Honestly.. if you're handy.. Ana-White.com.. and build to custom fit. Make a Twin bed with a back for half the length of the mattress to support bolster pillows along with head board and use a normal twin mattress.
I'm building two twins for my spare room, using a plan I customized from her site.
Pocket screws are awesome.
I'd not be doing upholstery, but then that's maybe cos I'm not real good at it. You can get a professionally done slip cover for mattress and bolsters for way less than a sofa.

i think its fine against the wall. gives a place to add some colorful accent pillows maybe.

Usually, this sort of sofa looks best when floated away from a wall. Have you looked at the apartment size Petrie from Crate and Barrell? When the back cushions are removed it is as wide as a twin bed. And I'm sure there are other sofas just the same. I guess I don't get how the backless or open portion will better serve your overnight guests.

Hmm, well I would think it depends on why you want the chaise? Is it because you can't find what you want in a sofa? Because you're really in love with that specific couch? Are you concerned about the length of a couch fitting a person lying down? I say if you like the chaise, go for it, but that's mainly because I'm not sure what your hang-up is...

The biggest downside to most chaises is that you have to decide if you want the arm on the left or the right...and what works in one apartment may not work in another. Try a company like Gus Modern that has a chaise that can be adjusted from one side to the other.

And if you are going to use it as a crash pad - consider down wrapped cushions!

I think it's a fine idea. A chaise has the back and arm for one person to lounge on and leaves the other end open to the rest of the room. A super small apartment with difficult to navigate hall and doorways can sometimes benefit from a piece that is abreviated like a chaise. I would agree about floating a chaise if it were a curvy style but this tailored style up against a wall doesn't bother me.

As far as accomodating someone sleeping, it's about length. A too short couch has an arm in the way, with a chaise feet hang off the end.

I like it! I also have a very old, tiny apartment, and that seems like a really good solution.

It looks lighter(?) than a full couch. And I can't imagine it'd be any worse to sleep on?
Go for it.

I think a chaise looks best when floating in a room. Just a chaise might make the room a little unfinished. I'd probably choose a petite counch that has a fold out or built in bed option instead. You really really can't sleep on a bed that is too short. You'd be better on an aero.

You're better off with a sofa

Sitting on one right now while housesitting... I like it!

go for it. or alternately consider a sleeper sofa. i have this one in my studio:

http://products.jenniferfurniture.com/softee-sleeper-11.html

the footprint is small, it's comfortable and the bed is a full-size. i almost always fall asleep on it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63122153@N00/5562483284/in/set-72157623185972361

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63122153@N00/3771113118/in/set-72157623185972361

I don't know that I'm seeing the point of a chaise if it will be against the back of the wall anyway...? I mean it's a cute look for your purposes in other ways but if it's just going to be against a wall just like a couch I'm not sure I like the idea. If you're liking the lightness/openness of it, I feel like there are small scale low-arm options out there that would work and not feel as odd placed against a wall. Now if you could float it, I'd say do it!

The only downside/upside is when you bring men over you have to cuddle... no one likes sitting on the end with no back.

indulge yourself - whatever your heart desires - enjoy - a chaise will never go out of style - it used to be in style before the French revolution - we think we reinvented it but we only brought it back in style

This is Jamie, the asker of the question :) Thanks so much for your input! I guess what I didn't make clear was that I love *a particular fainting couch* aesthetically, plus it's comfortable, in my price range, and most importantly, it's deep enough that I can have my legs and feet up on the cushion while facing forward (in other words, no need to lay down and turn my head towards the TV and no need to buy an ottoman to put my feet up). I have no doubt that if I had a house full of furniture and/or a big room to float the couch in, that it would be my favorite piece of furniture, but given the set up of the apartment and my lack of other seating options, I'm afraid of how it's going to look in the room.

