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I think you'd need to get some sort of wedge shaped foam back cusion made to make this truly comfortable to sit upright on.

I had a day-bed in college and again as a temporary couch a few years back. As a sofa and the *only* way it works, IMO, is to boster the back with two to four king-size pillow, OR one to two body pillows, depending on how deep you want the support. And then a bunch of throw pillows for that "adjustable" fit.

For me, sofas need to provide good back support and I want to be able to put my feet on the floor while leaning back, so the daybed option does not make a good 'everyday' sofa for me.

I have the interlocking squares daybed from West Elm. At first I thought it was "too recognizable" as something from West Elm/a chain store, but then I got over that feeling pretty quickly.

It's in my den/guest room which also happens to be the TV room, so we watch TV on that daybed all the time. It's still comfortable after two years, and perfect for things like watching TV when you're home sick or taking an afternoon nap.

Oh yeah, and guests love it, too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonwaynewong/2348128705/in/set-72157604178777454/

I'm planning on doing the exact same thing w the exact same daybed (except i will do "things" to it to disguise it). I went into the local west elm and lounged on the store model, the squares one. They had it tricked out w tons of bolsters (such as at the armrest area -- very nice) and thick pillows for back support. I say it's gonna work just fine! Don't you wanna recline when lounging on a sofa anyway? Personally, I like to sit cross-legged so the extra space is perfect for me.

good luck.

Yeah, most people tend to sit cross-legged on the daybed, but I also have tons of pillows on it for "regular" use.

Its gorgeous looking, but I can't see it being comfortable with such a low back. You could add some big bolster cushions or, as someone mentioned, a wedge-shaped cushion back, but I think the wedge would need to be higher than the back of the daybed for comfort and that would ruin the look of it.

The back's not actually that low, but you do need big pillows, otherwise you're leaning up against the wood--and THAT'S not comfortable!

You need to load it up w/ pillows to make it comfy - they're not showing it that way in the catalog/website because it would obscure the daybed itself which is what they're trying to sell.

We have an interlocking squares daybed as a sofa right now and are replacing it with a "real" sofa. Even with tons of pillows, I find it uncomfortable to use as a sofa. I can't get the back support I like and I also like to be able to put my feet on the floor.

It was fine when we lived in a big house and didn't actually use our living room that much. Now, we live in a small condo and actually live in our living room.

On the plus side, with a good mattress, it's actually pretty comfortable to sleep on.

use bolsters and euro pillows (26" sq. - 30" sq.)

see this use of the same bed as a couch: http://flickr.com/photos/63122153@N00/2487444743/

We have the interlocking squares WE daybed too and it's not comfortable as the main seating area in our living room.
It's too deep and I haven't been able to get the pillow configuration right...but it's pretty.

If you want to get a daybed you need to get an oldschool one that is 31-32 inches deep the West Elm is too wide to sit on comfortably. That depth allows the daybed to be comfortable as a couch. Often you can find these older slimmer daybeds on Craigslist.

The daybeds are generally set up to handle a twin-size mattress. The mattress itself is comfortable for your bottom. That's the good news.

But as everyone else has said, the mattress is TOO WIDE to sit on and have your legs on the floor.

Here's a picture of a couple kids on a sofa:
http://imagebank.ipcmedia.com/imageBank/cache/i/IHBemz-1.jpg

See that little one? See the legs sticking straight out? That's exactly the effect sitting way back on a daybed will have.

Short of buying cubes..., sort of like this:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60109318

...To line the back of the daybed, it will NOT be comfortable to sit upright on.

It is great to sprawl on. But that's by myself. There's only so much sprawling one can do if other people want to sit down. Although, the sprawling person could be put to use as the backrest. ;)

Of course it works...I used an antique iron crib for years as my sofa...You are only limited by your imagination.

I used to have a daybed and I spent so much time lying on it that I stopped sleeping in my bedroom. Once I broke the cycle and replaced it with a sofa, my apartment felt twice as big! Good move.

It's a hard look to pull off and not look like you have a bed in the LR. But I'm betting it could be done if you really put your head into it. As for comfort, many are willing to sacrifice that for the right look.

It'll be fine until Grandma and Grandpa come over to visit. You'd better have an alternative for them to sit on. Once they sit on this you'll have to help them get to their feet again.

I love the way it looks but it doesn't look very comfortable even with a pillow on my back.

In "Jeremy's Jamaica Plain Gem" house tour there were several West Elm day beds used as sofas and they look fabulous. It was mentioned however that the legs were shortened and you can see the use of copious pillows on the backs as well. I think it looks cozy.

Oooops KYLES Jamaica Plain Gem! Sorry Kyle!

Go for it, just add pillows. In college I used patio furniture indoors, then just "cleverly" disguised it.

Many years ago I used a daybed as a sofa and after that experience I wouldn't do so again. I found that even with lots of back pillows, the tendency was to slouch and shift towards the forward edge. Consequently, the mattress cover seemed to always shift forward and bunch up.

I found myself always adjusting the cover and tightening it.

i'd go for it. i was always wishing our sofa was deeper so me and the bf could both lay on it while watching tv. for that reason i'm totally into the really deep sofa PB used to sell (maybe still does?). presumably you will also have side chairs, so if a guest has a problem with the deep sofa, they can sit in the chairs. me, i'll sit cross-legged at your house and complement you on your stylin' wood sofa.

The idea of shortening the legs makes it more inviting to sprawl on -- IMO. Also takes up less visual space.

I have a twin size daybed which I use as a bed/sofa in my livingroom. I had purchased those supports for under the mattress so it doesn't press into the link spring so much and then used sofa seat cushions as back pillows so you don't have to be so far back on it when seated. Cut the cushions to match the size durable (decorative) pillow case cover you want ( I bought king size-denim) and then I had good back support as a sofa.