Chair to Bed Conversion

Home Furniture

• You can purchase chairs that convert into beds for use in your home at conventional furniture stores, especially retailers that offer futons or pull-out sofas. Convertible chairs work much like their larger sofa counterparts. The back can be pushed down to lay parallel to the floor. The seat cushion comes off, and a mattress folds out of the base of the chair. When the bed is no longer needed, it folds back into the chair.

Specialized Furniture

• If a member of your household has undergone serious surgery or has mobility issues, a specially designed bed can be purchased through medical supply stores. The bed uses electronically controlled levers to raise the upper portion of the mattress, creating a chaise-lounge style chair for sitting. Other options include beds that both raise up at the top and lower at the bottom, going from flat to the classic shape of an armchair.

Advantages

• A standard chair that converts to a bed is easy to transform and takes little time to pull out or put away. It takes up less space in a small room than a pull-out sofa. Medical grade beds that convert to chairs reduce the risk of injury for patients by eliminating the need to twist and turn to get out of bed. They also reduce the risk that a caretaker will be hurt trying to lift a person out of bed.

Considerations

• After conversion, a chair that becomes a bed is about the width of a twin mattress. The bed might feel small to those used to a full or queen size, and the chair takes up more space than a standard chair. Because they contain electronics and must be specially ordered, medical-grade bed to chair converters can be expensive.