your guest bedroom is the size of a closet, you’re going to get a single guest bed, case closed. And this isn’t a bad thing. Single guest beds, while unaccommodating for a couple can be a great option. For one, they’re cheaper than larger sized mattresses… an obvious benefit. But think about the uses of a guest bed. Someone comes over for a night or two and then leaves. When this happens, you typically remove the sheets to wash them, and then remake the bed. If you have frequent visitors, this can be a real pain. A lot of people, even if they have relatively large guest bedrooms, will opt for two single beds for ease of operations, so to speak. Even if a couple comes to visit, they can certainly stand to sleep apart for a night or two.

Another option to think about comes into play if your guest bedroom isn’t strictly a bedroom. If it is a room that is used as an office the vast majority of the time, it’s kind of a shame to have a big bed taking up a ton of room in preparation for the few times a year when someone comes and stays the night. In this instance, and it is a great idea in my book, a folding guest bed is a great idea. These can take a number of different shapes, but the standard ones look like love seats or couches (and this includes the standard sofa and the futon variety). Folding guest beds are really an awesome solution to the problem. They provide enough comfort to make you look like a good host if someone is staying over, and at the same time allow you to salvage a room that might otherwise be more or less wasted.

Now, there are a few scenarios when I can envision a folding bed not quite being the idea solution. In the event that you are expecting children in the next few years, it probably makes some sense to look at beds that can be converted into a bed for you child when the time comes that they need their first non-crib sleeping solution. In this case, a single guest bed makes sense, and it also makes sense not to break the bank. Chances are the kid is going to be pretty rough on the bed in a number of ways, and will not require the level of comfort that you need. Your most basic single will do the trick here.

On the opposite end of that spectrum, and this is an issue that more and more families are facing as the worldwide population ages, you may need to consider the very real possibility that an older parent or relative may need to move in with you in the coming years. In this case, you should probably be shopping for a bed as if it were your own. A good middle of the road option would be a nice double size mattress. More than big enough for one person, but small enough to be manageable in most rooms.

Finding a guest bed certainly isn’t the most important decision you’ll ever make, but it should be a choice that you make intelligently. After all, the data shows that it is something you might be stuck with for a very long time. And check out Sleep City, if you’re looking for a great bed at a great price in the Bay Area.

Anyway, I was amazed at my experience. I had heard countless stories from every one of my friends recounting their awful times shopping for and purchasing a new mattress. “Used car salesman” was a term that was thrown out liberally. To say that I was anticipating the worst is a bit of an understatement. The Sleep City lights were oddly inviting. And that might sounds weird, but I was expecting blinding fluorescent lights designed to make me feel uncomfortable and anxious. The Sleep City furniture was another telltale that the store I was visiting might be a little different. There were nice chairs to sit down in and take notes, and other items that gave the place a relaxed feel.

Lastly, and this is certainly the most important aspect of the shopping experience, the salesperson was actually helpful. He didn’t constantly push me to look at higher priced models, and he allowed me some time to myself to examine each mattress and its specifications. I don’t know about you, but I would have felt very uncomfortable having a salesman watch me stretch out on numerous mattresses to test them out. This guy backed off a bit and let me explore the merchandise. Common sense when you think about it, but I’ve certainly had some bad experiences in more recent years.

I didn’t end up buying a mattress that day, as I felt like I had to do some more thinking on the matter. Whenever I’m not certain I should make a purchase, I take a night to sleep on it. But, as I was sleeping on my floor at the time, it’s possible that a hastier decision would have been acceptable in this case. In any event, I ended up going back the next day to make the purchase. I can’t even remember what kind of mattress I bought all those years ago, but frankly it was good enough. I had a 22-year old back, and probably could have slept on anything. What I do still remember is the Sleep City sleep experience I got that first night, fully satisfied with having had a great customer experience. Often times, I have found since, it is often these interactions you have pre-purchase that end up mattering far more than the product itself. I may be in the minority here, but I hold this in very high esteem.

And that’s not to discount the quality of the mattress in any way. I slept on that bed for a good ten years after buying it, and felt like I had gotten more than my money’s worth when I took it on it’s farewell voyage to the dump. Those first few nights were divine though, and that may have a lot to do with the the preceding few weeks I had spent sleeping on the floor. Frankly though, I was just happy that I was able to sleep soundly right along with the sleeping city. In short, I would still strongly recommend Sleep City as a store you should consider in the bay area before you buy your next mattress. Best of luck, and check back often for more helpful advice.

The metal bed frame of today is much different than those of our childhoods, however. They are big. They are heavy. They are substantial. And they typically have an imposing presence on a bedroom. But shopping for one of these can be a bit of a tricky endeavor. If you are out shopping for metal storage beds, there are a number of things you really need to keep in mind.

