small studio apartment - where to sleep?

Question

i am moving to a studio apartment. its pretty small, and i cant imagine fitting both a bed and a sofa comfortably.

i have thought about getting a sleeper sofa but they are generally uncomfortable. i have slept on air mattresses for extended periods of time and that gets annoying after a while. lastly, i dont like the way daybeds look.

any suggestions?

Answer 1

You may be able to do it. I think it's a matter of setting your priorities and following them through.

Personally I would not settle for anything less than a proper bed, because proper sleep and taking care of your back are way too important to sacrifice for a pretty room. But you can get great beds in different sizes. You could go all the way down to a twin if necessary but I would recommend at least a double for an adult sleeping alone.

You can also work with the space under the bed, and depending on how high off the floor the bed is, you can do all kinds of things with it.

If your bed is on a regular frame, you can use boxes for shoes, books, folded clothes, overflow pantry items, etc.

If your bed is a few inches higher it may have a single layer of drawers underneath.

You could loft your bed up to shoulder height, and store an entertainment unit or use that space for a closet. Even the area underneath a twin bed would be a lot of space for either of these things. If you take it all the way up to a few feet from the ceiling, you can do anything you want and at least in terms of the floorplan underneath, it would almost be like the bedroom was "upstairs" because it is out of the way. Of course your lofting platform would need a little bit of shelf space for nightstand items.

Then your seating arrangement might include a loveseat or a pair of nice chairs, if not a full couch.

You can eliminate other furniture pieces by combining pieces that work harder.

For instance an old trunk is fairly easy to come by? Fill it with out of season clothes, or linens, and you have storage. Put it in front of your seating and you have a coffee table. Get a piece of oversized table glass (stored between mattresses until your company comes over), add a table cloth (stored inside the trunk), use your easy chairs and a few folding chairs, and you have a dining set.

Thinking this way helps you save space that would otherwise be taken by single use items.

Another way to minimize other furniture pieces is to use wall space well. Mount shelves on the wall, install decorative baskets, and you have a replacement for dressers, bookshelves, even kitchen cabinet spaces. Use open shelving where you want to display things, and use the baskets for things that you would put in a drawer. Take the shelving all the way up the wall if needed and store a compact ladder in the corner (by your lofted bed) to both reach your high shelves, and double as a "staircase" to get into bed.

OK so editing now, with regard to apartment/rental space, you have to have permission to put shelves up. You can take the shelves with you and repair the wall holes when you move. However you might agree to leave it there. You can convince your landlord more easily if you agree to have it done correctly (maybe this means professionally) and if you can sell the idea that it is an improvement in the property...maybe a reason to collect higher rent from the next tenant...of course you would bargain that by having it done at your own expense and leaving the shelves there, your own rent stays the same. And your loft, ideally would be mounted to the wall. But you can also make it very sturdy as a freestanding unit. My advice for this is to make it using plans approved by a college dormitory where safety requirements are met, as well as fire codes, and they are also required to be freestanding/non-marking on the wall. Or again, go with a premade loft assembled in your apartment...these are typically sold in children/teen's furniture sections but the piece itself can fit in any age decor.) You could also consider the risk vs benefit of violating your lease and doing what you want regardless of the terms. If the most that happens is you lose your deposit...maybe you can afford that. If you run the risk of getting tossed out? Probably not a good idea.

Answer 2

As others have suggested, consider a futon. They are not very expensive, look great during the day as a 'sofa' and then can be folded out at night into a double bed-size. There are many covers to choose from so you will not have a hard time getting one to go with your decor.
Remember to also buy a couple of pillows that you could put a pillowcase on for when you are sleeping. Keep a comforter handy and you'll be good to go!

Answer 3

Futon all the way! I had a small studio apartment years ago, with a futon bed by night, futon couch by day, worked just fine. I also bought a Japanese screen to put in front of the futon, for days when the bed wasn't a couch yet and I don't really want people to see, just to be polite to my guests.

For the rest of the apartment, kitchen table with 4 chairs and ALOT of wall shelves

Answer 4

share the rent not a bed. agree to a one month probation and be clear that if you don't get along he will need to move out after the 30 days is up. the studio apt I had was one long room. with a big closet and bathroom. you can get a sofa or a futon for the roommate or guest. now if your roommate is a hot girl sleep anywhere you like. if you can afford it don't get a roommate. roommates eat your food and drink your beer. and sometimes don't have the rent money. if you don't live in a great neighborhood look into an alarm system maybe even one that's monitored if you have nice stuff. good luck

Answer 5

murphy beds ARE great, but impractical if ur studio is very small, unless there was already one installed when u moved in...

I would suggest skipping the couch, not going with the futon, and just getting a nice bed, maybe even a day bed, that u can sit on while watching tv, and sleep on at the same time,

Answer 6

Maybe you can consider getting a loft bed. IKEA has one ( i dunno if u have IKEA in your area) which if i didn't remember wrongly, a double bed size and headroom at about 1.6m. So u could easily fit in a sofa or even a study table below the platform. It is really great for a small room. Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Futon

Answer 8

u should go to ikea... i saw they had a demo of a small studio be4 which i thought was pretty good.... but i don't know the eng for those kinda bed....there's a short ladder at the end of the bed.... n underneath the bed u can put a small sofa or a computer desk.... there r other ones too.... u should check it out...
hopefully u understand wut i'm talking abt

Answer 9

get a nice wooden futon. something that is functional and nice looking during the day and will serve the purpose for you to sleep on it at night.

Answer 10

A murphy bed folds up into the wall and adds extra storage for your room. They come in all different sizes and it is a real bed. Those are great!