Are you single? Could you sleep on a day bed in the den while your parents sleep in your room? Not ideal, I know, but it might be the easiest way of solving the problem.

Five feet is 60 inches. The standard double/full mattress is 54 inches. That leaves you just six inches once the bed is in the room.

I'd consider a double size air mattress. That way, there'd be no bed frame to take up precious inches of space.

Or perhaps your parents could sleep in the living room, and use the den for getting dressed, quiet time, etc.

I just scored a great queen pull out couch on craigslist with a sealy mattress for $100. Would you consider changing your sofa to a sleeper? An air mattress is a quick solution if you don't have anything else in the room right now - that way it could be deflated and folded so that your parents would have room to get dressed after getting out of bed. Good luck!

Yep, although not ideal, I would definitely give the parents your bedroom. We've done that before when my in-laws came to stay and watch our son while we had to go to the hospital early next morning to have a baby. It was just easier than having to find a bed on such short notice. Air mattress is okay if they are able to sleep on it. I know there are good ones that are almost bed height.

maybe stack mattresses on the ground if you don't want to buy extra furniture.
Use pillows, bolsters to deck it up. Give your parents your room?

What is the scale of the dresser/pillar wall? If you have 4' there, and the dresser isn't under a window, you could fit a 4' wall bed. It's still going to be horribly tight, but usable for occasional guests, and you could have a desk in there the rest of the time which folds flat and slides under the bed. If that's the window wall, which I suspect it is, you obviously can't do that and I think a good quality inflatable bed, stored in a nice ottoman (which could act as a bedside table / guests storage), is the only way.

What about a full bed where the dresser is and use the dresser at the foot of the bed? The Ikea full options are about 60" wide.
Whichever option you choose, I'm sure your parents and other guests will appreciate the care and planning you are putting into their stay. Enjoy the visit :)

I agree with other posters who say to give your parents your bedroom. It's what I had to do when my parents visited.

My friends have a similar situation--trying to fit sleeping quarters into their office. They ended up going with the Solsta sofa bed from Ikea so that it can be tucked up when not in use. I didn't double check the measurements, but it might work.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70087108/

I have to agree with other commenters though. When my parents come, I sleep on the couch and let them have my room.

Because of the pillar, It looks suspiciously like any double bed in that room would mean you wouldn't also be able to open the door (unless the door opens outwards) so you may have to give up on the idea of it being a double guestroom.

How old are your parents? If they are still spry, I would fill the whole room with a full bed! And use shelves for storage. And maybe a fold-down rack and the end for luggage. I would rather have a giant comfortable bed to sleep on and have to crawl in from the foot of the bed than a less comfortable bed I can walk around.

Give your parents your bed, or use Priceline to find a great deal on a local hotel. Depending on where you live you may be able to get an awesome deal on a room for them. Not ideal, but it's another option.

I've slept on an air mattress for weeks at a time at a couple points in my life - they're surprisingly cozy and if your guests don't have, say, back problems or something where they need a real mattress, it should work out fine. The only problem would be since the room is so tiny, you'd be clearing *everything* out of it every time someone came over.

How high are the ceilings? If they're super high I'd get a carpenter to build a loft bed that you (and your partner if you have one) use when guests are in town. You'd need to go to a bit of care to make sure you have all the things you need from your real room, but...
Or could you use a normal day bed with a pop up bed underneath and stagger them so there's still some room to get in the door?
I think we need pictures and more of a clue about the people who will be using this room! Would they be able to share a 4ft double? Can they climb into a bed from the end?

The only problem with an air bed (which can be great) in this situation is it is hard to make them and have the sheets stay put, but would be doubly hard when there is no room to walk around the bed. I would probably get a nice double futon and put it up against the pillar wall (perhaps filling in the wall space not flush with the pillar - with cushions, a simple shelf, etc. to serve as a head board) and then get a tall and narrow dresser or armoire for the small piece of wall next to the door. A futon will also allow your parents to push up the bed out of way when not in use.

A couple possibilities, with varying prices and probably varying degrees of comfort:
http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/saintmartinfauxleatherconvertiblesofawithpillowsblack.cfm
http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/doreldoublesleeperchairbrown.cfm
http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/emeraldottomanhideawaysleeperdarkbrown.cfm

And if the room happens to be a few inches over 5-feet, this could work:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59874472/

In one of the apartments I used to live in the air mattress was just small enough to fill the living room, but you couldn't walk around it. It was like a sleepover you had when you were a kid, trying to pick the empty spots in the floor to put your foot down and trying to avoid stepping on someone. Great when you're young or spry, but not so great if you're say, a person of larger size, or are not as able to maneuver.

