For families, especially those who live in smaller houses or apartments, space can often be at a premium. Children’s bedrooms must serve double and even triple functions and more as they serve as a sleeping place, game room, study area and more. A useful and functional design alternative for a modern children’s bedroom is folding beds.
Especially when we think of folding beds, we think of folding beds and convertible sofas. But there are many more options, some that combine great functionality with a true designer feel. Adding rollaway beds to the children’s bedroom in your home, especially if it is a shared space, can make a big difference not only in terms of comfort, but also in terms of productivity and stress reduction.
One of the most interesting and best integrated folding bed designs for any room is a folding bed. Sometimes called “drop-down” or, if really built into a room’s structure, a pull-down bed, murphy beds were first introduced in the early 1900s by a man named, yes, Murphy.
Once a common feature of small apartments, murphy beds disappeared for a while, but have been making a comeback. Modern murphy beds are often designed to look like a cabinet or entertainment cabinet with a bed built into the cabinet with a spring and hinge system similar to an antique garage door. The springs make the bed, regardless of size, lighter to lift or lay flat so that anyone, including a smaller person, can fold the bed and store it safely and easily.
Another version of the folding bed that is currently in fashion is the futon. Futons come in many different styles, some with frames and some without. They can be found in sizes from single to king.
Futons provide more than just space savings as they serve a second purpose both aesthetically and functionally like sitting in the room. When folded, it has a sofa, loveseat, or chair (depending on the size of the futon) that turns the room from a sleeping space into a space for sitting or entertaining. While the cheapest futons, like the cheapest beds and couches, may not be comfortable or supportive enough for young bodies, if you take the time to buy quality products, you will find many that rival the best in both. categories.
Of course, sofa beds and rollaways are still an option. Chances are, if you have a fold-out sofa or fold-out bed that’s more than a few years old, it bears little resemblance in style or comfort to the far superior products that are available today.
Spending a little time and energy finding the right folding beds for your children’s bedrooms can make a big difference. A bedroom is often the area of the home that is theirs and theirs alone. Helping them make it comfortable and functional isn’t just helpful while living at home. It is a useful exercise for the time when you will be alone.
