Daybed Roundup
The daybed is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture there is. It can be a sofa or a bed- provide an extra place to sleep a guest in a tiny room or act as a workhorse in a studio apartment. They also make GREAT kids beds- especially those transitioning from a crib to a “big kid” bed. They work for boys, girls, old and young. We’ve used them so much in our work and I think they are an important option to consider when decorating! So I wanted to do a round up of a ton of different styles and price points for you.
Here is a daybed (Restoration Hardware) we used in an office/ guest room. With the right style and number of pillows daybeds can easily look like sofas.
This one you’ve seen in my book- we designed a custom canopy to make this daybed (Ballard Designs) into a real dream bed for a lucky little girl.
Also seen in the book was this one (a Ballard Design daybed) in a space that was an office/ playroom/ guest space!
Camille Styles used this beauty in her sons nursery (also a Henry!)
This antique number also was dressed up with a dramatic canopy, but in a more grown up manner.
Kathy Kuo Home designed this built in daybed I’m just dying over.
IKEA showcases it’s daybed (for $299!) on a sun porch- perfect for reading, relaxing and maybe even sleeping.
Some options to consider:
1. // 2. // 3. // 4. // 5. // 6. // 7. // 8. (also this one) // 9. // 10. // 11. // 12. // 13. // 14. // 15. // 16. // 17. // 18. // 19. // 20. // 21. // 22. // 23. // 24. // 25. // 26. // 27. // 28.
Images of my work by Michael Partenio (#2) and Michael J. Lee (#1 & #3)
Browse:
For another inexpensive option, I just bought this one (https://www.wayfair.com/Sipple-Daybed-with-Trundle-DBHC7730-DBHC7730.html) to use in our nursery. It’s comfortable and seems well made, and simple to assemble.
Erin,
I’m a mom of two (under 2) and confidentially, I always dread when bloggers get pregnant because while thrilled for them personally and recognize you are people with lives, the blog inevitably turns into a mommy blog. I love being a mom. It’s my greatest joy. But when I’m on a fashion or design blog, I really want fashion or design. Some kid stuff is perfect of course but endless posts about dressing the bump are tiring. Thank you for being so cool.
I love a great daybed! I have one. However, sometimes we see daybeds and bunkbeds that would be brutal to actually use….ie. changing sheets. My brothers had bunk beds and my mom hated making the bed. This is true for some day beds. People need to think about the practicality of making a bed.
I just used a Ballard daybed with a trundle for my daughter’s room, and am glad I read the comments on the Ballard website before ordering. If I had used a deep twin mattress, the mattress would have sat way too high, not leaving enough of the bed to lean against along the back. You can see this in Erin’s second pic (with the purple canopy) — see how high the mattress and throw pillows sit? (I believe this is the same daybed as ours — the Ballard Camden daybed.) While I am happy with the look of our daybed and the functionality of the trundle underneath for sleepovers, I am not super happy with the design/construction. I am using a standard twin mattress, and it just barely squeezes into the allotted space on the bed. There is literally no extra space for tucking in even a lightweight coverlet or quilt. We ended up kind of folding my daughter’s coverlet and lying it across the top of the bed with the long side hanging down (as you can see in Erin’s pic). This may be an issue with many daybeds, but I can’t help thinking that if Ballard had designed the bed just an inch or two wider, it would be a lot easier to create a tailored look with the bedding. Oh well.
I think a long body pillow at the back of the daybed is a good first layer for the pillows. It provides some stability for the decorative pillows. And is relatively inexpensive.
Love this post! I have a daybed in the playroom and have been searching for the tailored look of a daybed mattress cover as opposed to sheets. Do you have any good sources for ones that are ready made?
Hi – I’ve also had a very hard time finding any tailored covers as well. So I “second” your question!
The only ones we’ve seen are from PB Kids and Resto! Hard to find!
That built in daybed is fabulous! I will love one against a big window. Love your selection!
Excellent post! We have a small room and used the Ballard daybed. I love we could use Sunbrella fabric to help with care and plus I loved that it had an extra bed for sleepovers!
I love the day bed look! It was very tired in the 80’s but this more updated (or antique) take on them is beautiful!
I am checking out daybeds for our future downsize home. We’ll be combining guestroom and office in one space and daybeds just make the most sense. I like the ikea one that has the pull out trundle (shown here with drawers instead).
Useful post. You’ve been doing that a lot lately! And I appreciate that you show good looks at many price points.
Another vote for the Ikea daybed! We recently used it in my daughter’s big girl room, and it’s perfect with TONS of storage! AND it turns into a King Size bed for guests, while still keeping the storage. Really functional design!
Love this post! Can you please provide the source for the bedding in the second picture (purple little girl’s daybed). So beautiful!
I believe it is the Camden daybed by Ballard Designs. I ordered it this past spring for my daughter’s bedroom redo. Make sure you don’t use a deep mattress or it will sit way too high! Also be aware that assembly is tricky and there is NO extra room for tucking in bedding! It does look cute in the room though with a bunch of Caitlin Wilson patterned pillows along the back and brass sconces above. :-)
Oops…you asked bedding not bed. I am sure it is custom by Erin!
I have that Ikea daybed in my guest room/ office. It was a pain to put together, but it’s really great for the price. Love the drawers underneath — we store so much stuff there. I wish more daybeds had that option.
This is just reinforcing my decision to go with a daybed for my daughter’s new “big girl” room. We went with the ikea style (#22) with a pottery barn railing to match the white wood, and it’s an adorable big girl bed that’s almost as cosy as a crib. Now I have inspiration for the future as well!