How to Style a Daybed Using 5 Design Techniques

A daybed is a hybrid of a sofa and a bed. Often found in the guest room of a house or perhaps the living room of a smaller or studio apartment, a daybed comes with a twin mattress so that you can use it as a couch by day and a bed by night. Daybeds work best with a spring mattress, as a memory foam mattress will provide too much sink when used as a couch.

Daybeds typically do not contain moving parts, and their mattresses sit on slats or a platform. Sometimes, though, daybeds come with trundle beds, which pull out from the base of the piece of furniture and allow for extra sleeping space. These can allow for distinct purposes within the single unit, using the top part for sitting and the bottom for sleeping as a guest bed.

Daybeds and regular beds can be similar in size and function, but there are a few differences:

• Mattress size: A regular bed might have twin, full, queen, or king mattresses and sit atop a box spring and a bed frame. The mattress of a daybed is typically a twin size.
• Headboard: Regular beds typically feature a headboard at the top of the bed, whereas a daybed has a headboard the length of the bed and two side rails.
• Usage: Reglar beds are generally in bedrooms and provide a space for sleeping. You can place a daybed in a guest bedroom or living space and use it as a couch and a sleeping area.

While daybeds and regular beds come in different sizes and fulfill distinct purposes, they can each inspire decorating ideas for your home, acting as a piece of furniture in conversation with the rest of your room and your home’s interior design concepts at large.

In large and small spaces alike, the daybed may fulfill multiple purposes:

• Diversify sitting areas: Daybeds offer seating space for one or two people. In larger homes, a daybed may be an extra seating area in the living room opposite a sectional couch or a reclining chair.
• Create more compact sleeping spaces: If you live in a studio apartment, a daybed can help you save space as the daybed offers two uses for one: It gives you and guests a couch to sit on and a mattress for you to sleep on at night. Those in studio apartments may find trundle beds to be the cleanest option because trundle beds allow you to have two separate surfaces, a couch up top and a bed complete with a mattress cover and fitted sheets down below.
• Furnish a playroom or home office: A daybed can serve as a chaise in your home office, providing a place to rest during the day, or its twin bed can be the perfect size for a child for napping in the playroom.
• Add a decor accent to a room: In larger homes, daybeds can be an extra piece of furniture and an additional sitting area. You can place this extra seating in guest rooms, home offices, and hallways expansive enough to hold them. In this latter situation, the daybed operates more as a part of one’s home decor, complete with throw pillows, blankets, and more.

If you’re seeking design inspiration for styling your daybed, try out these DIY techniques:

1. 1. Take in your room’s color palette. If you add a daybed into a room, get a feel for the existing color scheme and decorate accordingly. Think about matching the present colors or introducing a new accent.
2. 2. Shop around for the right material. Daybed frames can be made from wood, metal, and even fabric for daybeds that resemble sofas. The material of your frame speaks to the energy of a room; a tan or blonde wood can evoke the beach, while a sleek, black metal frame may match a minimalist aesthetic.
3. 3. Add throw blankets and pillows. These helpful add-ons let you further customize your daybed and personal styling. A leather pillow has a Western feel, a handwoven blanket can connote boho chic, and bright, colorful throw pillows are suitable for children’s rooms.
4. 4. Consider room placement. A daybed may be the centerpiece of your room or play a more supporting role. If you have a larger couch, that item should probably take charge as the focal point, in which case your daybed can be a lovely window seat off to the side. If the daybed is the main piece in your room, make the other furniture items around it smaller in size to allow the daybed to pop.
5. 5. Flank your daybed with other pieces. If in a hallway, your daybed may act as a standalone piece, but if it’s in a living or family room—a space meant for hosting and socializing—you may want to position it near a coffee table or an end table. This way, friends and family can plop drinks or plates down nearby.

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