It’s been a long time coming, but I finally snagged a cozy little one bedroom apartment in NYC. It’s a railroad style apartment that has a slightly funky main room layout (read *awkward*), but it will be home, and I can’t wait to make it feel that way. Working within the confines of a room that has a number of shorter and longer walls, and is therefore much more difficult to decorate, will be a challenge. But we’re excited to take the space and make it feel warm and inviting. We have a bunch of friends and family from out in NJ who have already expressed the desire to crash on our couch and “keep us company,” as we spend our first year exploring. The truth is, I love entertaining and having people stay over. However, that means amassing the appropriate furniture and storage spaces to accommodate things like extra sheets, pillows, and most importantly, a place for guests to sleep. In an apartment where every inch matters, I’ve been trying to look for solutions that are the most space efficient.
Pull-out couches are obviously a godsend for city dwellers (or people who live in smaller places) everywhere, and who want to maximize the space they have and accommodate guests. I’ve done my fair share of research into different kinds of “sleeper” or pull-out couches to find some attractive, stylish, and affordable options. Unfortunately, there seems to be an abundance of really doughy, uncomfortable, and just downright ugly looking pull outs. But, I was able to find some really great options for nice looking sleeper sofas that won’t cost a small fortune to purchase. While everyone’s budgets for decorating apartments and buying furniture varies, I created a list of some really solid options for under $1,000. Some of the options below even have *gasp* a cushion that lifts up inside of the couch, where you can store blankets and other bulky items, so you can keep your place looking #chic. 2. DHP Metro Futon Sofa Bed $389 3. Night And Day Convertible Sofa $549
7. Christopher Knight Home Alston Click-Clack Oversized Convertible Sofa $352 9. Trent Leather Full Sleeper Sofa (A bit pricier, but the reviews are great) $1,159 10. Aspen Convertible Sectional Storage Sofa $969 (wee for extra storage) 11. Flex Frost Sleeper Sofa $999 Any of the options above would be great additions to a home where accommodating overnight guests was a frequent occurrence. My personal favorites are numbers three, seven, and twelve, and I feel like they would be fantastic canvases to build the aPaRtMenT oF yOuR dReAmS upon. Brandon and I moved our TV from the first floor up to the second a couple of months ago, but the seating had not followed suit. We had our brown corduroy glider with its rolled arms (not the prettiest, but so comfortable) side by side with our boxy mid-century-inspired white Petrie armchair. It worked, but… not really. We initially tried to bring our Jasper sofa upstairs (the beige sofa from the living room in our last house), but it would not fit up either set of stairs.
Rather than finding a company to hack it apart and reassemble it (guaranteeing that the same would need to be done if we ever wanted to move it again), we sold the sofa on Craigslist. Three months later, we finally used that money to go buy a couch from IKEA. Because our only option for getting one upstairs is to get one that comes in pieces.That’s what took us so dang long. I couldn’t make up my mind. I like the lines of the Karlstad, but I would want to switch out the legs. This simple set is $36, and Pretty Pegs has fun options from $68-144, depending on the style. Or the legs could be covered completely by a Bemz slipcover with a full skirt, which I like the look of. Then there was the Kivik. Similar in shape to the Karlstad, but with wide, padded arms. I actually like the width of the arms with the sofa is made longer with a chaise attachment, but I wasn’t crazy about them on the regular length version. The cushions are a little nicer than the Karlstad’s though (they have a top layer of memory foam), and I was sold on the arms as an additional spot to sit.
Not all the time of course, but if we had a lot of people, a kid (or adult) could easily perch on the armrest as another seat. Plus when I asked about the Kivik on Twitter, someone said that it was an excellent napping couch. We went out to IKEA last night to test the two side by side, and come home with our new Kivik. We had to open the box in the loading zone and fit everything in the car piece by piece, but we managed to do it (just barely). Brandon and I assembled it while the kids were asleep, and when Eleanor saw it in place this morning, she was impressed. “We BUILT it,” she exclaimed, accompanied by big eyes and a little circle mouth. (Um, we bolted a few pieces together and put a slipcover on. She and August then dove from each of the arms onto the cushions, taking turns so as not to bash their heads together. Everyone loves the new couch! And we got it up to the second floor! I kinda want to go take a nap on it. You know, to fully test it out and all. A wardrobe isn’t the only thing I bought at Ikea over the weekend, I also picked up a bed!
As glamorous as the mattress on the floor was, I was really, really tired of it. I’ve seen pictures of spaces with mattresses on the floor that look amazing, but it wasn’t for me. It’s called FJELLSE, and at $50 (plus another $50 for the slats, not pictured), it couldn’t really be beat. But those of you that have been reading along or know me could probably figure out that this basic pine bed frame won’t stay a basic pine bed frame for long. EDIT: To see what became of the FJELLSE bed after a hearty round of DIY, click here. EDIT: For those of you who stumbled over here looking for a review or information on the Fjellse bed, please read the comments on this post! The long and short of it is, I like it. Don’t be afraid to ask more questions, either– I’ll try to answer them promptly. Trackbacks for this post10 Ways to Get More Storage Out of Your Coffee Table These intrepid DIYers threw the typical sleeping set-up out the window. A Hideout for KidsA Hideout for KidsSure, the KURA loft is fun from the start (what kid doesn't love a bunk bed?).