Turn a Twin Bed into a Sofa: Good Ideas for Making a Bed into a Couch

Do you live in a dorm or studio apartment?

If so, then you might like the idea of turning a twin bed into a sofa.

You can do this with platform bed, mate’s bed and any other kind of bed that doesn’t have a headboard or post.

Simply put, any bed that can be switched around and pushed against the wall like a couch, without looking funny, will do.

It’s no secret that plenty of people around the world use their beds for sleeping and sitting. But if you’re purposely doing it in an apartment, there’s a few things you can concentrate on to make your bed look as much like a couch as possible.

And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

But before we go on, let me mention the reason why twin beds are likely the best option is because all other beds, such as full, queen and king are too wide. And it would look kind of silly trying to make a really huge bed look like a couch.

Don’t you think?

Now, that I’ve brought that out in the open, let’s explore some other key factors in turning a twin bed into a sofa.

Why Would Anyone Want to Turn a Twin Bed into a Sofa?

Yeah, why would anyone want to turn a twin bed into a sofa rather than use a daybed, futon or sofa sleeper?

Well, one answer is that some people already own beds that would work with this idea. Or perhaps someone is giving them one. Or maybe they found one for an extremely affordable price and can’t pass up a good deal.

They might be on a budget and may not want to spend the extra money to buy something else when all they have to do is get a little creative, turn their bed around and voila, they have a makeshift sofa sleeper.

Something they can sleep on at night and sit on in the day without even having to convert it.

Another reason is preference. Some people don’t like the backing and arms on daybeds. Or they aren’t fond of futons or sleepers because they don’t like the mattresses or cushioning as much. Or they simply don’t like converting it.

They may also feel that the idea of using a bed without a headboard and post looks a heck of a lot better.

And some people just like being creative and finding as many purposes for one item as they can. They like the idea of finding a new use for something that wasn’t created for that specific use.

It makes them feel good.

So you can see there are quite a bit of reasons why someone might opt for turning a twin bed into a sofa rather than going with a more typical choice.

The Pros and Cons of Turning a Twin Bed into a Sofa

Well, the obvious pros are that this is an affordable way to furnish your dorm or studio if you already have a bed that works for this idea. As, I said above it won’t cost you extra money.

Perhaps some extra costs to add a few things to it here and there to make it work for your living space, but other than that you don’t have to worry about spending extra money. And even those choices are fairly optional.

Another pro that I mentioned above is that you don’t have to convert it.

That’s a big benefit if you find you abhor pulling things in and out each day. And yet another advantage is if you have a bed with drawers, that takes care of some of your storage needs.

But now let’s talk about cons.

One con is that this idea most suitable if you live alone, since you’ll be working with a twin-sized bed. However, it could work in a roommate situation, if one of you is using hide-away bed that really saves space, like the Zzz-chest. But if you’re a couple, this idea goes right out the door.

However, you’ll likely find the biggest con to be the height of your bed in comparison to daybeds, futons and sofas.

Some beds, such as platform beds can be substantially lower. Especially when you compare them to daybeds. So if you don’t mind that minor difference, then you should have no problem with using it as your sofa.

But, if you do mind and can afford to spend the extra money, you could boost the height a bit with an extra mattress or box spring.

Or, consider this very inexpensive option…

Why not go for bed lifts or risers?

They can add several more inches of height to your bed easily. Offering you somewhere between 1-10 inches more. But if you go for those, try and get a set that matches the color or your bed. That way there will be less distinction between the two.

However, I know that isn’t always possible, so just do the best you can do.

One last thing, the bed risers only work for beds with legs.

Beds with bases are out of luck and will have to resort to an extra mattress or box spring for more height.

How to Turn a Twin Bed into a Sofa

If you’re still confused about how to turn your bed into a sofa in your living space, let me clear it up for you.

It’s as simple as pie…

You simply place your bed along the while width-wise like a regular couch and push it up against a wall. After that it’s just a matter of adding height to it with the bed risers or an extra mattress or box spring if you need to.

Next, you’re going to want to spruce it up a bit so that it will look as much like a sofa as possible. To do that you can use one or all of the following…

Use the appropriate bedding
Use Pillows
Create your own upholstered backing

Let’s talk about each one in more detail…

Use the Appropriate Bedding

So, what kind of bedding could you use to make your bed look more like a couch?

