I have that West Elm daybed in my office. It only gets occasional use and most of the time is a place for DH to change into his gym clothes or me to lay down for a minute and nap. It's main role in life is to serve as a backdrop for the strange pillows I obsessively purchase for no apparent reason. One thing the installers told me is to not fasten the slats completely -- only put in a screw every few holes. I can't remember why.

We didn't have a twin mattress and came across a memory foam-type one on sale and bought it. Unfortunately, it's lower profile than the mattress cover that matches the daybed, so it looks loose and sloppy rather than cute and tailored like in the catalog photo. But if your daughter were using it every night, she'd probably have regular sheets on it and not use the linen mattress cover at all.

Also, is it reversible? I just poked around at mine and I think it probably is, but would require a full disassemble to make it happen. Just something to keep in mind if she likes to rearrange her room.

And are you signed up to get emails from West Elm? If not, sign up. They'll send you info on sales. You shouldn't have to pay full price for it.

I would feel so confined and claustrophobic with a bed with sides like that and I would hate to have to fix the bed. To me it is more like reverting back to a baby bed with the sides up. I personally could not do it.

If she gives up the extra bed where will her friend sleep on sleep over? I would have her try out that type with surrounding sides before spending money on it. Now for an office where it really isn't used as a daily bed, and with lots of pillows, that could work.

I like it, but it may not be easy to make.
As for a less expensive version, I see it as an easy DIYable knock off using a king size and a twin size head boards attached to a legged platform bed.
With that said, I don't think it would make for an easy bed to sleep night after night in.

Are you a tall family? The sides could pose a problem if she is 5'7" +

Your daughter sounds like a girl right after my own heart. What you're describing would have been my ideal bedroom as a child. I read voraciously as a kid and always wanted to be a writer. That being said, I think that bed would not have done it for me. Simply because my imagination was always two steps ahead of me, and that bed seems rather plain. Beautiful, but plain. I would have grown tired of it rather quickly.. My suggestion would be to paint the white metal beds black and frame quotes in black frames. Sort of a starving writer in Paris theme (without the Paris themed bedspreads, though). Just painting the beds will change the whole look of the room and make it feel older.

It's definitely a stylish choice but I think it would be a royal PIA to make. How would you handle blankets or comforters? On DD's wrought iron day bed I had room to tuck the blanket and comforter under the railing on the back of the bed. It made it much easier to make in the morning and helped keep them in place during the night.

Maire, Hmm. I'm not sure why it would be a pain to make, but also frankly I won't be making it so that's not a big driver for me. We have help 3x a week and on the other 4 days it's the kids' job to make their beds and those days, to be honest, it probably will only rarely be made no matter what, LOL.

Jojoco, Hmm, dull,,, she likes the nailhead trim a lot. And I think it can be as plain or loud as you like once you dress it up with bedding and pillows. Also, it will be in front of a large picture window and so framed by WT. That said, I love the Parisian garret theme! very cool. I think she wants a daybed though because they she imagines it is a studio apt, IYKWIM.

Ratherbesewing, Yes, we are all tall and my girls are destined to top 6'. But I am not sure i get your drift. It takes a standard twin mattress. And it has no footboard, so not sure what you mean?

Just, See above re making. You know I looked at it and thought it'd be "easy" to make as well. Why do you think it'd be hard to sleep in? I know if I had my druthers id sleep on a sofa, because I love having the sort of enclosed feeling.

Raven, You do see that it has only two sides, yes? Not sure what you mean. I think the draw is that it looks like a sofa. It would surely be overrun with pillows. In re sleepovers, I am not sure if you ever saw me posting about our "Itty Bitty Stonehouse" project? It's essentially a little one-room loft cottage we did over for the girls' as a playhouse about 2yrs ago. That is where they have all their sleepovers.

Jakabedy, Thanks for the tip re WE! Yes, we have a pillow compulsion here too. It looks like a perfect foil for pillows! I've had a problem with mattress heights too; the new ones are so high and the latex are so low. On top of that, the last time i bought mattresses (en masse for our beachhouse), I got quite a shock when they arrived and the sides were dark brown, not white. WTH?

