apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I haven't seen it in person, but the Havana sofa at Design Within Reach might work.

Would you consider (I cannot believe I'm suggesting this) a settee or some sort of upholstered bench with legs rather than the usual enclosed unusable space of a sofa? Just slide some attractive rectangular baskets or antique boxes, or if appropriate, more contemporary containers underneath - more accessible than having to remove cushions and disturb your sleeping guest.

Well, that space isn't exactly unusable--most of the space is springs and cushy stuff, right? I can't help but think that you'd sacrifice comfort for a few bits of storage. What about just putting a regular sofa on a platform, or raising it so you could put storage underneath?

Or you could try a daybed with a drawer trundle (like: daybed with trundle).

It may not be as comfortable as a sofa though...

Removing the metal frames and the matress from the inside of a sofa bed will give you an empty box you can fill for storage. Just put a piece of padded plywood or wood to cover the gap and place cushions over it.

Look at this:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/fur/130368328.html

This site seems to have quite a few from a brand called Sun: http://zfurniture.com/suin.html

Then there's this from Design Within Reach:http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=8600

You might also want to look into storage ottomans to maximize your use of space.
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=storage+ottoman

I found this one. It's beautiful, but pricey.

http://www.touchofginger.com/cat/view/pullman_sofa.html

The Havana sofa from DWR is genius. Not only does it house storage, it also converts from sofa to daybed.... a little pricey (approx $3000) but worth the investment for essentially 2 different functional pieces of furniture.

Havana at DWR: http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=8600

oops! just noticed arin beat me to it! sorry to dbl post...

thanks so much for the help everyone. the havana sofa is nice, however it is out of my size range as it's so long, a a little too pricy. i guess i'm just not satisfied with what i've found out there so far. There must be a well designed, affordable storage sofa out there, i just cant find it!

I can't help but agree that it's a sin to waste all that space. Especially after I saw Janny Scott's article in today's New York Times about the kids in Brooklyn who wedged a mattress at the top of a doorway and posted an ad on Craig's List to rent it out for 35 bucks as an "elevated mattress-sized space between rooms." (Someone should post that article to this site. If that's not "apartment therapy," I don't know what is.) I laughed my ass off so loud, my neighbor pounded on our adjoining wall to tell me to shuddup. (By the way: If anyone has any ideas about how to soundproof a concrete-walled apartment, I'm all ears.) But I digress.... What about checking out those ubiquitous futon furniture stores that are all over Manhattan? Or maybe a Japanese furniture store (if there is such a place). There have been several articles in recent years about the amazing space-saving that the Japanese employ in their tiny flats. Good luck.

I've had some experience with the homereserve sofas. They are bland-looking but entirely reasonable pices of furniture. The structure is quite well thought out -- they disassemble and reassemble quite easily but feel quite solid while they're together.

I've seen the Havana sofa at DWR and it is actually smaller than I expected and very low to the ground. For the price, not so much.

Surfing the web yielded this cheaper alternative: The Istikbal Sofa

The designs are a little funky, but there are some streamlined ones that you could probably slipcover.

Sorry - the hyperlink didn't seem to work. I've attached it to my name. In case that deosn't work here it is for cutting and pasting.

http://www.furnitureoutletwarehouse.com/sofa_beds.html

What about a daybed with storage drawers built in?

http://www.daybeds.com/daybeds/shop.cfm?OVKEY=daybed&kwid=daybed&OVMTC=standard&N=3+18&OVRAW=daybed&source=overture

not the prettiest but there are many in this genre. Pillows against the back and it's a couch.

An acquaintance of mine listed a sofa/sleeper with built-in storage underneath in AT Classifieds in mid-December, and it's still available. Beige ultrasuede, clean lines, hardly used. If you want to see images, he'll email them to you.

After a frustrating and time-consuming search, I gave in and bought a Home Reserve loveseat and ottoman last fall. For the price, I expected much less than the functional , and fairly sturdy, pieces of furniture that I received. Perhaps it was due to my low expectation but I am quite pleased with my Home Reserve purchase. It is true that they have only two sofa designs (and both of them seem a little old-fashioned and un-inspired) but they have a number of benefits: they were very inexpensive, they are shipped disassembled (which made it much easier to carry up the four flights of stairs to my apartment), they are very easy to disassemble (I am a student so I move A LOT), and they are surprisingly comfortable. Plus, they have a large selection of slipcovers for the furniture ...which are also cheap!