Well, the first thing you might want to consider is a bed skirt. The reason they would be a wonderful choice is because they’ll hide most or all of the base or legs to your bed. It will also give it the look and feel that sofas have with upholstered flaps.

You could even purchase a complete daybed bedding set, which should work wonderfully. Just keep in mind that if you add bed risers to your bed, the skirt might be a little too short if your bed risers are too high.

So, to be on the safe side, be certain to get the bed risers before you get any bedding so you can measure how high it is and judge accordingly.

Use Pillows

Pillows are perfect because they can create a faux backing to your bed once it’s pushed against the wall.

You can also do a pillow switch-around. That is, arrange them in the day to be your faux backing (for the sofa look and feel) and then at night you can sleep on some of them. And for the most part, that will be the only converting you’ll have to do.

Various choices allow you to get decorative pillows specifically to create a faux backing look and feel and have separate ones for sleeping.

Or…

You can get yourself some pillow shams or the right pillow cases as an alternative. Or simply mix and match both or all three options. Together they allow you more leeway to choose a decorative style that will be off-the-chart beautiful.

Create Your Own Upholstered Backing

If you don’t like the idea of using pillows solely as the backing to your bed, you can actually make your own upholstered backing for a very cheap price. All you need is some plywood, upholstery foam and a couple of other supplies.

You can then follow the instructions on how to make an upholstered headboard to create a backing for your bed.

Consider This…

Once you’re done it will look similiar to the back of a couch.

Just keep a couple of things in mind if you want to do this project. Be certain to measure how high you’d like the backing to be, so that you can get the right sized wood and cut it down or have it cut down to the right size.

Need to Know…

This idea allows you total control over design. So you get to choose how you want it shaped and the colors and fabric(s) that you want.

Once you’re done you can add some pillows in front of it for back support, and voila, you’ve got an awesome and unique looking sofa bed that you can call your own.

A Little One-on-One…

The help you along with creating a backing for your sofa, check out this video tutorial that takes you through the process of designing your own headboard.

You may also want some written instructions.

But be certain to keep in mind both the video and written instructions will likely vary since they are by different people and offer different perpectives.

Some give you instructions on cutting the board to the shape you like. And others don’t require you to shape the board the board at all. So you might want to to compare notes, so that you can choose the best or easiest option for yourself.

Or simply to answer unanswered questions along the way.

I recommend you check out the following written tutorials in addition to the video tutorial above…

Make Your Own Upholstered Headboard

Offers some lovely photos on unique headboards to get you inspired, and it is most like the video tutorial above. So, you may want to compare the two to fill in the gaps.
How to Build Your Own Headboard

“What is that awful banging sound? Oh, it’s my headboard.” Want to avoid having to deal with that? Apartment Therapy provides you with info on using brackets, and photos of the kind of brackets that you’ll need to mount your headboard to the wall. You also don’t shape this headboard, which means simpler instructions and less tools needed.
How to Make Your Own Headboard to Revive Your Tired Bedroom

Want to consider other things as a headboard besides plywood? Then this article is the one. It helps aid to your creativity and is definitely worth reading.

So, What Have You Learned?

Well, you found out that if you have a nice platform bed or some other sort of bed that doesn’t have a headboard or post, you can turn it into a sofa bed. You can lounge in it by day and sleep on it by night…

And you don’t even have to convert it.

At most you might have to do a pillow switch-around which is kind of a cool multipurpose thing.

You also learned a few pros and cons along the way. Mainly, the cons are more important in deciding whether or not using a bed as a makeshift couch is a good idea. A few relevant cons are that this will not work for couples because only a twin sized bed will work since it’s small enough in width not to be an eyesore.

You also learned that height factors in and that bed risers are an affordable way to increase height if the bed is too low. However, it only works for beds with legs. Otherwise, an extra mattress or box spring will likely be needed to increase height…

Which totally sucks.

But maybe the thrift store carries a cheap box spring or mattress that can go under the one that you currently have. Just be certain to sanitize it before using it, with some sort of germ-killing spray and so forth.

And lastly, we learned that you can spruce up your bed and add your own personal touch with cool things like pillows, headboards and bedding which will inevitably make it look a lot like a real sofa.

And when you add all of that up, it results in an affordable and awesome looking sofa bed that’s uniquely yours that you can brag about to your friends!

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