apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

weird.

I'd keep my indentured-servant in that cupboard.

Sorry, it's still weird.

It's actually not so bad. It'd be a nice built-in for a child's room. Does the bed flip down, or is this just a cot with an air mattress?

I think it's clever. A bit weird, but clever. And pretty stylish, too. Gives new meaning to "first one up makes the coffee!"

Also love the multi-colored tile backsplash.

Who cares if it's weird? For a small house, it just makes sense rather than adding on an entire guestroom...

...and I agree that it's also a good idea for a place where a family member who is ill, aged or impaired can be comfortable and rest while still being among the family for supervision and companionship.

Nothing new under the sun - my grandmother's maid slept in the kitchen, too.

Oh, and it's great to see the return of kitchen tables and chairs after all those bars and unstable high stools that wouldn't let you put your feet on the ground. Now we just have to stop tripping over useless kitchen islands.

when someone takes a small space and gets creative with it, it's not weird, it's great, and sadly missing in our mcmansion society where not only does every member of the family have their own bedroom, but also their own day suite and bathroom and most likely garage. hurray for these folks!

Haha - these comments are hilarious. I was more amused by the way the sunlight streams in on your sleeping guest at sun-up. And as for creative ideas for small space, this beautiful kitchen give no hint of "small space". I think I'll modify my real small space, and roll a tatami mat right out from under the sink for my guests. ;-)

Oh, that's not weird at all. I was going to guess that it somehow popped out of the black island.

I thought the same thing sally305, though I think it's pretty creative either way. I don't think it's weird either. I think it's nice to see them use their space to its full potential (even if it isn't necessarily conventional for a bed to be there.)

I think it's great- and even better because they are planning for when they get older.

I see so many people getting two story homes that have no bedrooms on the first floor- my Grandparents ended up sleeping in the dining room when they got older and couldn't easily get up and down the stairs, and their care giver slept in their old room.

First off, the room is lovely! So kudos for the design and execution. And I'm all for great solutions in small places and for planning when older. That being said...while I'm sure it works for them, it just doesn't work for me. Plus, like some other posters said above, this place doesn't seem to scream "small." Not for nothing, but that kitchen is almost the size of my entire apartment and I manage to have a second bedroom. Having been a caregiver (a nanny, but a caregiver nonetheless), if I were going to live in the house, I would want to have somewhere a little more private. I'll never be convinced that the only place someone's going to need help is when they're in the kitchen and so that's a good place for the caregiver to sleep. Maybe I'm misunderstanding and it's only for the occasional overnight. Even so, I would want a lamp, a place to put a book, perhaps a location for a change of clothes. It just seems such a communal room that it would make me uncomfortable if I were still asleep (likely since there's nowhere for an alarm clock!). Actually -- if you had told me it was for the occasional overnight grandchild or occasional guest, it would have bothered me less.

Not weird. Excellent, in fact.

Was the bed supposed to be the focus of the original article? Because the first two shots seem to have been careful framed to exclude the section of wall where the bed is, and it would have been nice to have seen a shot of it put away as well too. Having a bed in the kitchen is surprising, but even more so when there's no way to figure it out until the reveal!

I'm with MKQ, the lack of privacy is an issue if this is supposed to be a long-term live-in arrangement. And the fact that it's right next to a glass exterior door? Even more uncomfortable. This is bringing back memories of my uber-tiny college apartment (a very small two-car garage converted to a duplex), where I slept in the kitchen/living room listening to the refrigerator hum all night. No, thanks. It wasn't fun when it was MY kitchen, much less somebody else's.

@matchbookhymnal -- I believe this is intended for someone who has his/her own home, but is just spending the night to make sure the residents don't need help. So I don't think there's any particular privacy issue.

I've always wanted a day bed in the kitchen - somewhere to toss a few cushions and read a book - so I wouldn't keep it in a cupboard. And I am not sure I would want to stay in the kitchen permanently... overnight help is one thing but when you are old and frail, and that is their intention, they may need someone a bit more than the odd overnighter.

Great! I like emergency accommodations that are there for when you need them, but don't encourage extended family to think of your home as a free B&B!!

Bed in kitchen = weird. This is a horizontal Murphy Bed. They couldn't have put it in the living room or dining room? We have a Murphy in our toyroom that converts if we have overnight guests.

My very independent 85 year old neighbour has done something similar as she can no longer climb her stairs. Most elderly people want to stay in their own homes as long as possible.

Good luck finding an overnight caregiver who's going to want to sleep in the kitchen. Just a bad idea.

It is weird BUT as someone who has worke as a caregiver, I would rather sleep on a bed then a lumpy old sofa

LMAO @Shirley-Temple-of-Doom (#2)!!

I like the concept, even if it were just for ordinary guests and not only an overnight caregiver. I do think, however, privacy and a place for guests to stow things would need to be ensured. If there were a cabinet where a guest could put a suitcase or luggage, (say, in the cabinets above the bed) and if there were closable window treatments for that large glass door by the bed, it might not be so bad.

I think it's great, and I applaud their long-term thinking regarding being able to "age in place" (an increasingly common but icky term). It's difficult enough to face illness or disability without having to leave home, too.

In my own experience as a caretaker, it's useful to be near the kitchen because often you're up periodically through the night to give medications, offer a cup of tea, a hot water bottle, etc.

And in my own experience as a guest who's an early riser, how awesome to be in the kitchen! I could get up, make tea--perhaps even breakfast for everyone else in the house--without disturbing anyone. Wouldn't work for everyone, of course.

Does this mean this couple doesn't have a living area where they could put a foldaway single bed/ottoman? How they worked out fitting a bed in the kitchen was clever. How they thought that a caregiver deserves such an unbedroom, public place, unfeeling.

Wouldn't the bed linens pick up the smells of cooking?

LOL! I got distracted when I came to this page. I thought "who cares where the bed is ... I love this kitchen". Love those steel chairs, outdoor table & chair set outdoors, backsplash, cabinets, windows, views, etc. {siiiiiiiigh}

Now ... back to the bed ... clever innovation; but, I wouldn't spend money or space to put that in a kitchen. There is wonderful furniture available that is just as comfortable as a bed ... a more practical & cozy choice because it could be incorporated into the family/living room area. For instance, I would rather spend that money on a sharp daybed decorated like a sofa but with a great mattress & or an Arhaus chair-&-a-half w/ ottoman. This way it will a more worthwhile investment since it would be used more outside of the kitchen.