A Sofa That Acts Like a Guest Bed

Having a living space that needs to also function as a guest space part time can be really tricky. Obviously no one wants a queen size bed in the middle of their living area and pull out couches can be really pricey. Air mattresses are certainly an option, but we all know they aren’t the most glorious things to sleep on for more than one night. In our case, we have a foyer area I wanted to convert into a part time guest space. Previously it housed a pool table that dated back to my husband’s more “bachelor” days, but now that we have a one year old and well.. Covid, we decided to get rid of it and convert the room into a second living/guest area.

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I searched high and low for an affordable, yet attractive daybed, but I wasn’t finding anything. I was extremely attracted to the look of this Cb2 caned daybed, but the price was way out of my budget, plus it was only a single twin. I needed something that could sleep at least two people. So then I came across this Ikea Utaker Daybed and fell in love with the stacked look. And I thought, if I added a caned back and arms, I could totally make it look like the Cb2 daybed I loved!

Supplies and Process

Using 1x2s and some cane webbing, I constructed a really simple back and arms that still allow the bed to function as it was intended. The top twin frame and mattress lift off and can be placed next to the bottom twin frame and mattress to create a double bed.

If you plan to stain the daybed frame, It is important you purchase the select pine when you buy your 1x2s for this project as they will match the Utaker bed frame perfectly and won’t involve and prep or extra sanding. You will be able to stain the 1x2s and the Utaker bed frame using the same stain and they will match perfectly.

I have used cane webbing on several projects and I always recommend ordering from one of two companies. Frank’s Cane and Rush or V.I. Reed and Cane. It is so important to support businesses like this who are knowledgable in a product and a process. It would be a shame to lose them as a resource and supplier, so I highly recommend using them before you search Amazon. They’re also less expensive than Amazon.

To watch the entire process and detailed tutorial, check out my video below.

The Utaker itself is such a steal.

For $329 you get the two stackable frames and two twin mattresses. I don’t know that you’ll find a daybed with this much square footage that also includes the mattresses for less. Pictured below is the Utake pre-hack. It is made from solid pine and can be stained or painted to your preference.

Below is a photo of the daybed without any pillows or bedding and you can fully see the newly attached arms and back. It is really beautiful and so aesthetically pleasing on its own that I almost hate to hide it with any decor, but having some really adds to the cozy factor in this room. I have already found myself lounging on this daybed more than any other piece of furniture in my home because I am just so in love with the look and functionality of this bed.

The caned back and sides are only attached to the bottom bed frame, so it makes it easy to simply slide the top frame out when guests come to stay the night. I love that it looks like a real bed with a head board when it is unstacked. Also it is so easy to stack and unstack, you can easily clean the guest area up during the day so that the room can function is as living space again.

When we aren’t expecting guests, I like to decorate the daybed like a sofa. I purchased white sheets from Ikea, these ones to be exact. And some throw pillows from Target, these ones and these ones. The rest of the decor came out of back stock in my downstairs closet; probably some old Home Goods finds.

This new daybed makes a great stopping point to gather myself before walking out of the front door or a place to just lounge and get some work done when my husband is watching tv in our formal living room and it also looks so pretty to me.

Leave a comment below if this is going on your list of projects.

x Megan

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