If you need a guest room and a home office, you don’t have to crowd your desk with a double bed frame in the same room. Furniture makers have taken an old idea and made it new. The Murphy bed is now a stylish piece of furniture that looks like part of an office suite. Between the book shelves and file cabinets, it looks like a large matching cabinet. What the cabinet actually hides is a double bed frame than drops into place whenever it’s needed. When it’s not in use, it just pops back into the cabinet leaving your office space clear.
If you don’t like the idea of the Murphy bed, you can use a convertible sofa or love seat that opens into a double bed. The Murphy double bed frames actually have the edge on comfort over most of these convertibles and if you don’t need a sofa in your office, it may actually take up more floor space than the Murphy bed cabinet. But there are other solutions.
Futons are actually Japanese mattresses that were traditionally placed on the floor. However the Western world has come up with bed frames for futons which double as sofas. The futon itself is designed to fold in the center when the double bed frame is in the up position. When the frame is dropped flat, the futon becomes a bed. Futons are not inner spring mattresses, so they may not be as comfortable as other solutions, but they are certainly right for some people.
Another solution to sleeping guests is the air mattress. No bed frame is required for air mattresses, they lay on the floor. Most air mattresses are a large rubber or plastic bladder which folds flat until it is pumped full of air. If you don’t have overnight guests often, the air mattress may be an inexpensive alternative to a guest bed. Air mattresses can develop leaks which can be hard to locate. They aren’t ideal for older sleepers since the sides have no firm support to assist in getting up and down.
Double bed frames are the ideal size for guests since it can usually sleep one or two. It is small enough to fit in most spaces with minimal rearranging of other furniture. The choice of guest bed depends on budget, space and how often overnight guests are entertained. It may also depend on how comfortable you want your guests to feel. If you’re afraid a guest may overstay their welcome, it may be best to let them sleep on the floor.
Comments