Sleep Talk Blog, Product Help, Bed and Mattress Guides
The Bedstar Guest Beds Buying Guide
Mar
Have guests called you at the last minute telling you they’re in town and looking for somewhere to sleep over, but you only have a sofa or a mattress on the floor? It’s not a particularly fantastic feeling.
You might want to buy a guest bed for your home. These simple beds offer a convenient way to accommodate your guests. You can provide them with a comfortable bed and not eat up lots of floor space in a spare bedroom, living room, or other rooms of your home when they leave.
If you’d like to buy a guest bed but aren’t sure how to choose one, this Bedstar Guest Beds Buying Guide is for you. We look at the different guest beds, bed sizes, and what you should consider when choosing a guest bed. First, however, we start by looking at a guest bed and how one can help you.
What are guest beds?
A guest bed typically consists of the main bed and a secondary bed, a trundle bed, which slides out from underneath the main bed. Some guest beds are highly versatile and serve as an extension of the main bed, two separate beds, or even the main bed itself.
These aren’t the only types of guest beds around, however. Some are single beds you can fold away when your visitor has finished using the bed. Others, such as day beds, function as furniture but fold into a bed.
In both cases, these guest beds are an excellent way to help you host visitors comfortably if you don’t have much space. They’re handy for children’s sleepovers, too.
Different types of guest beds
At Bedstar, we offer several different types of guest beds:
3-in-1 guest beds
Three-in-one guest beds 3 in 1 beds can be used as two separate beds or be pushed together as one large bed. The bed can easily be stored away to help maximise the space and be simple to pull out when needed. With beds such as the Flintshire Halkyn, the guest bed can be used at floor level or raised to the same height as the existing bed.
Wooden guest beds
Wooden guest beds look right at home in a more traditional setting and offer you the practicality of a guest bed. You can form two separate beds or bring the bed up to sit level with the main bed.
Metal guest beds
Metal guest beds can fit in with contemporary décor or a more traditional aesthetic, depending on their design.
Folding guest beds
Folding guest beds work well for occasional use. You can fold them away when your guest has left, so they’re convenient if you don’t even have a spare room. Our collection of folding beds comes with the mattress, too, so that you can offer your guest the appropriate level of comfort.
Jay-Be has a range of different folding beds. These show all that is good about British design. Using the finest materials, they are lightweight and rest on castors, allowing the bed to be easily moved. The exclusive J-Lok folding mechanism makes opening and closing the bed very easy.
Divan guest beds
Divan guest beds are your chance to show design flair and enjoy a little practicality. You can choose a colour that suits you and possibly even a headboard, depending on the stock the retailer has available. The spare bed rolls out from under the main one on castors making this much more manageable. Sometimes, the guest bed has legs instead, bringing it up to level with the main bed. The Giltedge Buckingham Guest Bed offers more luxury for visitors and is ideal for occasional and permanent use. It has 1000 pocket springs in both the main and the guest mattresses, offering comfort and support. It also provides more choices in terms of fabric options to match your décor.
Pull-out guest beds
Pull-out guest beds are useful because you can have them ready instantly for your guest. You pull the bed out, and your guest is good to use it. You may also see these beds referred to as “trundle beds.”
Extra features: The Julian Bowen Maine is a pull-out guest bed that would be a great addition to any room. This innovative design has a high headboard featuring a bookcase, which makes a great focal point and offers fantastic extra storage.
Day beds
Day beds serve as a cross between guest beds and furniture. These elegant beds look superb in spare rooms or guest rooms. Like sofa beds, you can sit straight on them like a sofa and pull out the mattress to form the bed. The difference between day beds and sofa beds is that day beds often have a headboard and a footboard, giving them more of a bed-type appearance.
Guest beds and space-saving sizes
Of course, guest beds save space, and we have several options so you can choose a bed that suits your (spare) room and accommodates your guest(s) comfortably. The bed’s right side will depend on the guest room size and how you use the room when you don’t have guests. We offer space-saving guest beds in the sizes below:
- Small single (75 x 190 cm / 2 ft 6”). These beds’ compact size makes them great for small spaces, small rooms, and box rooms. They suit adult solo sleepers and accommodate children who are too big for a children’s bed but don’t need a large, adult-sized bed.
- Single (90 x 190 cm / 3 ft). Single guest beds are terrific space savers; you can push them up against a wall to make the most of the floor space. They work best in households that won’t host more than one person at a time. If you have more than one guest staying with you, you can place a folding bed alongside a single bed more quickly than a larger one.
- Small double (120 x 190 cm / 4 ft). These beds work well for households with a bedroom as a guest room year-round. They’re smaller than regular double beds, and two grown adults can sleep in them comfortably.
- Double (135 x 190 cm / 4 ft 6”). Double beds are large enough for two people. If you choose two single beds, you’d have to create space for each person to climb in and out of bed, so a double bed may be more convenient.
If space is at a premium, you may prefer a folding bed.
