The impossible bed thread.

[whiskyowl]

So very, very occasionally I have to put up a lot of people in my relatively small house. So I'm trying to design a clever solution in my third bedroom, which is small (3m x 2m) and normally functions as a study. I have the idea of having a long 3 metre desk, part of which folds tight up against the wall to allow a bed to be put up. I can't use a sofabed, and I don't want to use an airbed (already have one, and it's not that comfy).

I'd like:

• A bed frame that comes apart and that I can store in the loft and put together quickly and easily - roll-out slats would be great.

But also

• A decently comfortable mattress that also rolls up (or divides up)and stores in the loft.

If anyone has recommendations for either of these things, I'd be really grateful!

What about a wooden futon style single bed?

Could I get the frame to come to pieces and store it in the loft? I don't know much about futons!

Honestly, we find it comfier to just put the mattress on the floor from our sofa bed. You can get good mattresses that come rolled up now so why not just get one of those?

Have you tried an aerobed - that's what I use as my visitor bed in a tiny flat and its very comfortable, much better than a standard camping airbed. Inflates and deflates and rolls up really quickly too.

Loft bed with desk underneath?

A study bed is perfect for what you need link

What about this: www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?Sec=19&Sub=82&PID=5267&qclr=5055321399192

@Surpriseeggsforbreakfast that is amazing! I had no idea things like that existed.

I went for a much lower tech solution - a memory foam topper that goes on top of an air bed.

Extendable toddler beds have mattresses that come in pieces. Some of those can go full length if a single bed is enough

Totally second the studybed. We have one and LOVE it

Do you need a single or a double?

For a double I agree a foam topper for warmth/padding on top of an inflatable bed would probably work.

We have an IKEA Lycksele sofa bed which doesn't take up any more space than its own mattress when folded out, and is pretty comfortable. This was in a 3m x2.2m room with desk across the short end. It was tight for guests but feasible. Have plenty of wall shelves for your study stuff. You could have a drop-leaf wall mounted table for the desk, Ikea do some. And a fold away chair.

Do you mean a camping cot?

Why not a wall bed? Have a look at hideaway, or spacemaker, London WallBed. You can get them to fold up horizontally as well as vertically, and with a good carpenter you could design an extra wide cabinet so that it forms a desk when stowed. You can probably get that design readymade, it's ages since I looked.

A wall bed! Wall bed king are pretty low cost - no idea on the quality but I'm a few weeks away from ordering one

The trouble is the width of the room- it's 2 metres wide by 3 metres long. I need a desk that is the full 3 metre length because 2 people, sometimes 3 have to work in there collaboratively. A wall bed won't be possible in the space.

I have one of the expensive aerobeds, but I find it deflates ever so slightly during the night - not comfy for guests. There's also that slight movement of the mattress, which is disconcerting! This has been the case with every airbed I've tried. They're OK, but hoping for something that feels a bit more solid.

I wonder if a folding mattress and an Ikea frame would do it - like that Muji one above. I will run the study bed past DH, but I think he has his heart set on one long desk.

We may need to get something custom made, I think.

Could you possibly fit a daybed? Our solution is an Ikea desk with a glass top ok trestle legs that can be taken out of the room v quickly, and a hemmed daybed that can extend to be a five foot genuinely comfortable king size bed once the desk is popped or of the room. It works really well for us.

Should also add: it's usually DHs study but I sometimes work in their and enjoy the option of sitting on the daybed with my laptop. Our room is a similar size to yours I'd say, the only issue is door placement has to be right- you can get in the door by the daybed to the desk find when it's up, and when it's out it's a bit trickier but do-able.

We’re getting a studybed for a room almost exactly the same size next year. It’s taken me 5.5 years to persuade DH. I am unfeasibly excited

Have you looked at the Jay-Be folding beds?

www.jaybe.com/folding-beds/browse-by/airflow/

They are very neat when folded, you can get covers for them. Perhaps you could keep it on the wall opposite your desk and keep a printer or other work related stuff on the top.