The best daybed for a guest room
If you are looking for a daybed for a guest room that works in smaller spaces I have the best option for you. The daybed I found actually converts into a king size bed which gives you so many options for guest. I’ll link the bed and the mattress I used below.
You can see my full house tour here.
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The best daybed
This bed is called the Hemnes daybed from Ikea. I needed a guest bed that could fit in my office, but also be used when I have guest over. The main reason I loved this daybed was that it could convert to a king size bed. Continue reading to see what mattress I used and how to convert it to a king size bed.
They offer two options. You can buy the bed with their mattress or option 2 buy the bed with no mattress. Option one with no mattress is $399 and option 2 that comes with two mattresses is $657. I went with option one because Ikea mattresses are not that comfortable. See what mattresses I ended up getting below.
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Converts to King
The main reason I decided to go with this daybed was because it converted into a king size bed. It was perfect for when my parents came to visit and they had a spacious place to sleep. I love that if I’m just having one person visit I can leave it as the daybed, but if someone is staying longer or a couple comes to visit I can change it to the king size bed.
The room I have it in is small and I’m able to fit my desk and the king size bed. You can see a picture of the guest room here on my house tour blog post.
What mattress I used
I did a ton of research on what mattresses to get for this Ikea daybed. I wanted to find a mattress with a small height so that there would still be a lip around the edge of the bed. I wanted it to still feel like a couch and have somewhat of a back to it when the mattresses were on top.
I ended up getting the Zinus 6 inch Green Tea cooling gel memory foam mattress. I think 7 inch thickness would work, but no more than 7inch unless you don’t mind it reaching the rim of the bed frame. My parents loved them and said they slept really well. This mattress is 75″L x 39″W x 6″T which is bigger than the Ikea mattresses they come with. So I do have to force it in a bit when I put them vertically, but it works and I’d rather have more comfortable mattresses.
Ikea Mattresses
These are the twin mattresses you can buy from Ikea that fit with the bed. They are smaller than normal twin mattresses and fit great with the bed, but from what I’ve heard not as comfortable. The mattress I got from Amazon is 75″L x 39″W x 6″T. So I do have to force it in a bit when I put them vertically, but it works and I’d rather have more comfortable mattresses. See pictures of my Amazon mattresses side by side below.
If you just want a mattress that fits with the bed and you want to get everything in one shopping trip these are the two options for you. The main difference is the height. Links to mattresses below the picture.
How to arrange mattress for king size
I do have to force them in a bit to fit, but it works great. I liked putting the mattress vertical so my guest don’t have to sleep on a crack. This way they have their own twin mattress to sleep on. Having the mattresses vertical rather than horizontal is the better way to go!
It was harder to get these Amazon mattresses to fit horizontal and it was pulling the trundle apart and it wasn’t as good. If you get the Ikea mattresses and put them horizontal they will fit and work great that way if thats what you prefer to do.
I took a risk getting the Amazon mattress because it is slightly bigger dimensions than the Ikea mattress that went with this bed, but having comfortable mattresses was important to me. I think it works great and it’s just a guest bed so its not always pulled out like this.
**Measure the width of the mattresses to make sure they will fit side by side.
How to stack or store the mattresses
I bought two twin mattresses so that I could convert it to a king size bed. I don’t have a lot of space to store stuff and I didn’t want to have to store an extra twin mattress somewhere. This is why I bought two twin mattresses with a 6inch thickness/height so that when I stacked them on top of each other they would still be below the rim of the bed frame. I wanted that feel of a couch and did want the mattresses to be level with the top of the bed.
When I have it as the daybed I just stack the two mattresses on top of each other and use one twin mattress sheet to cover both of them.
Best bedding for hard to make beds
Beddy’s designed their bedding so you can make your bed by zipping the sides. It’s an all in one piece. The top can completely detach and the sheets are sewn in so you don’t have to worry about it bunching up at the bottom of the bed. They have high quality fabric you can get in minky or cotton.
Storage Underneath
I don’t have a lot of storage space in my upstairs area so I loved that the bed came with storage underneath. It comes with three deep drawers and I can fit everything I need for the guest bed in those drawers. I fit my comforter in one drawer, towels and sheets in the second, and pillows in the third. Everything I need for my guest room and guest bed can fit in the storage below.
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I love this bed since I have a very small guess room, I will love to buy only the bed, also can you please send me the measurements.
Thank you
You can find the measurements on the Ikea website. Just click on the link to bed and they have all the details there.
