A couple of years ago I asked pretty much the same question here. I'd wanted to replace a bed with something else in our guest room so that the room could act as a kind of den for DD & friends when not in use for guests. The general consensus then was that hide-a-beds were uncomfortable and so were the single hide-a-bed chairs. Igloo told me/us about her way-too-many uncomfortable nights on those singles when her DS was hospitalized and her opinion influenced me enough that I ended up buying an oak daybed instead, and am glad I did . . . although daybeds are far from ideal. The positives for daybeds are: ~ that, with the trundles, you can sleep two people that don't necessarily want to sleep in the same bed. ~ you can buy good comfortable regular single mattresses for them. I did and both bed and trundle are very comfortable to sleep on now. ~ They do act somewhat like a sofa when not in use. ~ I do think that the slide out and away type of trundles are MUCH more practical than the drawer-type, though. I can't imagine a teen or adult comfortable in one of those drawer trundles. The swing away type is also more practical and safer, IMO. I can only imagine how tough it would be to try and crawl out of the upper bed in the middle of the night in a strange house if the trundle was right there below and next to it! The negatives: ~ when our adult son is home, he dislikes sleeping on the daybed itself. He says that he bumps his head and feet on the sides of the daybed frame. ~ daybeds are usually higher than a normal sofa and also more deep, thus more awkward to sit on. My teenage DD likes it, but I need to keep a casual, washable cover on it, as she and her friends have their feet up on it more often than naught. Another option to a sofa bed or daybed is a futon. I've slept on several nice ones in my family's guest rooms over the years and they've been surprisingly comfortable. In a basement, I'd worry that they'd become damp, but that would depend on your basement. I keep hoping to hear that a really comfortable, well-built sofa bed has finally been created someday, though. Perhaps we'll finally hear of one here. I'll check back to see. Lynn

I must be an oddity, but I'd rather be with my husband in a smaller bed than sleep apart from him. Our bed at home is a California king but I've slept in double beds at other people's houses and we both survived quite nicely. Neither one of us snores or thrashes around and we're of average size so that might make a difference. When away from home I find it especially comforting to have him by my side at night so I'm a little surprised that everyone else seems to prefer the twin beds. I suppose it's one of those things that's individual to everyone, there's no right or wrong answer. I know a friend of mine had to have her husband move to another bedroom because as he became older he thrashed around so much she was in danger of being injured. She definitely would prefer twin beds in a guest room!

Oceanna, do you have a photo online? Would love to see. I've bought estate sale sofas, garage sale sofas, new sofas. If you can find a classic style with good bones used, and have a good upholsterer, you can get something custom without paying more than a middle of the road new sofa. My last and current sofa is Flexsteel. I did a lot of research, sat on a lot of cushions, and brought home about 2 dozen fabric samples from 3 stores before buying. I did some online research too. With a sale price, I paid about $1300+ about 8 years ago. I got a better quality fabric to stand up to child and dog abuse. I paid an extra hundred bucks for Guardian fabric protection and have not yet had to use it. The sofa still feels good, is supportive, and looks new. I may need to replace the foam in the seats next year so it will plump up a bit. We lay on it, sit on it, dogs jump on it, eat on it, and generally live on it. Love it. Love the Flexsteel steel frame construction. By the way, the 'life' of a sofa under Calif rules, is 7 years. Mine is going strong and I would most definitely consider another Flexsteel. Plus, the attached back cushions and 3 cushion seat style lend themselves to staying attractive and comfortable longer than some other styles. The moss sofa in forefront of photo is my Flexsteel. You can see how the seat and back cushions have their shape still. You don't see the slight camelback style, or the nailhead trim, or the bun wood feet. But those are personal style issues and I think you are going for longevity. In the back of the room is my 40 year old rattan sofa, bought through an ad in the newspaper. It had a lovely pink and mauve and green and white floral swirl print from maybe the early 70's. Nice. I had it recovered about 4 years ago in a sale chenille in a moss bronze color. It's all cushion styling. But again, the frame was great and worth recovering. Red

A thinking man's quotes, one does not have to agree with all of them, but they still make the reader think, that's the purpose. That is the difference between quotes and slogans, of which we have too many