Choosing the right guest bed is about determining how much space you have to accommodate guests, how flexible your space needs to be, and how quickly you need to adapt in order to ensure that there is an extra comfortable place to sleep for a night.
Everyone wants to have an extra space to put up guests, but very few houses have a true guest bedroom these days outside of extenuating circumstances. This means that most guests will sleep in dining rooms, studies, offices, hobby rooms or other small multifunction spaces.
If you use your room for other purposes, having a full-sized double bed is not an option; in some cases, any bed is unlikely to be a good fit unless it can be used for other purposes and be easily moved into place.
This is where the guest bed comes in; out of the way when not in use, it uses clever space-saving design and technology to provide the most comfortable fold-out bed possible in the smallest space.
There are a lot of options, but to see if a guest bed is right for you, here is a brief guide to what one is, what it is for and how they can vary.
What Are The Different Types Of Guest Bed?
A guest bed is any bed that is designed for temporary use, usually by guests but also by lodgers, older children or relatives staying over on a short-term basis.
Whilst historically guest bedrooms were the most luxurious bed in the house, which is why William Shakespeare famously gave his wife their “second best bed”, or the one they actually slept on, modern guest beds are designed with the needs of modern homes in mind.
They can easily be stored away or used for other purposes until they are needed, and take only a few minutes of preparation before they are ready for your guests to sleep on.
Of course, portability should not come at the expense of comfort, and thanks to clever design, modern technology and some carefully curated collections, you have a lot of options for your guest bed.
Types Of Guest Beds
- Trundle Beds - Small single divan beds that have a second pull-out mattress underneath that can be used on its own or as a twin bed.
- Sofa Bed - A mattress, bed and springs that fold into a sofa shape, allowing a living room, a lounge or a games room to become a guest bedroom.
- Futons - Either in their traditional Japanese guise or the more modern sofa bed variant, futons are designed for use in very small multipurpose rooms.
- Air Bed: An inflatable bed with a built-in pump that can turn a folded-up mattress into a fully inflated full-sized bed in as little as five minutes.
- Foldable Beds: Any bed made of multiple pieces that are folded into place, either with or without a mattress.
How Do You Choose The Right Guest Bed For You?
Choosing the right guest bed is not always the easiest decision to make; there are a lot of options available, each of which is perfect for one type of room over another.
The best place to start is to ask the experts. Get in touch with specialists in guest beds, ottoman beds and other beds built to do more than simply be slept on, and let them know your needs.
A good place to start when it comes to choosing the right bed for you is to ask the following three questions.
Who Is Sleeping On The Bed?
Whilst a guest bed is for anyone, most people have an idea of who will be sleeping in that bed and the kinds of needs they will have. This will shape the type of bed and type of mattress that is most suitable.
If they need additional support, a divan may be a better option, with the potential for more space if they need it.
How Long Will They Need It?
If it is meant to be used as an overnight bed, then the priority is having a bed that is easy to set up and does not take up too much space when it is put away.
This makes a lot of fold-out options particularly appealing.
How Will You Use The Rest Of The Room?
Some spare rooms are primarily guest rooms but can be used for other purposes, whilst others are offices, studies, games rooms or home gyms, which means that there needs to be a way to quickly clear the space and get the bed out.
Having a guest bed which can easily be extended is perfect for this.