Archive for February, 2010

What are futons? A futon is a Japanese bed that is a mattress used as a bed. This mattress is thick enough for comfort and pliable enough to be folded and stowed away during the day. In the west, this has evolved into an actual piece of furniture including a frame. The western futon mattress is usually thicker. This makes them good choices for use as a bed or a couch and they can be put in many different rooms.

The frame for a western style futon is very basic and generally made of wood or metal. They fold in and out easily with just one pull. It transforms seamlessly from a comfy place to sit into a comfy place to sleep.

Futons became very popular in the United States in the 1990′s and are still widely selected as an alternative to a couch. They are perfect for small living rooms when extra sleep space may be required. As with a sleeper sofa which provides hidden sleep space, the futon can be couch and bed in one. Unlike a sleeper sofa, the futon does not require a lot of room to open up. An opened futon won’t take up much more space than a closed one.

Putting one in the bedroom is also not a bad idea. With a nice decorative headboard and some throw pillows, a futon can be spruced up to be just as attractive as a complete bed set. Futon covers are available in many patterns and colors. These covers can be a pain to put on and take off, but they really don’t need to be removed much since you will probably use sheets for sleeping.

In addition to living rooms and bedrooms, they are great for any room, especially small ones like offices, dens and upstairs lofts. They are then regular couches that can easily be turned into beds for that unexpected guest or accommodating larger holiday gatherings.

A futon is a great pull-out type of bed but can also be slept on while closed. When you open a futon, it becomes basically a full sized bed. Closed, it is comparable to a twin bed. So, for ease, it can be used as a more comfortable alternative to ‘sleeping on the couch.’

There are 3 basic styles of futon frames. First is the bi-fold. When assembled, this looks just like a park bench including armrests. Second is the tri-fold. This also resembles a park bench but also has an additional panel behind the back of the bench. This panel flattens out when opened. The tri-fold has 2 models: with armrests or without.

As an alternative to complete bed sets or large living room furniture, futons are less expensive. They are available at more furniture stores and department stores. You can also find futons for sale online. Assembly of the frames is fairly simple and once put together they are not hard to move. The mattresses may be difficult to move around since they typically are as heavy as any other mattress and are also flimsier due to their flexibility.