Fold up beds

Any type of bed that can be folded up and stored away, or used for a different purpose, is classed as a fold-up bed. This means that a fold up bed can be an inflatable bed, a framed bed, or a futon like bed.

Why have a fold up bed

There are many reasons to buy a fold up bed, but the most common one is to have an “emergency” bed that can be opened up and used at the drop of a hat if unexpected visitors arrive.

A bed of this kind can enable a study to become a bedroom, or an existing bedroom to have the addition of a further bed and mattress.

The beauty of a fold up bed is that it can be folded up and packed away when not in use, thereby enabling a saving in space and the reversion of the room (or section of a room) to its original purpose.

What type of folding bed is best?

There is no answer to this question, however how frequently the temporary bed will be used and what the space it will occupy is normally used for can help in making the decision.

The first option is to have a bed that can be folded away and put into storage. This can be ideal in a bedroom that already has one or more beds and it short on space, or in a living room where the fold-up bed is being used as a put-me-up.

There is of course another option and this is to have a sofa bed or futon bed where, what appears to be a sofa or chair, can be converted into a bed. These beds are multi purpose and, although they remain in the same position, their function changes based upon need.

Sofa bed and futon

Having a chair or sofa than can convert into a bed can be ideal in that it allows you to have a usable item of living room furniture that can quickly be transformed into a bed. No moving furniture or packing things away is required and the conversion from one thing into another literally takes minutes.

Some basic sofa beds and futons simply turn the cushioning of the chair or sofa into a mattress by opening it out or unfolding it. However some of the more expensive and visually appealing versions have sprung systems where the mattress section folds into and under the sofa seat when not in use and then extends beyond the front of the sofa on its own separate legs when it is. Sofa beds of this type are generally undistinguishable from normal sofas when they are in “chair mode”.

Most sofa beds and futons are slightly smaller than an equivalent normal bed, e.g. a single or double.

Inflatable beds

Another very easy to set up short term bed is the inflatable bed – really an inflatable mattress. These mattresses normally come with a small electric pump that can inflate them to full capacity in a matter of minutes and they are simply deflated when no longer required.

These beds come in different sizes from single to medium and, although they have a bouncy feel, many people find them acceptable for a night or two. They will fold up and store away in a small pouch like bag.