My bed in the living room - what would you do?

[mummacello]

Hi all,

I'm after some advice. DS, DD and I just moved to a very small flat, having left an abusive relationship. I'm in the living room as budget doesn't allow for a separate bedroom. I'm looking at ways to hide a bed that's suitable for every night use but not insanely expensive (what the hell is up with the sofa beds that cost more than a car?!?).

I teach in the living room (when we're not in lockdown), so the bed needs to be hidden, and the room isn't big enough to divide into separate spaces.

I've considered a wall bed but there isn't room to hide it. I also wondered about a folding mattress in some kind of chest (which could also be a window seat?). And then there's sofa beds, but I'm struggling to find one that's useable every night and affordable. Are folding mattresses ok to use every night?

Any ideas or recommendations? I'd like a double size ideally.
Thanks :)

I used to sleep on a futon mattress on the floor and roll it up and put it in my wardrobe. It is very common in Japan and I find them comfy.

I am.also a fan of the IKEA Friheten. We have one and have used it a lot for guests and also often sleep on it due to snoring issues! Have a mattress topper which I keep in the storage bit. It's really comfy. As PPs say there are loads on Marketplace etc but also pretty cheap new. Much better than any pullout type sofabed I've had.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/friheten-corner-sofa-bed-with-storage-skiftebo-dark-grey-s09133543/
Family member sleeps on this every night. It's part trundle bed. Uses a mattress topper which rolls up with bedding and fits inside during the day.
Acquired second hand from gumtree

I had an Ikea Lycksele and it was extremely comfortable as a bed but pretty rubbish as a sofa.

It's a sort of futon style so very bulky at the back and yet the sofa seat is annoyingly narrow.

To be fair, we got it for a small space and it was only occasionally a bed, so its shortcomings as a sofa annoyed me more than they would have in a bigger space or where its primary purpose was as a bed.

Can the bedroom fit a single bed for you? Why do you need to sleep in the living room? I'm a single parent and my son still shares a double bed with me. He's 5.

We have a really simple three-seater sofa from Habitat - cost about £350 a few years ago. If you take the back cushions off it’s really comfy to sleep on and would be fine every night

Thanks everyone! I'm probably going to go the single bed as sofa route. I really appreciate all your help x

A friend went from a single pine frame to what I’m sure was an IKEA Lycksele Murbo just before she left home. Her folding bed was from Ikea, had a silver frame, a blue cover and I remember her folding and unfolding it to show me what it looked like.
It moved with her between properties and became a lounge sofa then the spare room bed when she got a two bed place. It was in use for years.
She was not erm, particularly svelte - nether am I - and neither was her partner and they were happy with it. It was comfy when I slept on it for a weekend too.
I’m tempted to go for one myself. I’m in a 2 bed place but my oldest really needs their own space (asd and adhd) to decompress.