Futon Beds
Futon beds have become very popular in western countries over the years. Though many people may not know what exactly a futon really is. From their Japanese origins to what we see today there are some differences, we are going to have a look at them.
Origin Of Futons
Incase you were unaware, Futon beds originated in Japan where they are also referred to as “Futon” and are said to have been first used by samurai's. These Japanese beds would generally consist of two main parts, the “Shikibuton” - the bottom mattress – and a “Kakebuton” – a thick quilted bed cover - similar to goose down comforters. They are made to be slept in at night then folded up during the day and stored away so that the room they occupied can used for other purposes.
Futons are flat mattresses which a laid out on a traditional Japanese floor called “Tatami”. The mattress is generally filled with cotton and wool, but these days you will find some filled with synthetic fibres. The pillows or “makura” are normally filled with either beans, buckwheat chaff or plastic beads.
When not in use the futon is stored in a cupboard out of the way. To keep them fresh and stop them from smelling they need regular airing and sunlight, normally they will be taken outside and will be beaten with a bamboo cane, which is similar to the western carpet beater.
Use Of Futons In The West
In the west though, they are quite different, we have adapted the futon bed to suit our needs. When the word “futon” is mentioned a lot of people will automatically think of a futon sofa bed. Where instead of the futon mattress being folded away and kept in a cupboard during the day, the futon frame folds up into a usable sofa or armchair. If it is to be used as a full time bed, they generally wont be placed on the floor, but will have a fixed wooden bed frame to lift it away from the floor, normally to keep the user away from any drafts and cold air on the floor. In the west we also use much thicker mattresses on our futon bed, these are more like the traditional mattress used in western beds.
The main reason for the popularity of japanese sofa bed in the west is the fact that they are very cheap. They appeal to the masses who want a simple, fashionable and comfortable bed.
Futon beds have come a long way from their origins in Japan. The Japanese futon bed has been embraced by many countries, even if they have been modified along the way. They are a great option if you are short on space, need to save money, or even if you just like the look of them. There are plenty of them out there for you to choose from.
Why Buy A Sleeper Chair?
When ever people talk about sleeper chairs there is often quite a bit of confusion as to what they actually are. Are they like futons beds or sofa beds, or aren’t they? Basically they are similar but the sleeper chair is an armchair and will fold out into a single bed, though in some cases they can expand out to be twin or double beds. But when they are in their chair form, they are armchairs rather than sofas.
Where Would You Use A Sleeper Chair?
So where would you use one of these chairs and why would you bother? Why would someone not just use a futon or a sofa bed instead? There are quite a few cases where a smaller chair bed is a much better option. If you live in a small house or apartment that doesn’t have any spare bedrooms any guests you have over to stay will no doubt sleep in the living room. Normally someone would buy a futon sofa bed for their living room, sit on this through the day and fold into a bed when needed. But some people don’t find these futons particularly comfortable for sitting on over long periods of time. So they buy a regular sofa to use for the majority of the time, then a small sleeper chair that doesn’t take up much space, for the guests to both sit on and sleep on when they visit.
There is also the possibility that you just cant find a futon sofa bed that you like the look of or that fits the décor of your living room. There are many different styles of futon sleeper chair to choose from, some of them are really unique.
Sleeper chairs are also great for spare bedrooms that don’t have a lot of free space, it could be a small bedroom or that you use it as your office, so your desk and chair take up much of the space so there isn’t a lot left free. A small sleeper chair will give someone a place to sleep while not taking up a lot of space when no one is using it.
How Much Do They Cost?
There is a sleeper chair at pretty much every price point, so there is something out there to suit not only every ones tastes, but their pockets as well. If you are on a really restricted budget then a foam sleeper chair isn’t going to cost you a lot of money. This style of chair bed is perfect if it is not going to be used too much. Since they are made out of foam and don’t have a solid frame in many cases they don’t last for that long if used frequently. If it will only be one two or three times a month to sleep on and now and again to sit on then it will still last you for quite a few years. Even if they were used all the time, since they can cost less than $100 when it gets wrecked it wont cost a huge amount of money to replace it.
At the opposite end of the spectrum you have leather sleeper chairs. Chairs like this will be made using a hardwood frame and will look just like any other leather arm chair and be just as comfortable as them as well. The difference being this will fold flat into a comfortable bed. These great looks and the comfort come at a price though, many leather sleepers range from about $800 to over $2,000. In-between these two extremes there are fabric covered sleeper chairs, they feature the same hardwood frames as the leather ones but they are covered in a less expensive material, which brings the price by quite a bit.
Before You Buy
Before you buy any sleeper chair it is important that you try them out completely, both as a chair and as a bed. The chair set up may be comfortable, but that doesn’t mean the bed will be comfortable too, and visa versa, so be sure to try both out, you wouldn’t buy a mattress for your bed or a sofa for your living room without trying them first, this is just the same.
If you are spending a large amount of money on your sleeper chair you will probably want the mattress to be changeable, if the mattress or padding becomes worn but the frame is still in good condition it would be nice if you could chance the mattress on its own, saving you from buying a full new chair. Also check over the quality of the stitching, loose stitches wont last long, so make sure they are all strong and attention has been paid to them. Also, if there are any mechanisms in the sleeper chair bed make sure they all move freely and are easy to use.
If you have used a single sleeper chair in the past which had a metal bar running through the middle of it, which made getting a good sleep pretty hard, don’t be put off buying a new model. The designs have totally changed and these bars are no longer present in any good sleeper chair, so they are much more comfortable and give you a much better nights sleep.
The Captains Bed – What Is It And Who Is It For?
As I have mentioned in some of the other articles on this site, the new houses that are built these days are getting smaller and smaller, and because of this storage space is becoming quite a rare sight. If you don’t have enough storage space in your house then you might want to think about getting a captains bed either for your master bedroom or for the kids room. Years ago I used to think that a captains bed was for use as kids beds only, while there are some great captains bed for kids there are also a large number of more mature designs that fit in perfectly in adults bedrooms.
If you have never heard of a captains bed before or just don’t know what they are then the explanation is quite simple. As the same suggests they were designed for the captain of the ship. In the old tall ships everyone was limited to how much space they had, so making the most of the space that they did have was essential. So a bed was designed that had a lot of storage space in it, to let the captain store all of his belongings while at sea. These beds are not only perfect for tall ships but they are ideal for modern homes as well, as more and more people have been finding out over the recent years.
The vast majority of captains beds are made with a wooden frame. The storage they offer comes in quite a few forms, from cupboards and drawers under the bed, similar to divan beds to having shelves and drawers in the head and foot boards. You will be able to store so much in them that you wont quite believe it, from clothes, books, general junk and anything else you can think of, there is going to be so much less stress put on your closets.
Captains Beds For Kids
As mentioned earlier when most people think about captains beds they will think about kids beds. Kids love beds like this, they are generally quite high off the ground, they have got loads of places where they can hide things, lots of little secret compartments and they look great as well. Many of the captains beds for kids are similar to the adult beds except they are designed to appeal to children’s eyes a little more. You can also get a captains bed with trundle beds under it, the perfect solution if your kids like to have sleep overs. The storage in these beds is ideal for a kids bedroom, it helps to keep the floor clear of toys, games, clothes and so on, again easing the pressure on your closets and other storage furniture.
If you didn’t know what a captains bed was before hand I hope you have got a good idea now. If you live in a small home that doesn’t have a lot of storage then these beds could be just what you have been looking for.