I know, I know, it is Ikea, but not only does it have storage...it folds out to a double bed.

Check out this day bed with storage drawers. you have the option of getting it with drawers or shelves. it doesnt look as clunky as some of the other sofas i've seen and it isn't that heavy on the wallet either.

http://www.eco-furniture.com/docs/living_ls_romeodaybed.html

RV Cole has a great solution and the owner Rudy promised me that the sofa that his son had at college would last 10 years and he did not lie - it is officially 10 years and I am still sleeping on this convertible sofa that has TONS of storage beneath it! DownTown Furniture NYC also has storage couches which are MUCH more reasonable - the TECHNO is one that I own and is slept on nitely as well with TONS of storage underneath - the fabric is much cooler than most!

RV Cole has a great solution and the owner Rudy promised me that the sofa that his son had at college would last 10 years and he did not lie - it is officially 10 years and I am still sleeping on this convertible sofa that has TONS of storage beneath it! DownTown Furniture NYC also has storage couches which are MUCH more reasonable - the TECHNO is one that I own and is slept on nitely as well with TONS of storage underneath - the fabric is much cooler than most! Tell Bo from DTFNYC that Elisabeth sent you for a small discount;-)

We have a nice one from Ligne Roset that is a sofa, convertible bed and has storage underneath. When I lived in a studio this was my bed and it was very comfortable and there was room for all my sheets/blankets/pillows underneath. I got it in 2000 (in their Soho location) so they make offer the exact model anymore, but I think it's worth a visit to one of their stores.

Check this site.
We have one . Very good quality and plenty of storage.http://www.wiedersofabed.com/

Since no one has put the link or the web address for Home Reserve I figured I'd do it.
I haven't actually purchased one of these yet, but it's in my near future. I'm a bit nervous, but I figure I'll give it a shot. I have heard that they make a pretty good sofa for the price and I could definitely use the storage...

I actually have a sofa from home reserve, the "Monroe" model and I don't find it cheap or ugly looking... The pic chosen truly is horrendous, but with loads of fabrics to chose from, I'm sure you can find something on that site!!

the best www.wiederusa.com

Very good quality and plenty of storage
WWW.WIEDERUSA.COM

Check out the sofas at www.dormdepot.com. They're inexpensive, portable, have lots of storage space under the seats, and they're way better looking than homereserve. Nobody knows about them yet, but once word gets out, I bet this company is going to be bigger than IKEA. I've been using one of their sofas for years, and I can't recommend it enough.

Urbanoutfitters.com has the nicest storage sofa I've seen online. Comes in tweed or brocade fabrics.

www.ConversationCouch.com

friendly folks, negotiable on the phone... ask them & they'll throw the storage option in for free too

Furniture - Sofas - Mattresses - Sofabeds - Futons -Möbel - Meubles - Mobilya - Nabytok - Butor - Mebel - Meubelen - Namestaj - Mobilia ISO 2000-9001 -

Furniture - Sofas - Mattresses - Sofabeds - Futons -Möbel - Meubles - Mobilya - Nabytok - Butor - Mebel - Meubelen - Namestaj - Mobilia ISO 2000-9001 www.starlinehome.com

I purchased a sofa and love seat from home reserve and they look great! Check out their site they have Five styles of sofas to choose from. They also sell ottomans and sectionals. Each piece offers storage and prices start at $299. They have washable and changeable fabric covers. Check out the site these sofas are stylish and affordable.

Istikbal Sofa Beds are attractive, practical and reasonably priced.

I have made a sofa with storage for my sister as my GCSE project, hopefully below is a picture showing it. Its only a one and a half seat built so my sister could curl up and read but it could be developed into larger items of furniture. The idea wa to hold shoes and art materials, so i thought i'd try to show you. But remember this was only my GCSE project but i thought you'd like to see it.

Ok didnt work see if these links work

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f259/kingpin77/P4160363.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f259/kingpin77/P4160356.jpg

Istikbal sofa beds are pretty reasonably priced here: sofa beds