If your parents aren't too tall, you could also get two of these (and still have a foot of walking space between the two beds!) Even though they are tiny, sleeping on your own too-small mattress might be better than sharing a too-small mattress.

http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/microsuedeteenchair.cfm

Or two of these which are longer?
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Smooff-Lounge-Cushy/5305803/product.html

1) Don't buy a pull out couch - EVER. Have you ever slept on one that didn't suck? Plus they are too heavy to move and come in just generic style options. Do yourself a favor and skip it.

2) If you parents are younger and/or in good health, get an air matress or day bed. Who cares if it takes up the whole room. It's a guess room, so presumably it doesn't need to be used all the time.

3) If your parents are older and/or not in good health, let them have your room. I would still recommend an air matress or day bed. A futon might work too.

For decor if you do a bed that takes up all of the room, you could do Morocco themed room. That would make it exciting and hide the "cozy" aka small factor well.

Brimnes daybed Product dimensions
Length: 76 3/4 "
Width: 40 1/2 "
- this should fit along the back wall where the dresser currently is. If the pillar is so large that you don't have space to put the daybed right up against the wall, go ahead and overlap with the column a bit and then install wall shelves to fill in the gap between the wall and daybed. I'd get rid of the dresser and put a very narrow table - maybe something like this http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80221352/ - along the long wall to serve as a desk when the bed is not in use and a night table when it is.

Yes to @minilauren on many good points!

Make the most of the small space by using cushions instead of traditional furniture. Perhaps drape a wall/ceiling with a beautiful tapestry, rug, or sheer curtain to create that a small, yet, inviting soft room.

I would go with using a futon mattress without the frame and laying on the floor. I saw this on overstock and it might be a good fit and price:
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Full-size-10-inch-Futon-Mattress/5408353/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}

It's much better than sleeping on a fold-away bed of any kind and plus you can roll it up as a decorative "pillar" or make a pseudo floor couch by bending it in half against the wall with a few cute throw pillows.

Either way - it's alway a bonus to have a spare room. Good Luck!!!

Not sure about the air mattress idea - you'll either have to leave the room empty or find a place to stow the room's couch when they're in town.

If it were me (and assuming your parents aren't larger people), I would go with this: http://www.cb2.com/flex-orange-sleeper-sofa/f5680

It unfolds to a double bed of just over 4 feet wide (tight, but doable... my 6' husband and I tried it), so they'd still have a little room on either side. And it snaps easily into a tidy, cute sofa that you can just leave in the room.

If you go that route, I'd also get a high-quality, double-bed, pillow-top mattress cover to make sleeping a bit more comfortable for them.

(By the way - to @minilauren - we have a Room & Board sleeper sofa in our back house that feels like a normal bed thanks to the air mattress topper. Sleeper sofas have come a long way in the past several years.)

(@Slangevar Good! Tell my BF's parents to get one. I still think most sleeper sofas are ugly though, even without the comfort factor of the sleeper part)

Hammocks ?
There would be some advantages to a traditional twin day bed with a trundle underneath. Some trundles pop up to the same height as the day bed. Not sure if that would fit. Maybe if the trundle was tucked under the bed a bit ? I was just thinking that it would be easier to move around the room if the bed was smaller.
Size wise .... you need a bunk bed.

cb2 has a great option that might work. We bought one for our den space that's about the same size. It's called Lubi and is very versatile. May not leave you with room for a dresser, but it hasn't been an issue for us. It's easy to fold down and is quite comfortable as a single bed. My mum is coming out to Vancouver from Toronto tomorrow and will be sleeping on it. This is her third visit and she loves the bed!

In response to the many comments on sofa beds I would say: although sofa beds have a come a long way, you have to pay a lot of money for a good one & it seems you are looking for an economical solution. Also if your parents are staying for more than two days, even the most comfortable & expensive sofa bed can become difficult to sleep on. I have spent a week on a very expensive, brand new sofa bed & by the third night I was starting to feel the supportive bars of the bed.
Offering your room to your parents & making the den up to be your temporary room seems like the best solution (at least with the information provided). You could go the roll away mattress route & purchase one to two futon mattress that could easily be rolled up & placed against the wall w/ pillows or stack two twin mattresses or mattress/boxspring up like a day bed with cover & pillows. The futon route would make it easier to transition your den back to the way you usually use it & the stacked twin mattress look could be used as a sofa in your small den, if you con't already have one.
Here is a link to a queen size futon mattress on overstock.com - http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Premier-Queen-Cotton-Foam-8-inch-Futon-Mattress/4231851/product.html

A picture of a living room with stacked mattresses as sofa - http://innerpacific.com/?p=1984

I always offered my bedroom to my parents and they always refused instead opting to sleep on an aerobed. They said it was super comfortable. I slept on it for 2 weeks while waiting for my bed to be delivered to my new apartment and loved it too. My parents are now hitting 70 and although they said they are fine with an aerobed I just don't have the heart to see them getting up and down from the floor. I just moved into a new rental house with enough space for a guest room and bought a bed for it. But up until now, the aerobed was a great option.

