Good Questions: Raising a Futon? Los Angeles

Good Questions: Raising a Futon?
Los Angeles

Dear Apartment Therapy, I have an older, standard IKEA futon that I use for a bed and it sits very low to the ground. It doesn't provide me with a lot of storage space underneath, which is crucial in my little studio's bed nook, and it feels awfully strange way down there while my ceilings are vaulted. Is there a way for me to safely raise my bed? Since the futon doesn't have four distinct "feet" but rather three long boards that split and fold down the middle to accommodate "sofa-mode," I'm worried that most bed riser options will cause me to be literally swallowed by a collapsing bed during the night! Does any other futon owners have any ideas or experience with raising their futon higher? Thanks for any advice, Beth

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Beth, the only bit of information we could find about someone trying to raise their futon for more storage mentioned a possibly precarious solution of using Rackraisers, resulting in 20-25 additional inches off the ground. This would likely require a flat and stable platform, but we neither know if this would work or would result in a safe setup. It sure wouldn't look all that nice from our perspective.

A more aesthetic solution would be something like David's DIY Platform Bed With Storage. One comment in the thread throws out the idea of using IKEA LACK shelves as a base for a similar effect without all the hard work; just drill a few holes for ventilation and you've got an affordable futon base with storage underneath!

Comments (2)

I've never done this myself, but ... to be on the safe side I'd want to make a sturdy wooden frame, but I'm having trouble getting a mental picture of what the underside of the futon looks like.

When the futon is folded out as a bed are there 3 long rungs (like the one along the front) on the floor as "legs"? Could you nail together some lengths of 4 X 4 (fence post) to make four cross beams a foot or so high? I'm thinking you could have grooves cut into the top 4 X 4 that the three existing "legs" could slot into for stability. When the futon is in couch mode you could have all four cross beams in a row, but you could stagger them for bed mode.

Sorry, I hope this makes some sense - I could draw it easily enough. I'm hoping that when the futon is in bed mode that the three "legs" are equal distances apart.

posted by catspajamas on April 22nd 2009 at 8:58pm
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I'd also just look into a new futon frame, they come in many styles some are wooden, some metal that are more or less sofa height when folded up. I have a basic black metal frame that my futon mattres sits on and I bought it when I bought the futon and it's been a good purchase when I got it in 1996.

One caveat is some of these frames can only accomodate a full size mattress, others can accomodate a queen and I'm sure there are various options for twins and I"m assuming yours is a full.

I know the frame you show and essentially 3 long sections of boards on vertical w/ bolts for hinges and horizontal slats nailed to the rails and what Gregory suggested, 2 LACK bookcases would probably do the trick and find a way to secure the bed so it doesn't slide off.

Otherwise, a sofa/bed frame of standard height and get storage boxes that are designed for putting under the bed.

posted by ciddyguy on April 23rd 2009 at 10:27am
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