Unlock Editor’s Digest for free
FT editor Roula Khalaf selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The pleasure of a bed outside the bedroom has long had a special appeal. The ancient Greeks lounged on klines, while Victorian women suffering from tight corsets are said to have collapsed on “fainting couches.” With the release of Mies van der Rohe’s film Barcelona In 1930, when the sofa bed was a versatile piece of furniture, it took on its most iconic form: a simple tufted mattress with a cylindrical headrest.
For contemporary designers, the horizontal plane of the sofa bed makes it a useful tool in the home. “I’m a daytime napper and find sofa beds ideal for that purpose,” says Canadian designer Thom Fougere. “But I know others who use them as a bridge between two adjacent spaces.” His backless model for Mjölk can “float” in the center of a room without visually segregating it. Japanese brand Time & Style has leveraged this concept to create a whole collection of flat seating options that can be freely placed on the floor.
We’ve selected the best new daybeds for a stylish nap. Some tweak classic designs with upholstery and cushions. Others use the sleek surface to showcase interesting craft techniques and unusual materials like woven rush or washi salvaged from ceremonial dragon costumes.
Boucle beauty
The Dusty Deco V Daybed is set on a beechwood base in the Swedish brand’s signature V shape. It is upholstered in velvet or cosy bouclé with a “sunken” headrest. 2.240 €, en:dustydeco.com
Industrial mode
Frederik Fialin’s ultra-modern Monteverdi daybed features a thin sheet of steel on wide tubular legs and a velvet or linen mattress. 7.700 €, en:frederikfialin.com
A predilection for paper
For his inaugural Paper furniture collection for the Béton Brut gallery, David Horan repurposes Sekishu tanned paper from the giant dragons that star in the Iwami Kagura exhibitions in Japan. His low sofa bed features a tiered stack of cushions. POA, betonbrut.es
Indian Idyllic
Æquō’s large Ajanta chaise lounge is set in a curved teakwood recess, hand-carved in Bangalore. Its seat is woven from rice straw. 24.000€, aequo.es
Mid-Century Modernist
The star of Thom Fougere’s minimalist oeuvre is this three-quarter sofa bed with a mid-century-style tufted feather mattress and a space at one end that doubles as a side table. Choose from a combination of white oak and tan leather or a darker oiled walnut with navy Colline fabric. From C$7,960 (approximately £4,507), mjolk.ca
Elegant and simple
Time & Style was inspired by Japanese futons and tatami mats for its modular Stone Garden collection, a flexible seating system. From €1,500, timeandstyle.com
Handcrafted set
Inspired by architect Luis Barragán, the Pedregal collection by Atelier de Troupe employs brutalist and art deco shapes and woods sourced and handcrafted by Mexican artisans. The daybed has a solid base and headrests on both sides. $18,000, tallerdetroupe.com
Dark and dreamy
The Yoishu daybed by Kāna Objects combines elegant hand-brushed, smoked or swamp oak panels with soft vintage hemp cushions designed by Isabelle Yamamoto. Of 10.000€, kanaobjects.com
A strong statement
Kentaro Takashina creates a soft, rounded silhouette for his Endai design by cold-forming strips of red cedar, a technique traditionally used for boat hulls. The chaise is covered in white leather and has a maple headrest. $25,600, studiotashtego.com
Expressive impact
A series of cushions placed on beech slats creates a sense of dynamism on the playful Dag daybed by Gärsnäs, which designers Teresa Lundmark and Gustav Winsth call “a meeting of the minimalist and the expressive.” From £2,868, garsnas.se
Exuberant in haste
A hand-woven rush top and button-tufted oak legs add natural texture to the Bulrush daybed by Studio Atkinson, which comes with an optional deep cushion. From £3,500, studio-atkinson.com