I'm going to chime in here, having had both setups. By far the best was the trundle bed with very good mattresses. The kids will appreciate either setup as long as they can get a good night's sleep. Even though you prefer sewing in the den, you may find that you like having a spare room with the extra floor space. JMHO

They can come home too...be prepared for this at some point. My youngest son is with me and wasn't the plan. One bedroom dedicated to him with a queen.

He gives it up when company comes. As for grandchildren, they seem to survive anywhere. Air mattresses aren't beautiful, but they work on a temporary visit. Our little homes are accomodating and shouldn't have expectations. I can see having a trundle in my office which once was and the new ones with good mattresses work great.

I feel too small not to use all my rooms all the time. Anyone that is a visitor knows me and the setup. Hopefully happy family visits and they enjoy being here enough to accept the room avialable.

There is always the "ole' Murphy bed". A lot of plans are available now for building them. One I really like has a book shelf that opens up.

Our children have been in a constant state of flux since they left home.

A son in the military, currently deployed, engaged to a hometown girl who likes to stay with her parents, but he usually stays with us (that will probably change after the wedding.) His room has built-in twins with storage, and was re-decorated for the grandsons--just added some jungle theme bedding and accessories.

A daughter in college, who expects her room to be waiting when she comes home, almost always with a friend or two in tow.

Older daughter who married and moved 45 minutes away, five months ago left her husband and moved back home with their two-year-old son. Since she was permanently out of the house, (or so we thought), and not far enough away to need overnight accommodations, we gave her bed to her stepson, and turned her room into storage for all three kids--my son's belongings until he returns to the US, things they want to keep, but don't want to drag from place to place, etc. My son-in-law's stuff was there, too, until recently. :p

She and her son are currently sleeping in my son's 'jungle room,' and when her step-son comes to stay overnight, the boys get that room, and she sleeps in DD#2's room. Like a game of musical beds, LOL.

Our solution was to build another room! We are adding on a playroom/family dining room, that can easily be converted to an efficiency apartment, downstairs, and had the attic space framed so that it can be finished at a later date. In the upstairs, I plan to set up a 'dorm style' guest room with a full size bed, two twins built into the slope of the ceiling, and an old heirloom fainting couch. If we build storage drawers into the walls, and under the twin beds, we won't need furniture, and will also have room for a baby bed. It may be a tight fit, but will accommodate a whole family, or all the future grandkids for a sleepover. I plan to make the twin bed spaces convertible, to be turned into closets, if necessary, and a dresser will fit in the space now reserved for the couch. That area is currently full of my daughter's household items, but I'm hoping that she'll get settled in her own place before we're ready to start working on the guest room. We have a kitchen 'facelift' to do in the meantime, so it will be awhile. ;)

I like the idea of trundle beds with good mattresses, even for a couple, since they would still be side-by-side (and just for a visit.) I've always wanted a Murphy bed, but it wouldn't work with our sloped ceilings. I saw a custom made one on 'Design on a Dime' on HGTV--it had a bookcase, too. I like the concept of furniture and rooms doing 'double duty,' and being easily transformed as needed.

Sorry for the ramble--rec'd email today that my son is coming home, (halleluia!) DD#2 will be here for part of his visit, and my brother-in-law and his two sons will be visiting from NH, at the same time. BIL will stay with my FIL, but one of the boys, who stayed with us last summer, will want to be put up here. My head is spinning, and I'm wondering where to put him!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:2072886}}

Child, not parent, here. I have two siblings. Of the three of us, one lives near my parents and the other two live far away.

My parents have replaced our twin beds with queens. They fill up the rooms, but we return in sets of 2 now, so it works well.

One room also doubles as toy space for the grandkids who live only a mile away. The toys are tucked into the closet. The other bedroom doubles as their computer space, with a small desk for letter writing and paying bills. The last empty bedroom is in the basement. They put dressers in it, along with the bed. There, they store all of their out of season clothes. My mother's sewing supplies and other odds and ends are in the closet.

