This is what we refer to as the 'elegant futon chair'.

other words, the same great qualities that you know and love about your sofa-bed can be found in chair form as well.

Before we talk specifically about their qualities and styles, it might be helpful to realize that there are a wide variety of applications for having one in the home. Your particular use might be more for a home office or den where you can accommodate a guest on short notice. However, you might also be someone who enjoys a little afternoon rest in a cozy little nook of your home with a book and a cup of tea nearby. The chair futon can also be a great option in a child’s room for the occasional – or frequent – sleepover guest. Paired with one of the futon bunk beds on the market and you can actually get quite a bit of extra sleeping space in a relatively small room.

Styles of the Futon Chair

The styles range from the simple to the elegant. What we would call ‘simple’ means that the chair resembles a very basic style of futon unit – essentially, the mattress folded over that fits on a wooden slat frame structure. The twin or single is what is used for these chairs.

This is a more modern looking futon chair bed.

In some cases, the chair takes on more of a chaise lounge style or like one of those old day bed looks. In more elegant styles, the chair has a more formal look about it; proper arm rests and a back and really resembles a chair more than it does a fold-away bed. For the latter of these two styles, you can expect to pay somewhere between $250-500 USD. They come in a variety of wood choices and stains as well as covers for the chair mattress. Just like with any futon cover, these can be cleaned and come in a variety of styles to suit your home decor.

Chair Function

While the main functions are obvious, sitting or sleeping, we can take just a minute to highlight some of their benefits. While you might be looking for one only to use in a guest room, as you just read, the more elegant looking chairs can be displayed and used comfortably in your living room. The more relaxed or simple style of chair can fit right in with a retro or post-modern decor theme and allow for great lounging. You can even pull this one outdoors in the right season to enjoy some great outdoor living with yours. Enjoying futon chairs is as easy as what you have come to expect from the flexible and adaptable futon.

Look at the photo to get a better idea of what it is that we’re talking about. While you are certainly not unfamiliar with the concept of a bunk bed, there are some specific features that may make a futon bunk even more of an attractive option. There are also several different styles of these bunks available making them even more suitable for a host of different bedroom arrangements. We’ll discuss those different options here as well.

To begin with, let’s discuss some of the main features that make a futon bunk bed a better choice than a traditional mattress bunk. For the most part, the reason has to do with the futon mattress itself. Because of the wide variety of enhancements in mattress design and materials, the futon has some unique advantages. There is the traditional futon mattress material like a foam core with cotton or wool wrapped batting. This is probably the least expensive kid’s futon option and can give a child a very supportive and comfortable sleeping environment. Just make sure that your child’s mattress is made of the higher quality foam and that the cotton-poly blend or wool is thick enough to maintain its shape and padding over time. What gave the older futons their bad rap was the way that they would flatten out rather quickly, leaving you with the ability to feel the futon bed frame itself digging into your back. We all know how those sofa-couches have that notorious metal bar that jabs into your back – avoid this problem at all costs!

The most popular style of the futon bunk is with a twin futon mattress up top and the same size futon bed down below. The one below is the sofa-bed style that has made the futon such a comeback in recent years. There are additional styles as well, as alluded to above.

There are also loft style bunks. These are similar to the full size mattresses above, on an elevated frame, with space below. Often, this area can be used for a desk or other storage area. It makes for an elevated bed and a way to keep the other items that accumulate in a child’s room out of the way when not in use.

The last type of futon bunk is quite similar to the ‘original’ model but it uses a twin up top and a full size futon below. This allows for an older or taller child to sleep on the bed below.

All of these traditional bunk bed styles range in price, depending on the type and size of mattress, in addition to the bed frame materials and brand. However, they are roughly in the $350 – 750 USD range. In a child’s room, the bottom sofa-bed portion can be used as an area for friends to hang out on when playing. In this situation, you’ll want to make sure it is covered to be protected as much as possible. There are futon covers that are made especially with a child or teenager’s interests in mind. You can find these covers in a variety of colors and themes to match most any type of decor or bedroom theme. Since you know about the futon bunk bed, maybe you are ready to consider a futon chair purchase as well. These chairs can further compliment a room with a bunk or make an adult’s room or study more flexible as well.

Photo credit

Here is what some older futon mattresses felt like you were sleeping on, but not any more...

What Size Futon Mattress Are You Wanting?

This is the first question you’ll either need to answer for your space or you’ve already got that one figured out.  Say you’re going with a queen futon mattress.  OK.  Now, what brand?  What materials for the mattress itself?  How about the cover?  Then, there are futon covers that can range from whimsical to elegant that simply slide over and zip around the bed mattress for extra appeal.  First of all, determine the best overall size your bed should be in your room.  Most designers prefer to use smaller beds (usually traditional beds are used but the same rules apply for futon beds) as models because it makes rooms look larger.  You can capitalize on this strategy as well, making sure your bed size doesn’t overpower your room or space.  Positioning your futon at an angle or away from the wall with a stand or lights behind it are also ideas that can make your room appear more spacious.

