I Put This Storage Gem in Our Guest Bedroom, and It’s the Smartest Small-Space Solution

My husband and I love our small three-bedroom house, but with a guest bedroom that’s just 11 feet by 10 feet, the furniture options are limited. We wanted a functional room that could be ready to host guests when we need to, but also serve as my husband’s home office — all while providing some space for storage. How could we make this one extra room do it all? We actually found a surprisingly simple solution.

I looked at queen- and full-size beds for the space, but I knew we wouldn’t have visitors often enough to justify how cramped it would make my husband’s work area. It also didn’t do us any favors in the storage department. So I set out to find a convertible bed, maybe something with a trundle — instead, I found the Alaterre Melody Twin to King Bed with Under-Bed Storage, which is so much better than anything I could’ve imagined.

In its smallest form, the Melody Twin to King Bed’s twin-size daybed functions as a couch or a perfectly fine bed for a single visitor or child, leaving ample space in the room even with other shelves and desks. The convertible bed is structured so that when you pull the front of the bed out without any mattresses on it, it opens up into a single king-size bed, not a two-level twin and trundle. 

The two storage drawers underneath the bed aren’t super deep (22 inches), but they work great for storing additional linens and other small hosting essentials or items. Assembly admittedly took me a minute, but once you’ve followed the instructions the concept is simply ingenious. The Alaterre Melody convertible bed is available in white, dove gray, and chestnut.

At first, I didn’t know how we’d store a king-size mattress while the bed was put away, but then I realized that king-size beds are essentially the same size as two twin-size mattresses put together. I purchased two twin-size Linenspa 5-inch gel memory foam mattresses, and when the Melody bed is folded, we stack both mattresses for a 10-inch-tall surface. When we pull the bed open completely, we put the mattresses next to each other and use a king-size fitted sheet to keep them together.

This is no one’s idea of a wildly fancy guest room; we’re practical people who needed a multitasking storage solution that wouldn’t break the bank. Considering that people sleep on this bed less than a dozen nights a year, it feels like a great investment in basic hospitality accommodations, while ultimately freeing up space for us to use the room for storage and office space on a day-to-day basis. In a pinch, it can host two guests without a problem, but we’re most happy with how we prioritized the room’s utility for the other 353 days a year when it’s just the three of us.

If you’re looking for a simple, sleek addition to create storage, seating, and a place to sleep in a smaller room, the Alaterre Melody Twin to King Bed with Under-Bed Storage is a great pick. It’s in the more affordable range of convertible furniture, and it works well in rooms that need to serve multiple uses, like an office, game room, or guest room.

With that said, we’ve only used it as a daybed and guest bed, and I haven’t personally slept on it, so I can’t speak to its comfort for regular use. As a bed used for occasional guests and seating (as well as storage, of course), I can vouch that it looks great and serves its purpose well.

Buy: Alaterre Melody Twin to King Bed with Under-Bed Storage, $388.69