What is the use of the day bed ? Do you nap there or just seating for friends or an actual bed for guests? A bit more info please

An actual bed, its our only guest bed. I do nap there, the kids sit there reading or making cushion houses for their stuffed toys when I am finishing up work for the day. Its not a room, its an open area at the top of the stairs. It is also at risk of being in my Zoom call background so I keep it tidy.

I would get a wedge bolster and create a sofa look, so you get more use out of it.

Amazon.com offers many affordable daybed covers and bolsters...

Is there room to center bed under wall map? If yes, do that & move night stand to corner, drawers facing out & a lamp on it. Maybe navy ceramic with shade color close to background of lamp. Because of the Zoom background deal, I’d opt for small print cover in colors to blend well with navy bedskirt. Bolster pillows along back in same or solid & toss pillows in some kind of world map print or script - something for interest. A tall green floor plant next to desk would cozy space up for guest.

Syle it like a sofa and not a bed. Get a slipcover for the mattress and a bunch of pillows for the back.

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These are the throw cushions and quilt cover that were there. Wanting a change from these blues to…something else! It is a trundle bed, so two matresses and the current bedskirts somewhat disguise the quite basic frame.

Those are pretty nice throw cushions - like the prints & color with bed skirt. Think about two bolster type cushions for back to make it more sofa looking as Sabrina suggests & use these for the side cushions. Experiment with a mustardy yellow color for the bolsters with a very small print - smaller in scale than these cushions. The print might have some red color to tie in brick too. For the bed cover, maybe a solid mustardy color that coordinates with new bolster mustardy print.

Replace it with a futon or sofa bed. The mattress has a sag, is it time for a replacement?

If you keep the mattress, place cushions against the frame. Make it look like a couch.

Colors, green goes well with wood tones.

Thanks for the tips so far. Will adjust the desk and swap in a taller plant. Unfortunatly, no space to have the bed centred and keep drawers, I will consider replacing with a narrower side table. I like the mustard or green colour ideas. I have this on a wall elsewhere in house and looks good with our brick. Found this couch inspo picture which I quite like…would a velvet quilt cover look too cheap?

@Alex Thomas Love the green velvet couch! And love, love the mustard color pillows! Please take those up to the daybed to try out the color in the space. The floral art is so pretty - I’m thinking it’s begging to be with the couch - somewhere in that space. But, if you have lots of the mustardy color in daybed spot, it would work color wise with daybed. Not sure about it with the map on wall & seems like map that should stay for Zoom meet background. What’s the size of it? I want to turn it so the larger orange flower is at bottom. Velvet quilt cover would not look cheap - I think it’s all about the colors in the space.

Pretty daybed in an office: https://www.thegritandpolish.com/blog/a-furniture-switcheroo-in-the-office

Morrocan

@Maureen that cushion is exactly the colours I am using for our upstairs master suite, deep teals and redwoods, deep browns. I love that lamp as well, and our ceiling fixture is almost exactly like what you posted. I think maybe I need to move the bird art upstairs. And go for a bold look in the office/guest area. It’s right next to my kids rooms which are quite bold and bright so I think it’s a place to be a bit more adventurous.

Thoughts on this art? And are the drawers to the side any better if sofa still must be off centre?

@Alexandra Thomas I like the bold green in the art you put over your desk, and I like that bold green in the velvet sofa in your inspiration picture. Really surprised me that I like it better than blues you had earlier. I think I'm sold on the bold spring green. 😁 I even like the yellow and I'm generally not a fan of yellow, so hey! Isn't it amazing that the touch of red in the daisy centers brings it all together. I say but it!

I'm less crazy about the map. It looks dull and beat up over the daybed. I'd say pick up the colors in that dasie picture. If you go mustard yellow, go French's mustard not Dijon mustard.

For pillow shapes, choose three big (green?) squares for the back (width of daybed divided by 3), two (mustard?) rectangles the right size for sleeping, and one small fun pillow for center. Or maybe switch the green and mustard.

Maybe even this for the fun pillow?https://www.amazon.com/Contempo-Lifestyles-Sunflower-Decorative-Hand-Made/dp/B07PVL73XW?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A2XFT58Y4UX4L0

I meant buy it, not but it...fat fingers...

Would you be able to try the drawers at the other end to show us? Love your daybed and map art btw.

@nelliebean thanks, my partner hand painted the map. I am unable to figure out why, but the drawers don’t fit on the other side! Mathamatically it makes no sense, but its a tight squeeze as is, so must be bricks out by a few mm or the way the floor trim sits.

Alexandra, I do like the drawers in corner next to daybed. A lamp on it would be perfect & thinking it should be a taller lamp to act as reading lamp when sitting on daybed. A spot of color too so maybe continue mustard / sunflower color in the lamp for a color pop in corner. The map has empty space right where a lampshade would be so really, a perfect spot for lamp. Sunflower art is so cheery & so is that color pillow on the bed. I would definitely use that color in bed topper & pillows combined with the original navy print pillows you had on the bed. The prints add great interest to that side. Pretty neat that map is hand painted - nice job! What are the 3 objects at right side of map? I see a padlock on bottom but can’t make out the top & middle pieces.

Your partner did a great job! I think KW PNW's idea of a lamp will balance things out and provide light.

Apologies regarding the map then. Anything with sentimental value stays!

Been so helpful to have your input. Hopefully I can find the right green for the sofa and make a lively fresh space to enjoy when I return to work (from home) next month :)

@Alex Thomas I hope you’ll come back to show us your finished product. The marigold yellow really engergizes the space. And the new sunny art is perfection. I like the mossy new green of the green throw pillow at edge of daybed in your collage. A nice thing about the colors you’re using is they ’flow’ with the colors in room with the velvet green sofa. That makes it easy to swap things between rooms for an easy refresh.

@Alex Thomas -- I am looking forward to seeing what you do with this space too! Love the direction you're headed.

Thanks for the input. I ended up playing safe with navy and a tumeric yellow as new art was a bit $$. This allowed me to repurpose an existing duvet cover and move some blue pillows from downstairs up here. Under $100 and it feels fresh. Now I am playing around with spring green in our main living space.

I love the way the dark pillows tie in with the map! The bright blue and yellow are such happy colors. Well done!