Now that they are house shopping, they are looking for something slightly different. They want the bedrooms to have attached baths (their house has 1 for all) due to the frequent long term guests. They also want one large space for kitchen/living/dining, so we can all see each other.

It excites DH to no end that we have our own room when we visit. I often tease my parents, because my bed growing up was miserable, but the new guest bed is fabulous. :)

Young-gardener, I understand the bed thing. If your parents were like us, they couldn't afford better mattresses then.

I'll probably keep the trundles and try to figure out how to pull the bottom out without having to move all the furniture. We have an extra long mattress on top, so tall people prefer it over the full-sized bed in the other room.

marti-

You're exactly right!

We were also raised to be nonfloppers. There was to be no flopping on the furniture or sitting on the edge of a mattress, because it was expected to last 20+ years. (Why can't I train DH to do this??)Anyway....back to the topic.

When the first, my sister, was born, she moved from a crib to a 4-poster queen bed. They wised up with the next two and put us in captain height twins. Boy was that a long drop when you fell! We used to joke that college dorm beds were an upgrade because they were extra-long and our feet didn't hang over the edge. :) Now, mom tease me because I want our spare room to hold two xl-twins.

Aren't trundles great? That's what my MIL has. It pulls out and pops up, which puts me somewhat near DH. Works beautifully. I'd say that room is 9x11?

On a somewhat related topic, the bed I grew up with was designed and made by my uncle, for my very small room. The headboard was bookshelves for my books and dolls, a long shelf across the top, and a deep secret compartment behind the pillow. Under the mattress there were 6 deep full extension drawers which held all of my clothes. (If opened, ou had to approach from the side because they reached the walls of the room.) That way, the room didn't require a dresser or night stand.

I think this was the thread where there was some discussion on small guest/sewing rooms / other use rooms but avaliable to company when needed.

I do not have kids. I do use my sewing room as my den too and have the futon for when company comes. It is full size. It is what it is and like some one else said. company comes they are welcome to what we have. Good food and friendship and will try to make them as comfortable as possible for their short stay but we do live and use all of out house.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Sewing spaces/guest rooms

Funny how I can look at something and not even see it, but a conversation here can just open my eyes to a new idea.

Mama_goose and younggardener both said they had their trundles side by side. I've done that before, but for the last few years I felt (for the in-laws) that the beds had to be separated with the night stand between them. I can easily, easily put the night stand in a corner with the bed beside it - kind of in the middle of the room, and be able to open the trundle without moving everything. It will be harder to make the trundle that will be between the wall and the upper trundle, but easier to make when it's just the one trundle. So I guess that's a good trade-off, but best is that a couple won't have to feel that they are separated, at least until one of them falls through the middle, lol.

AND, with any luck, I can find a sewing cabinet the width of the night stand and replace the night stand which would be a lot more practical. The night stand I have is one of a set and I gave dd#1 the rest of the set.

my dd moved back home twice. I don't think she'll be back anymore tho - lol! she's across country now and has 2 more kids... I couldn't take it!

anyway, I'll have 4 bdrooms but only 1 will be a bedroom - mine. but i'll have a sofa in the tv/computer room and if need be I'll get one of those aero beds. my nephew came to AZ about 2 yrs ago and spent a wk here - slept on the sofa.

" So I guess that's a good trade-off, but best is that a couple won't have to feel that they are separated, at least until one of them falls through the middle, lol."

Marti you be bad. Hehehehe OK you can buy a couple small dog collars in nylon and lash the legs of the two beds together so they can not roll apart. And here you thought I was starting to get kinky on you. Hehehehe

So this is pretty much the same I have done with the futon. I am not moving the furniture in the room now. I am just leaving the futon open against the wall and even the head end is floating and devil may care. Guests can deal with it or not. It is MY room and they are welcome to it but complaints can go down the road. Hehehehe If two people do come I still have enough room to pull the futon away from the wall just enough to get up the wall side to get into bed. It will be tight but it is what it is.

