The Twilight Sleep Sofa from Design Within Reach shows up fairly regularly in our Scavenger posts and is a popular solution for Apartment Therapy readers furnishing a modern space. Designed for occasional use as a sleeper, Twilight has a bare-bones design — a minimal platform, 2 stacked cushions and a large adjustable bolster.
As a small armless sofa, Twilight Sleep Sofa is ok — the seat is comfy and firm but the lack of arms and the low bolster is not ideal for long-term lounging. But as an occasional sleeper, this design gets rave reviews as it is surprisingly comfortable.
With the options of using Twilight as a sofa, twin bed or queen-ish bed (a bit larger than a queen and a tad smaller than a king), versatility is key in this design. And while it may not be the best primary sofa, Twilight is a great solution for a secondary seating arrangement that doubles as a sleeping area for guests — especially in an office, nursery or other small room.
The simple and straightforward design make the transition process fairly intuitive. Small wheels on the rear legs make it fairly easy to move around. Once one is comfortable with moving the bolster into one of its 3 positions, the change from sofa to bed is as easy as moving and positioning a twin mattress. It's not nearly as smooth as some of the high-design beds like the Mostra from Ligne Roset, but good for occasional use. Delightfully, the sofa base and cushion line up precisely for a tight fit and minimal gap.
Currently Twilight Sleep Sofa is available in 2 frame options, Black ($1,880) and Aluminum ($1,680) and there are 5 choices of slipcovers: Autumn (orange), Dark Grey, Grass, Light Blue (aluminum frame) and Black & White Herringbone (black frame). The slipcovers are removable and should be dry cleaned but replacement slipcovers can also be purchased from DWR for $500 - $700 (Black & White Herringbone).
DISTRIBUTOR DWR
PRICE $1,680 (aluminum frame) - $1,880 (black frame) (replacement slipcovers $500 - $700)
DESIGNER Flemming Busk
DIMENSIONS 29"H x 79"W x 34.75"D Seat & Twin Bed height 17'', Queen Bed height 8.5"
TRANSITION EASE B
See all of our Sofa Sleepers of the Week.
Aaron will be profiling a different sleeper every week. Is there one you're curious about? Let us know in the comments.
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These are used as seating in the Microsoft Digital Workshops aboard certain Holland America Line ships...
...uncomfortable as all get out.
(Why they chose these, I'll never figure out)
yes, they're really uncomfortable :-(
but one side is significantly thinner than the other..
My wife & I have this sofa.
As a sofa, I find it to be a little uncomfortable to sit on for a long time, mostly because I like a straighter, higher back and arms on my sofas. My wife (who is much smaller than I am) however really likes it. For me, it's a little soft.
However, it's incredibly comfortable to sleep on, either as a twin or converted to queen -- the top part is much firmer than the bottom (which has a thinner foam pad & springs) -- which works out for mismatched couples like us, when we need to sleep on it. It's also really easy to convert, and the covers can be dry cleaned (we have a dog).
I don't think we'd have paid full price for one of these -- we got lucky and found one still in plastic on Craigslist from a guy who's girlfriend vetoed the purchase.
I find it to be fairly comfortable, but like above, not for long periods of time. I shift around on it constantly while watching tv. I discovered, if you roll the bolster all the way back, it's perfect for watching movies because it's like sitting in bed. I find it difficult to get comfortable enough to sit and read anything other than a magazine.
It's perfect for a nap, and the few times I've spent the night on it have been restful.
I was lucky and found one in great condition at Housing Works for 20% of the original price (including delivery). For that price, I can't complain.....it would be a different story had I paid full retail.
Besides looking uncomfortable, it just makes me think of Wile E. Coyote sitting on it and somehow ending up flat as a pancake.
a friend has this sofa and as Scott T. says, it's uncomfortable for seating but really comfortable for sleeping--too comfortable evidently as a guest sleeping on it lengthened his from a 1 week to 1 month stay, pronouncing that this was the only sofa bed he's ever slept well in & more comfortable than his regular bed.
I now cringe with fear when I hear the name of this sofa. Damn your eyes, Stephanie Meyer.
I was considering this for the guest room, but since our most frequent houseguests are my husband's 70 year old parents, I didn't want to subject them to sleeping that low to the ground. For older people, trying to get up from such a low bed can be ungainly and painful.
The Brick in Canada had one model that was identical to the Twilight for half the price.
it sold out earlier this year and they don't know when they'll be able to get it in stock again. i wanted one for my guest room/office space.
DWR has one of the most worthless websites possible. It's as if they don't want my money.
That odd squares inside circles bookshelfish thing behind the couch in the photo above caught my eye, but I couldn't find it on their site.
Oh, how I do lust for their Sapien bookshelf though. DWR's prices put most of their stuff out of my reach, but certain items there can't be beat, style wise.
I like the lines of it. However, the idea of sleeping on the floor has never been appealing. The two mattresses together create a rather large sleep surface, however one half uses springs and the other solid foam (not good). The bolster in back is a bit awkward when used as a sofa, a bit stiff. Great lines though but not my first pick for a sofa or bed. I would suggest blu dot for their sleeper designs (mainly because they don't look like sleepers).