I have a chaise as my main sofa (Kramfors - actually two) and they are just fine. Most visitors prefer the solid firm mattress of the chaise for over night stays.
I currently have them arranged like a sectional floating in the room (which is a little weird I admit). It does kind of feel like I have a portion of the back of one missing.

this is the couch i have (cheap from rooms 2 go.. it's cindy crawford
) http://s7ondemand5.scene7.com/is/image/roomstogo/lr_sec_10162636_brookville?$ItemSmall_150x150$

it's perfect for my small apt... it has the sectional and couch and is sort of small..... the chaise can be easily moved to either side to fit your room. my friends sleep on it quite a bit and say it's comfortable.

You don't provide enough context to give you with a good answer for your space. That issue aside, I think athis is great way to achieve full-size seating with a visually heavy piece of furniture. You've got yourself a loveseat with an attached ottoman. I love the way room and board styles it, just like a sofa.

IMO, the hutton chaise actually offers a pretty deep at 26" -- just over two feet-- and if the back cushions are removeable you may get about 32". That's just 4" shy of a twin bed. Perfect for an overnight guest.

I have R&B's Loring sofa, and several other upholstered pieces from their 2008 collection. Everythign has worn exceptionally well -- I'm so glad I made the investment.

Jamie,
If you consider this an investment piece, try to find one that is reversable. I have had 2 chaises and loved them both, but my current one will not work in my livingroom, only in my library, because it is left handed.

There are a few reversable chaise units on the market, they are sectionals with base pieces that are an armless center, and right end with arm and a left end with arm and an ottoman, then the cushion for the chaise part is one large cushion that goes over the right or left handed end and the ottoman. Hard to describe. Usually the pieces are attached to each other with a ganging bracket so they operate as one piece once assembled.

But believe me, if you leave your current one bedroom, and you love your chaise, someday you will likely wish you could change the hand.

Go with what you love. The items in your home should be things you enjoy using and looking at every day. It sounds like the dimensions suit your needs and you like the style.

A chaise against a wall in a small living room will help open the room, especially like the style shown, with a slim silhouette and legs. An argument could be made for a sofa sleeper, but you'd lose most of the empty space under the sofa, which would take up more visual space even if it had the same footprint. You can make the chaise look intentional by placing art on the wall behind the chaise in a way that anchors it and makes that wall the focal point of the room. This could also be done with wallpaper or wall decals or just paint. Anyway that suits your style, the chaise can become the focal piece in a very small living room. And if you ever move into a bigger place, it will switch from being the focal point you loved in the small apartment to the accent piece you love in the bigger apartment.

Additional guest seating could be brought in when needed, in the form of a comfortable dining chair or two, if you have any kind of dining/kitchen seating area.

You fell in love with one, get it :). It's obvious you've thought about it enough and if you get a sofa you'll always think "darn, I wonder if I would have like the chaise better". You'll probably be in current place long enough to get good use of it.

I'd love to know what the actual couch is. I like that R&B one (above) a lot.

The main issue I see is that when company does come you will have to sit fairly close beside each other, if you do not have other seating options. It is probably not a big deal, but I usually space out from others a little on a couch when given a choice. Can't imagine someone choosing to set on the end with no back too often.

We have Crate & Barrel's Simone Daybed (http://www.crateandbarrel.com/furniture/daybeds-chaises/simone-daybed/s165843) and I LOVE it. It is more comfortable than our couch. Part of the reason I like it is because we can push it up against the wall and turn the cushions so they run along the back- it is much more "couch"-like that way. We have the microfiber fabric and it is pretty easy to care for. Try looking for a chaise that can be multifunctional. You'll get more use out of it and can adapt it to different spaces over the years.

I say go for it! I bought a chaise when I was single and I LOVE IT! Nowadays I use it like someone would use their own sofa chair and I know that if I hadn't bought it then, I would've been less likely to do so later. Multiple people can sit on it when there are guests, so it still serves the practical function that a sofa would. Also, small scale furniture in a small space will sometimes make a place look smaller, so a chaise seems like the best of both worlds.

If you're in love with it, get it. It sounds like you've already made up your mind, so I doubt you'll hate it! But if you do, you can always sell it.

It sounds fine to me. I like the way a sleeper can stick her feet out beyond the end that doesn't have an arm. I won't get a footboard because I like to sleep with my feet hanging beyond the foot of my bed.