As I mentioned earlier, metal beds can now be produced by sophisticated cutting tools to very exact measurements. This can now be done at a fraction of the price that these beds were once produced at, and that is what makes them such an attractive target for the big furniture manufacturers.  So, what do you need to look for? Well, it may sound odd, but in my opinion, you really need to see what your bed will look like assembled on either a warehouse or showroom floor. Even if you have a picture of your potential metal bed from every possible angle, and have read ten great online reviews, I would not recommend making a purchase like this site unseen. This is for a couple of big reasons. For one, you just don’t know how a bed is going to move and squeak unless you can get up close and personal. Now, I know that you’re probably not going to jump up and down on your bed, but at the very least you can expect some movement in the night. If you have a bed that sounds like the wooden floor of a 200 year old house, you’re going to regret your purchase. So, go down to the store, and give the frame some good shakes. Try and put some torque into it by putting pressure on the joints. Remember that just because these furniture companies can now make a great metal bed frame at a small portion of the money it used to cost doesn’t mean they won’t be just as willing to make a cheap metal bed at an even cheaper cost and put the same price tag on it. Don’t trust these guys.

The other aspect of construction that you should be aware of is how the manufacturer has prepared the four feet of the bed to ruin, or not ruin, your floors once you have it in your bedroom. Whether you have hardwood or carpet, a metal bed can wreak havoc on flooring. And of course, we all know that this is easily remedied. You can find the heaviest of heavy duty foot pads to put on each four of the contact points. But that’s not really the point. I like to use this as a telltale for other issues that might exist below the surface. If a manufacturer is willing to cut corners on a simple thing like this that can so easily make the difference in keeping your floors looking nice, then they are probably willing to cut corners elsewhere as well. A few shakes, as suggested earlier, won’t reveal every problem that may exist with a bed’s construction, and you should use any clue at your disposal to identify a possible bad deal.

I don’t want to sound too negative because more often that not, you’ll probably come across a great looking product at an affordable price. This advice just comes after having examined many metal beds, and these are lessons I’ve learned as the new culture of “metal everything” has taken root. Certainly take my advice with a grain of salt, just make sure to take your time and make the right purchase for your home.

When I went to college, you can imagine that I was quite pleased to find that my room came pre-equipped with a platform storage bed. How could they have known? Of course, this was for the sake of saving space, and I can assure you that no one was quite as excited as me to find this piece of furniture. Naturally, like all American college students, my roommate and I promptly filled our new storage bins with beer and other alcohol. Platform beds with storage can be a great thing. We found just about every possible way to fit things into that room, including two couches and a pair of refrigerators, but those beds with storage capacities made it all possible.

Somehow, and I’m sure it sounds strange, I’ve never lost hold of my little infatuation with storage beds. They’re just too useful! Today, I have a house with a couple of spare bedrooms. I don’t yet have kids, and space is not even close to being at a premium, but I went ahead and put a trundle bed in one of them. In this case, the trundle bed aspect rolls out and pops up, creating a queen size guest bed of sorts when it is placed next to the bed on top… if that makes sense. It is a different kind of storage bed, but it applies the same wonderful principle.

Beds with storage should certainly be more utilized than they are in today’s society. Unfortunately, the response, at least in this country, is simply to have more space… to build it bigger. Why? It’s a shame that we don’t embrace ideas like these more often. With a little bit of ingenuity and creativity, people should be able to make a lot more of what they have, to take advantage of space that might otherwise go unused. Think about the space under your bed. More often than not, it exists only as a gathering place for dust bunnies and the like. Why not have a couple of drawers under there to hold old photos, an extra blanket or two, or your slippers. It almost makes too much sense.

Whether it’s a trundle bed, or a bed with containers underneath, I suspect that I’ll always have a storage bed of some type in my household. I know that one day, when I have children of my own, I’ll be sure to outfit each of their rooms with storage beds. That way, when they have friends over to sleep, they can pull out the extra bed underneath, have slumber parties in the comfort of their own rooms, and most importantly they can stay out of my hair.

If you’re looking for a bed like this, there are a few things to think about. For one, don’t bother going to the more expensive furniture stores. Firstly, these beds don’t seem to be classy enough for the fancy labels. Frankly, you’re probably best off going to an Ikea, Target, or Sears. They will each have some selection, and at reasonable prices. Ikea, for me personally, is probably option number one. I went to check out the Hemnes from Ikea, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is in the daybed style, and has two great big drawers for storage. At $500, it is not cheap, but it is certainly reasonable for what you’re getting. With a bit more money spent on a decent mattress, you can outfit your guest bedroom with a really great looking bed, and all of the features that I’ve extolled here in the article. Go check it out!