So if the two beds come apart just swing the one out while making up the other one against the wall and then back together. I would not make them up as one bed. LOL Unles you insist on being a brat.

My parents had two twin beds hooked to one large king headboard. Not sure how it was done but then rolled apart to make them up as separate beds then back together and she would put one large bed spread over both. OH and Hahaha imagine your inlaws surprise when they think they have one HUGE bed and find out you tricked them. I can hear the giggles now. Heheheheh

I think I showed this picture before of how the bed looks made up when MY sewing room becomes a guest room.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Sewing room to guest room

LOL Chris. The look on their faces when I hand them the dog collars might be worth it.

I don't think I've seen that picture before. If your bed is against the wall on one side, you have a bigger room than I do. Where is your sewing table?

Marti, The pillows in the bottom right corner of the picture are leaning on the wall and the futon makes into a full size bed.

The sewing table is the small desk with lamp. I have to move the chair from in front of it to set the bed up. It is tight in there but manageable.

The first picture #58 is close up of my sewing desk and if I am only sewing a little bit I do not need to set up the big sewing fold up table.

The second picture #59 is the fold up sewing table set up and the futon is back in couch mode.

This space really does work well. I have already used it as sewing room and guest room and guest said he was comfortable in there.

One little thought. I used to use our bed as a cutting space for large pieces of fabric. Was kind of dangerous and had to be very careful not to cut my bed spread. If a person had those fold up table mats they could lay across the top of a bed it would make a great cutting space. And those fold up mats are easy to store when not in use. BUT our beds are tall beds. Almost have to climb up into them. We even made extended legs to add to the futon when it is set up as a bed. My husband cut heavy duty electrical conduit that slides up over the futon legs to raise it up. Just takes a minute to put them on. He lifts the end up while I slide the legs on. Easy.

Anyway this would make the set up bed in a room usable for sewing. Some one here asked about where to get those table pads.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Sewing desk

Industrial strength Velcro aka "hook and loop fastener" is another thing to use and some of it is so powerful I have a hard time breaking it free.

For more permanent fix jobs, I like the heavy duty tie wraps. Like keeping my bird cages from coming apart when I roll the birds outdoors for a shower.

I did have a single raised bed with 3 drawers and a trundle. But I gave it away when I began planning to use the second bedroom as our study. That is where the bookcases now in the living room, and the file cabs/glass top desk in the dining room, will go when we get some more wiggle room around here. Also, that room will be MY sewing room.

WHAT guests? WHAT sleeping space? I might have to find an air mattress but we have not had to worry in Mobile. Up north, we have about 3 extra bedrooms, and a big sectional sofa for any overflow, but that is not a concern either.

I have one guest room and the third bedroom does triple duty. It's an office, sewing and additional guest quarters. I purchased a Library "bookcase" Murphy bed. The bookshelves part in the middle, sliding to each side, and the bed comes down. Surprisingly the mattress we got is more comfortable than the guest room bed. For a while we moved the Library Murphy Bed into the dining room because both daughters moved home, so the office and everything else was relocated. I actually get quite a few overnight guests and two of my kids live out of state now. Well, actually, pretty much everyone I know lives out of state.

That sounds neat bluesbarby, where did you get it?

No one has ever mentioned having one of those Bluesbary. I am completely intranced with them. Did you buy it complete or build? They aren't cheap, but I think a lot of furniture builders out there would love this project.

They must be on the latest popular list. A search brought up dozens. Even have the hardware to do it yourself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Murphy bed

OH WOW!!! What innovative ideas for all sorts of Murphy beds!
Even a sofa that becomes two bunk beds, and all sorts of configurations. I like the website, thanks for the link.

Italians have such a flair for design. True in the past, and it seems still in their blood today.