We also came across this one, for half the price. I thnk custom bolsters are either end would be cool

I think both day beds are cool. I like the first one because I can just see your young DD tucked into the corner reading or writing & propped up with pillows. Sort of the same with the second one, but it would be more of a lounge spot against the ends.

I don't see why #1 would be a problem as far as making the bed. Choice #2 seems more like a sofa than a bed as shown and maybe it would be more difficult to tuck everything in place if it is shoved against a wall.

Love the first one. As a teenager, that bed would've had me swooning.

As long as it has a regularly sized twin mattress, it should be as comfortable as any bed.

It will be a little harder to make since the bedding can't just drape over the other side of the bed, but it's a writer's room. Writers don't make their beds!

I am 5'10" and whenever I lay down on my kids twin mattresses, I find them too short, but I also do not like my head at the very end. What would concern me about the end and side is the natural body oils that will build up over time if it is used as much as a bed. Not matter how clean one is, those things just happen, especially as hormone levels fluctuate.

Well, whatever we do it will be a standard sized mattress, so that point doesn't matter so much in choosing a bed. That's a very good point about any upholstered headboards. Maybe I will look for slipcovered one that is similar .... Ballard has them I'm pretty sure.

I was thinking of how most kids move around a lot at night and with the tall side they'd constantly be smacking into it. That's all.

I love both those beds and your daughter's plans for her literary abode. Did you know you can get canvas prints of book jackets like those they have (used to have?) at Barnes and Noble? I have always admired daybeds although we never had one until we put two in our basement. Ours are not as chic as the first one pictured but it is VERY practical and comfortable. You're a good mom to let your DD indulge her inner designer!

I guess, I should have asked how old your daughter is. I'm thinking pretty young for some reason, that's why I thought the tall side could pose a problem. And in re-reading about the writing theme, that should have led me to be think of her as older. My mind is still in a stressed state so I'll blame that. I can't keep anything in my mind for more than a few minutes.
I'm with kswl though. You're an awesome Mom for allowing your daughter say in decorating her own room. My Mom allowed me pretty much free reign in decorating my rooms at a young age and those are some of my many fond memories of my childhood.

Mtn, I love the 2nd one, perfect for her 1st apartment! The first one is very nice also, but the 2nd could be used as a sofa in a small LR apartment, whereas the 1st is more bedroom-y. Don't know why i'm focusing on her faraway future. lol

My vote is for you to buy the first daybed that she adores. C'mon guys, you know how it is to fall head over heels for something and then not being able to find it or having to settle for one that is just not what you loved in the first place. I just can't stand to see a little one's dream get ruined, sniff. Seriously, mtn, buy a can of ScotchGuard and spray that beauty when it arrives! ;-)

From age 10 through high school, my bed was built into an alcove in the wall. There was wood paneling 2-3 ft above the bed, obviating any concern about upholstered head/foot boards. I had two reading lamps mounted on the long wall and there were bookshelves over the head of the bed. I made the bed by tucking the bedding under the foot of the bed and tidying the long side against the wall. The room, though small, had 12 ft cathedral open-beam ceilings and felt quite spacious.

I loved my cozy bed. I read constantly there and did all of my homework leaning against the pillows. It was the perfect spot for daydreaming. I completely understand the attraction of the daybed; it gives me the same sort of feeling.

The people who bought the house a couple of years ago have removed the bed and put their crib in the alcove. I get warm fuzzies knowing that someone else, though under 2 years old, is now enjoying my alcove. My teen years certainly wouldn't have been the same without it.

WithoutanH, That sounds like some of the alpine beds I have seen. I think everyone loves "nooks and crannies". It's part of what new builds usually lack, worshipping at the alter of volume all the time! That is so sweet that there is a crib there now, awww.

Voila, I agree, sometimes as a parent, you just have to do those things, even against your better judgment. Just not all the time.

