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At this time of year when we are so busy preparing for the Christmas season and our minds are filled with gift lists, recipes and party plans it is easy to overlook some of the fundamentals! After inviting friends and family to come to stay one afterthought maybe, “Where are we going to have all of them sleep?”
Air beds are an option for a night or two, although they are not all that comfortable for a lengthy stay. They pack away nicely between visits and many can be manually inflated and deflated very quickly and easily. Once up, they do however take up a lot of space, often rendering a room nonfunctional for a few days.
At Peter Green we have some ideas how to provide sleeping spaces for your guests year-round, while keeping your rooms functional…and at the same time allowing your guests to have a comfortable night’s sleep.
If you already have a guest room, consider exchanging the current bed for a twin-guest-bed, which is a single bed with a second bed stored below. When guests arrive the second bed can be easily pulled out to create either a complete second bed or position next to the other bed on (usually) spring loaded legs, to create a large double bed for couples.When in use a twin-guest-bed provides flexible spaces for people to sleep and when packed away it opens up the room for other uses…an office, a sewing room or an art/craft room. Twin-guest-beds are also fantastic for children’s rooms and easily turn a bedroom into a bunk room in seconds for sleepovers.
Sofa beds are a great way to add a sleeping space to a room and can also can double up to make sitting areas. These types of beds are fantastic in living rooms, spare rooms, dens, project rooms, play rooms, or home office areas. What is fantastic about having a sofa bed, is that they are so multi-functional and can be used in so many spaces year-round as a couch, and then around Christmas time and other family occasions, when you may have lots of visitors, it can unfold into a bed. Sofa beds come in lots of styles shapes and sizes so they will work in even the smallest spaces. When buying check that the bed is easy to pull out, that the frame is sturdy and the mattress is a good one with decent support and preferably a sprung interior. This is particularly important if you are going to use it regularly or for long periods.
A close relative of the sofa bed is the futon. Futons originally invented by the Japanese, have been around for a long time. The mattress simply folds up into a low chair or sofa during the daytime and can be unfolded at night to sleep. Traditional futons form a firm base to sleep on, which some sleepers prefer. There are some fun fold up futon beds around right now in funky colours and plush velvets, which could really compliment your Boho look. Also popular right now is the futon sofa. These are small slim sofas on legs, which when pulled away from the wall the back simply flips down to create a sleeping platform. And while you are at it you should check out the ingenious ottoman bed which serves as a footstool when closed but opens up to form a single bed complete with legs, spring and mattress. Now thats (that’s) a clever idea!
A comfortable alternative for overnight stays is a sectional, modular sofa with a chaise-end which can conveniently be used as a bed without moving the whole room around! Just throw on some sheets and blankets and off you go! Some sectionals have modular pieces or an easily movable footstool that can be rolled into place to make a larger, more roomy sleeping area for two or more. Daybeds, chaises and sleigh beds are also lovely pieces of furniture that can double up as both places to sit and sleep and can look very attractive in an alcove, bay, box room or nook.
Another example of folding beds is the good old ‘Z Bed’. Again, these are not for long stays and the comfort rating is very much based on the mattress, the sturdiness of the frame and easy of setting up… but they are good value and can be wheeled away out of sight into a cupboard awaiting the next visitor. Avoid wire mesh or sprung frames if possible and find one with decent laminated slats to support the mattress.
If you already have established spaces for guests to stay, we have some accessories to recommend to make your guest space just a bit more accommodating. Lamps are great for any room giving it warmth and ambience, they also make it easy for your guest to sit in bed and read. A lot of lamps now have USB ports so no worries if your guests forget their charging bricks or have multiple devices that need charging. Popular touch lamps also add that little dash of sophistication. We also recommend having a laundry basket available for guests to put their clothes in if they are staying for a little while. You can spruce up your guest room with a new piece of artwork or some Christmas themed accessories and some festive accents toget everyone in the spirit of the season. Oh! … and don’t forget to leave a little basket with sample shampoos, a toothbrush and a hairdryer for those who forgot to bring theirs!
Here’s to a smooth sailing and happy Christmas with your guests, from our Peter Green home to your home!
- 30th November 2021