If you want to host overnight guests but don’t have a dedicated spare bedroom, then there are a few options you can choose from, and as Sleep Editor at Ideal Home, I’ve tried them all.
If you don’t mind making room in your home for a permanent part of FurnitureThen you can invest in one Best sofa beds on the market. Or, if you’re looking for a more temporary hosting solution and want to save some cash, you might want to consider one of these Best blow-up air beds.
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loaf
Sleepover floor cushions
Now Loaf Sleepover Floor Cushion At first it might seem like an overly simple, some might even say basic overnight hosting solution, but bear with me, because, in my opinion at least, that’s actually part of its genius.
Technically, yes, it’s just three very pretty upholstered foam cushions joined in a concertina that can be folded into a pouf, a spare seat to lean against a wall, or arranged flat to make a mattress. But, when you have the occasional overnight guest, that’s often *exactly* what you need.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve tested plenty of sofa beds, and they can be the best solution for hosting overnight guests. But, not only do they take up a lot of floor space in the house, but most are *expensive* as well.
(Image credit: Loaf)
A top-of-the-range sofa bed Could easily set you back between £1000 and £3000, and even one of those Best chair beds or better Bed-in-a-box Can cost around £500. It may be worth the investment if you regularly host guests, but if you occasionally need to offer your home as a crash pad to friends or family, I think Loaf’s solution is a brilliant one.
Another downside to sofa beds is that, at the more affordable end of the market, most budget-friendly sofa beds are *firm*. And that means the extra cost of investing in a mattress topper so your guests can have a little extra cushion during their stay.
With many of these, it adds up soon The best mattress toppers Alone easily costs more than a loft’s floor cushions.
Unlike a sofa bed, you can hide this sleepover solution under the bed when your guests have gone home, freeing up floor space and Small living room Or Small bedroom Seems too big.
(Image credit: Loaf)
A more affordable option – the humble air bed – is also not without downsides. Air beds certainly don’t look as stylish as Loff’s sleepover floor cushions, can be prone to deflating at night, and in my experience, aren’t nearly as comfortable.
The joy of foam is having something to sink into your shoulders and hips. I’ve always found an air bed offers a lot less ‘give’, which can make for a pretty firm sleep experience in a slightly different way. You cannot fold the air bed into an additional seat with this floor cushion.
Now, admittedly, not all guests are comfortable sleeping so close to the floor. If you have elderly visitors or anyone coming to stay less mobile, they may not appreciate floor camping. If so I have included some alternative options below.
However, if you’re after extra sleeping space for your kids’ friends, teenage family members, or otherwise obvious friends and family members, I think Loaf Sleepover Floor Cushion is the ideal solution.
Purchase options
You can choose one of the best chair beds instead. This Habitat Roma is one of the most affordable on the market, coming in at a £195 price tag of the Loaf sleepover cushion. You guests will also be (slightly) higher off the floor, although I’d say you’ll need to add a mattress topper to make this option more comfortable.
John Lewis & Partners
Innovation Living Cubed 140 Sofa Bed
Alternatively, if you prefer to sleep two guests at a time, the Innovation Living Cubed 140 sofa bed is the most compact double sofa bed I have come across. It’s a great buy and comes flatpacked which makes it easy to go upstairs if you need to, however, it’s definitely not as easy or as light as Loaf’s sleepover cushion!
Chelsea’s darling
Weymouth Loveseat
Or you can go all out and invest in a top-of-the-range chair bed like the Weymouth Loveseat from Darlings of Chelsea, which has a dedicated pull-out mattress that’s much higher off the floor than our other options. It also comes in over 175 upholstery choices, but it’s definitely an investment.