When converted could you use a queen size mattress instead of the twin/double twin?
I’m not sure you will just have to see the bed dimensions and then see what the queen size dimensions are.
I’m actually wondering the same thing. When you pull out the front does it need to pull all the way our or could you pull it a portion of the way out and just leave it part way woth a queen mattress. A queen day bed kind of look. I’m actually considering using it in my soms room where the bed needs to go against the wall like this.
You can pull it a portion of the way and because mine is on carpet it wouldn’t move or slide.
Hi, love your article about the Ikea daybed. I had read in some of the reviews that people had trouble opening the bed when it was on carpet. In your video it looks like it opens easily. Have you had any problems with it being hard to open on carpet? Thanks!
No issues opening it on my carpet.
Thanks for such a thorough post. It helped guide my husband and me when purchasing the bed and mattresses you got. I’m having trouble finding 6-inch twin mattress sheets. Where did you get yours from? Thanks~
I just got normal twin bed sheets. They work fine.
Does the trundle part that pulls out have wheels to not scratch hardwood? Thanks!
I have it on carpet so I’m not sure what it would be like on hardwood. You could put felt pads under if you were worried.
Some reviews on the Ikea website mention the day bed is not very durable when open to the king size. They mention the slates snapping. How has your experience been with the bed?
It is my guest bed so I only use it a few times a year in the king size position when people visit. Its been great for a guest bed and I haven’t seen any issues with the slates.
Were you able to find weight restrictions on this bed? I’ve been looking for a bed for the spare room and I would love this but I want to make sure it’s feasible for guests.
I wouldn’t know, but you could check the Ikea website and look there
Hey thanks so much for all the info! I just brought the same day bed and have sourced 2 foam mattresses in the same measurements as your Amazon one but it’s pulling the trundle apart as they’re too wide. It seems yours is sitting perfectly when stacked one of top of the other so I feel like I’ve done something wrong!? How did you manage to fit them in without the trundle pulling out to make room for the extra 10cm 🤔 please help!
Make sure to put the mattresses vertical not horizontal.
Do you think the 6 inch mattress is the max or could you push to the 8? Looking on marketplace and seeing people that have them listed and some have mattresses that look much thicker than 6. How do the mattresses you bought compare to a regular pillow top?
Yeah I went with the 6 inch so there was still a lip around the bed when it was double stacked. You can measure and see how much of the lip is left after you stack two 8 inch mattreses
Thank you so much for all this helpful information! I have a question – if you are using it just as a twin, without it pulled out, do you use a twin comforter or the same king size comforter when pulled out? Do I need to buy two different sized comforters?
I bought two twin mattress I stack on top of one another and then when I turn it into a king I put the twin mattresses side by side
I bought this bed on your recommendation. I missed the part about the 6″ mattress, unfortunately, and got the 4″ that ikea sold, so sheets have been a bit of a pain to tuck in. As a twin bed, we use it for my 3 year old grandson, who is fine. The real test will be this week when my pregnant daughter and son in law come to stay. Hope all goes well and the slats don’t snap.
I’ve had my sister and her husband stay on it. My parents as well and its ben fine. Yeah finding the right mattress can be hard. The ones Ikea sells are so thin and thats why I went to Amazon to find some. Hope the 4in works out ok
I came across your post when shopping for the Hemnes daybed. I am SO glad I did!
I would not have thought of putting the mattresses vertical! We went with your suggestion and they are SO much better than the IKEA options!
Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so happy to hear this! Yeah Ikea mattresses are just not the best.
Hello! A couple questions for when you say you have to “force them in a bit”:
1) was it very difficult to do so? Did you feel like it was compromising the bed frame?
2) Is the mattress that you chose “squishy”, and so it can be forced? I’m looking at extra firm beds, so I’m not sure if they’ll have the same give!
Thanks for the helpful review!
I’m going to try and post a video showing more of what I mean. If you buy the mattresses from Ikea that go with this bed I’m sure they slide right in. I have to push them down to fit, but they work.
I have an older daybed that has really stood the test of time, but we need new mattresses, so I was happy to get you ideas for alternate mattresses! I however thought they stooped selling the king size daybed a while back, is this one a double bed size that you are just lining the mattresses up differently?
It’s in between. It’s the width of two twins, which is king width, but still twin length which is the same length as full/double. So with the mattresses I bought it works only one way when they are side by side. By double bed they just mean two people, not double SIZE. They have measurements on the website.