What to look for when buying a new guest bed?
Remember that you won’t be sleeping in the guest bed, so you need to think slightly differently than when buying a permanent bed. Here are the things to consider below:
Size
The first thing to do is work out how much space you have for the guest bed, so measure the room. When you’ve got the measurements, consider whether you have enough space when the bed is in an upright, seated position (if you’ve gone for a sofa bed) and fold it out.
If the bed has a pull-out feature, does it leave enough room around the bed for your guest(s) to move comfortably? If it has a clic-clac feature (typical of sofa beds), does the bed have enough space behind it to open out fully?
Usage
How often are people going to use the bed? Is your visitor staying just one night or several nights? If they stay for more than one night, you may prefer to buy a day bed. A foldaway bed may be more convenient if they only stay for one night.
Think about how you use the guest room when you don’t have guests. Is your partner a noisy sleeper, and do you end up sleeping in the spare room? Do you turn the space into a sleepover room when the children have their friends over? You may prefer a more permanent style of the guest bed.
The person(s) who will be using the bed
Different people have different needs. Who will be using the bed? An older adult may have trouble climbing in and out of bed, so the bed shouldn’t be too high for them if they fall. Note, too, that older adults tend to sit on the edge of their beds more so they can put their shoes on.
Choosing the best mattress
When choosing your guest bed, you should also consider the mattress (although some beds will already come with the mattress). It may be a guest bed for occasional use, but the mattress will still endure wear and tear. Keep an eye on the mattress, take care of it, and check that it’s still fit for use. In general, you should replace a mattress every 6 to 10 years, depending on the mattress’s quality.
Which mattress is best?
The chances are different people will stay with you, so you should choose a comfortable mattress for most people.
Memory foam mattresses
Memory foam mattresses are an excellent universal choice for guest beds—the foam moulds to the shape of the person’s body, offering absolute comfort. However, these mattresses can get quite warm and might be less comfortable in summer or in a stuffy bedroom.
Pocket sprung mattresses
Pocket-sprung mattresses are another reliable option. The mattress springs operate individually and allow even weight distribution, which results in excellent support. A mattress can be too firm or too soft. The spring count will determine this. A spring count of 1,400 would be suitable for the average person.
Choosing the right firmness
A too-soft or firm mattress could be uncomfortable for your guests. A medium firmness could be the most suitable, offering a balance between the two. Note that a medium firmness could be too firm for children. If a child is a regular guest, a softer mattress could be more comfortable for them, or you could consider buying a mattress topper.
Safety issues
Perhaps you have some safety concerns around your guest bed. Below are a few safety considerations when choosing your guest bed:
Day beds, trundle beds, and safety issues
Trundle beds are generally safe when a person has grown out of a cot or toddler bed. That’s usually around 18 to 36 months or onwards. A child can graduate to a low single bed in the case of day beds.
Can you use these beds long-term? Trundle beds are designed for occasional use, so we wouldn’t recommend using them as the main bed despite the sturdy base of the bed.
A good guest bed will be structurally safe if you put it together correctly. Always read the instructions carefully. Check regularly that the fixings are secure and that there’s no damage to the bed. If you think a part needs replacing, contact the retailer and avoid using components that aren’t designed for the bed.
Folding beds, safety and comfort
If you’re moving into a new home, you might be tempted to use folding beds in all your bedrooms. This wouldn’t be practical, however, and would also be absurd. Folding beds are designed for short-term use, and, despite the comfort, they’re less comfortable than a standard permanent bed.
Large people can sleep safely on a folding bed since folding beds are sturdy enough to handle the weight as long as the bed isn’t designed with only children in mind. A large adult person should also take care not to jump onto the bed itself as well.
To ensure your guest is comfortable, the bed frame must be strong, and the mattress should be at least 5 inches thick and of good quality. Make sure the dimensions of the bed are suitable, too. If the bed frame is too big for the room, your guest might not sleep as comfortably as you’d like them to.
Serene Mya 3-in-1 3ft single wooden pull-out trundle bed. The trundle can be positioned on either side of the bed for convenience and sits on wheels to make it easy to move. It has dummy drawers that act as handles to pull the bed out.
A few final words on guest beds
Guest beds are affordable and highly useful when you have visitors but not enough space to accommodate them. They come in wooden or metal frames, allowing you to choose a guest bed matching your décor. Some beds, such as day beds, serve well as furniture, but guest beds are designed for short-term use as beds. A standard bed is more suitable if you’re considering buying a bed to use in the long term.
At the same time, you should take care of your guest’s bed and the mattress so that they serve you and your guest(s) as long as possible. It may only be a temporary bed, but it still needs looking after. Cleaning the bed and regularly checking that it’s safe to use and that the mattress is in good condition is essential. The last thing you want is for your guest to have an injury.
We’ll leave you now so you can get on with hosting! If you’ve visited our guest beds page and have questions about the beds on our site, please get in touch with us for more details. In the meantime, we wish you happy hosting!