9'x5' is in fact the typical bedroom size of a Hong Kong apartment.

Most people in Hong Kong access their wardrobe from the bed. No side tables, some use the windowsill for stuff. You get off the bed from the bed end. You can't even see the floor except for the area where you swing the door in.

As previous comments, a full-size bed would pretty much fill the room's width entirely. So you have to consider where they would get off the bed and get out of the room. Since it is temporary, I suggest getting rid of the dresser and use wall shelves and hooks to save footprint in the room. Push the bed towards the pillar side. i.e. 12" for shelves and luggage. 75" for bed. It will leave you with 21" to get off the bed.

Instead of daybed, I'd use a murphy bed. This site offers a design in which you can build one from Ikea parts. Very stylish! http://www.moddidaypeople.com/murphy_bed_wall_bed/murphy_bed.html

The perfect solution is to have your parents stay at a near-by hotel or move to a larger apartment.

Why not make it like this: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/joanns-persimmon-heaven-room-room-for-color-contest-178845

AirBnB. Can't recommend it enough. There's no law that says your parents have to stay in your apartment, when presumably they could find a deal on a nice place to stay in proximity to your small place.

AirBnB. Can't recommend it enough. There's no law that says your parents have to stay in your apartment, when presumably they could find a deal on a nice place to stay in proximity to your small place.

Assuming you're determined to give them this room/they won't want to AirBnB it/you don't have a full bed either:

You could get a beddinge sofa bed instead. Even with the most expensive mattress option, it's cheaper than the hemnes frame without mattresses. And I've always found them comfortable. And it's not too clunky and is easy to put away. At 56" for the bed width putting it back up miiiight get a little tricky, but I think your parents would be able to get out of the room in the meantime. It's not amazingly attractive, but it's quite practical, so....

I have a teeny guest room that houses a twin-sized futon and my desk. When my parents have stayed over, I've taken over the guest room and given them my room.

I bought this futon in college, and it's been a great investment. While she's not the prettiest girl at the ball, it was cheap and it's been extremely durable and comfortable (very springy wooden slats support the cushion).

This is similar to the cb2 flex sofa but a third the price. They are on the narrow side when flat, but it would fit.
http://www.hayneedle.com/sale/inroomdesignsklikklakconvertiblesofarusticbrown.cfm

Appreciate all the ideas and the feedback guys! I think i will go with the mattress stacking idea rather than any kind of Daybed. I am thinking of getting good mattresses with comfy toppers rather than hunting any more for a good Day bed.

Thanks! I totally agree with you and am going to go for the mattress stacking idea you have suggested. Appreciate your help!

I am 59+ and have been sleeping on an air mattress bed for about 5 years. It's been wonderful for my back and hips because I can adjust the firmness so easily. The air doesn't get warm like a regular mattress so if you use one, you need a couple layers on it before the sheet. They come with a fleece cover but it won't be enough. I finally bought a wool mattress pad. I just spread a flat flannel sheet over it, I don't make the bed. The flannel doesn't bunch up and the extra layer of warmth helps.
On the major plus side, you will always be cool and comfy on the hottest nights of summer!

How about 2 convertible ottomans? Or if not maybe a wide convertible ottoman. Castro convertibles has 2 sizes - twin and extra wide twin. BoConcept has cot sized ones. I know of someone who has the Castro convertible 39" ottoman and they're really happy with it as it felt like a real bed.

ikea has this, which may work:
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S49903192/

I'd recommend relocating the dresser and replacing it with something smaller. The ottoman in the link could work if you staggered them - butting one up against the end wall and the other against the doorway wall. That would limit the amount of jumping space needed to get into each bed.
http://www.solutions.com/jump.jsp?itemID=14963&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C4%2C28%2C183&iProductID=14963

Opt for a simple solution: an ottoman bed! It is perfect for small spaces! This functional piece of furniture offered by Bo Concept serves as an attractive ottoman by day, a sleeper by night. Simple remove the custom cover (loads of fabric options available or make your own), fold it out and snooze away. Always give your guests your bed, parents or otherwise ---- it's the most generous move a host can make.

Many years ago, I lived in a tiny London flat. When my parents visited, I slept on an air mattress and let them have my double bed. Worked out well. If you don't live alone and have someone else to consider, of course this would not work.