Do Mattress Materials and Brands Really Make A Difference?

About mattress brands.  More than the brand itself, what is most important is the quality of craftsmanship and also the materials used.  You’ll know what brands stand out as you begin to see what materials are used as fillers in the futon mattress itself.  If it is sold as a set, you can get an idea as to quality based upon the frame material as well.  As a general rule, quality hardwoods and nicely formed metal frame pieces indicate better quality than cheaper unfinished wood choices and poorly assembled metal frames.

The Secret Ingredient In Futon Mattresses?

Infill and cover materials for your bed are very important if you consider how your health can be affected by the materials you rest your head on and breathe in for nearly 8 hours each night.  Some of the cheap futon mattress manufacturers will use materials that have properties to them that create off-gassing.  This means that you are breathing in the toxic fumes for hours at a time as you are sitting or sleeping.  The best choices in this regard are the cotton futon mattress, wool, organic cotton and even latex foam materials.  You see, there are more choices than you might have thought.  You can choose from materials that often are not financially readily available even with traditional mattresses.  One choice that is becoming more and more popular is the choice of organic cotton.  Organic cotton is made without the use of pesticides and does not create any harmful off-gassing products.  The standard futon cover (the one usually stitched over the mattress) can be made of organic cotton as well.  In fact, a common choice is to go with a cotton or cotton/wool infill mattress with an organic cotton cover.

Then, there are literally dozens of more decorative futon covers that can zip around your mattress to add another dimension of your personal taste.  As mentioned, you can also get a latex mattress  (think futon memory foam mattress) and even inner coil mattresses that are comparable to your traditional mattress style.  The most important thing next to getting the right size and materials is to get the right fit.  The right fit between your futon mattress and you that is.  Make sure it is comfortable.  With the right materials and the proper fit, you’ll enjoy your futon chair or mattress for years.

Here is the classic futon bed frame.

For now, let’s concentrate on the aspect of frame choices and worry about the covers and room decor for another time.  You’ve seen the older ‘dorm room’ style of futon mattress frame.  It’s the classic.  Actually, saying it’s a dorm room style isn’t really fair.  This traditional type of Japanese futon mattress frame is made quite elegantly and can utilize any number of exotic woods.  It’s mentioned as the typical dorm-room style frame because of it’s simplicity and ease of setting up.  It basically has wooden slats that are arranged horizontally across the wooden pieces that support the slats on the floor.  The slats are aligned perpendicular to your body as you sleep.  It can be painted, stained and adorned any way that you may think that wood could be.  You may only see the sides of the frame, so it appears more simple or spartan when measured against others in this frame category.

The next most popular style is the armrest style.  With this model – several variations exist – there are armrests which can support the hinged mechanism, in order to be able to fold the futon mattress itself into couch seating.  These armrest sides can be designed to hold magazines, remote controls or custom built to really be anything that you (the owner) wish to have designed.  Off-the-floor models will mostly be limited to magazine racks and the like.  You will also find different styling to the frames themselves.  Some lend themselves to more of a cabin feel, with larger tree trunk or post looking members.  Others have a Mission style to them, reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs.  These can be quite timeless in appearance and add a touch of elegance to any room.  Matched with other pieces of the period and you’d never guess that the futon mattress you were sitting on is not a contemporary of the others.

Getting custom frames built is really the next step towards having your headboard or bed unit exactly how you like it.  With trends that tend to dip back and forth between eras gone by, one such popular frame now is something that is reminiscent of the 1950s.  This bed frame is fairly simple with an area available for books or lighting.  You will usually find a nice bed-time reading book there and you can just flip a switch nearby and roll over and go to sleep.  Pair your headboard with one or two glass retro table lamps and you will be back in time.  Better yet, you will have the hippest bedroom in the neighborhood.

There is another subset of bed frames or styles that should also be mentioned here.  These are the futon bunk beds or loft style of futons.  While they are less popular in terms of how many people have them in their homes, if you have the need for a bunk bed, these are the perfect fit.  They are just like any type of bunk, but they utilize a child’s futon for the mattress portion.  They come in the standard twin up top and twin mattress below set up.  Then, there is the twin on top and full size down below.  Basically, the same but with more room for a larger child or for more comfortable seating for visiting friends.  Finally, there is the loft style of bunk which has the mattress on top and then space below.  This type of bed frame can be great for allowing you to put a desk or some organizational products in your child’s room and still leave room to move about the space.