Justgota, She is a preteen. I too, remember my first forays as a decorator. And I know how important it can be at this age to assert one's identity... or just being happy that you have found one!

KSWL, I did not know that, thanks. Though I acted nonchalant, i was thrilled when she said her "theme" was "writing". As for daybeds, I actually am not a huge fan since I think they are a compromise of sorts. But I totally get that the girls like to pretend it's an apartment, so a daybed can do that for them. We have the same daybeds in the girls' attic bedroom at the beachhouse that you have, KSWL. I think your project was where i first saw them IIRC.

Pattycakes, LOL, please, not just yet!

So, I did find a slipcovered daybed on PB teen, although it is backordered thru Nov 8. I gave her a choice of about 8 different daybeds (including the ones posted above), and she chose the slipcovered one! Prob because PBteen really knows their demographic, and this looks exactly like a sofa. Hers will go in front of a set of windows that is about 110" wide, and is flanked by brass reading lamps. So now, our whole house is white slipcovered and my cleaning person is going to request an industrial sized w/d!

Anyway, this is the daybed:

So, yesterday I took up her old rug (pastel braided chenille) and took out the second bed. (She has two white cast iron twin beds). DH mentioned that he could, for now, attached both headboards to one frame and it would look like a chaise. So we did that, and repositioned it where she wants the new daybed to go. It looks great. I told her that she can't get the PB one until she keeps her room clean for a month (I didn't tell her that the real reason she can't get it is that it is on backorder, shhhhh....).

She will keep her dresser (simple, white thing by Martha Stewart with the canvas drawers? very cute). We are getting a desk from West Elm and two ghost chairs. Here is a rough diagram. One door goes to her BA, the other is to a little vestibule that the girls' rooms share. Ignore colors.

That is going to look great.

Oh i think that is going to look great-- I so appreciate that my parents (of modest means) allowed me to decorate my rooms every few years!

Funny story- one of my nieces gave me her christmas list when she was about your daughter's age.. it included things like a lounging sofa, a bistro table, a loft bed-- she too wanted to be a writer! I get it though-- I need the right environment to write or paint. In fact, I even have a favorite album to paint to (Bob Dylan, Bootleg Series Live 1966, Royal Albert Hall)! I'll listen to it over and over.

I love that it is a washable slipcover!

Love her theme! What occurs to me is an issue during sleepovers. From about the age of 12 on, my daughter had frequent sleepovers (every weekend at times). Her queen sized bed worked great because the girls would just both sleep in it together, and at times 3 girls shared it. Is your daughter likely to want to host sleepovers, and if so, how would that work in her bedroom? My daughter is also almost six feet tall, and loved being able to spread out in a big bed.

I love this look, which is perhaps

a trundle daybed?

Hi Bestyears,

I think the Jamie may have a trundle option, not sure. But we had a little stone shed on our property that we redid 2 years ago, specifically for my two girls to have friends over. It has a full bed in the loft and a Q pull out sofa. It is where all sleepovers occur ... even though by code it is is too close to our pond to add a bathroom, and they have to walk about 100 steps up to the main house to go use the pool bathroom. It is very popular for sleepovers nonetheless, even in the snow!

Our Itty Bitty Stonehouse project

Oh, thanks for sharing that project again. I think it is my favorite redo/place of any I have seen over all these years. Seeing it again was a treat!

Love her choice, Mtn, and there's a good chance she might still want that in her first apartment. My DD chose a ticking stripe sofa from PB when we furnished her first apt after college. She still has it and it has held up really well, somewhat to my surprise.

In our previous house (my favorite one) I had a wonderful, cozy small library with only one wall that wasn't floor to ceiling shelves. It had a single huge window just opposite the door. Above the window across the wall (at about the 9 ft mark, ceilings were 10ft) I put matte gold letters with my favorite quote: The unexamined life is not worth living. I loved that room more than any other I have had before or since.

KSWL, I think that new construction rarely makes cozy rooms, but they are often favorites, aren't they? Something comforting about rooms scaled to humans!

Cyn, that is so sweet of you!