Futons or Sofa Beds?

I’m finally moving into a bigger place and am pretty excited to get some new furniture. Oh, and I should clarify. By bigger, I mean I’m moving from a studio into a one bedroom. But hey, that is a huge step forward in my book. Now I can sleep, cook, and watch TV in separate rooms. Oh, the luxury!

Well being that space is still limited, and so is my budget, I went online to my favorite mattress discounters New York, NYmattress.com and browsed their selection. The platform beds on sale were a great start for bedroom furniture. I loved the idea of being able to store stuff under the bed. But for the living room I was torn between futons and sofa beds. To me they were essentially the same thing, with futons being a little cheaper. I always have friends visiting the city, so it was essential that I had a fold-out bed.

I decided to go with a sofa bed. I couldn’t resist NY Mattress’ sleek, stylish designs and since I was moving up in the world to my 1 bedroom, I would splurge a little. I really made the right choice! No one can even tell that my sofa bed folds out, and when it’s in normal couch position it looks so neat and refined.

The Origin of Memory Foam

There is no more exciting story in the world of mattresses than the story of memory foam.

In the early 1970’s the NASA’s Ames Research Center was given a grant to research and develop a substance that could alleviate the impact of powerful G-forces on astronauts when taking off to space.  They researchers firmly believed (mattress pun!) that the key to reducing the impact of these gravitational forces was to use foam that conformed to the astronauts shape. Originally, they tossed the idea of a foam mold that was custom fit to the astronauts sitting positions, but threw the idea out when they realized that if the astronauts shifted from this position, they mold would prove ineffective.

Instead, they created memory foam. Originally, it was made from visco-elastic polyurethane. The visco-elastic properties made it dense and able to mold to the users body when heated.  
Sadly, it was never adopted by the NASA space program. Instead it was used in the medical field for bed-ridden patients. Eventually, it made its way into mattress discounters New York, and into bedrooms everywhere.
If you need a memory foam mattress for your platform beds on sale be sure to check out www.NYmattress.com!

Furniture Ideas for Studio Apartments

Studio apartments aren’t exactly known for their roominess. Often times, singles opt to live in studios to save on rent but get flustered with the amount of space they’re confined to. This can be especially problematic if the occupant is used to living in a more spacious environment. Sure a studio can make even the most laid-back individual feel claustrophobic, but with the right décor solutions you can make it work.

The obvious solution to comfortable studio living is to live minimally. Get rid of a lot of excess furniture like end tables, lamps, and book shelves. Anything that will make the room feel cluttered isn’t welcome. Your room should really be centered around the bed. After all, it’s the most important place in the room! A sofa bed or futon from your local mattress discounters New York could be a great solution  if you’re concerned about being able to have guests over comfortably.

Another great solution for studio living is to buying platform beds on sale. Platform beds provide optimal storage, and have great slimmed down, modern designs. You can often set up the platform bed behind a curtain or Chinese screen to give the illusion of room separation.