All in a Day(bed)’s Work: Smart Seating for Small Spaces
The words “day” and “bed” in tandem are enticing enough on their own, even before we consider the multifunctional furniture’s many advantages. Beyond being a potential snooze spot while the sun’s up, a daybed is a versatile piece of furniture that functions as both a sofa and a bed, all the while moonlighting as a reading nook, additional seating, or guest bedding. Plus, built-in bench seats offer huge opportunities for hidden storage. Hugging walls and slipping into corners, these streamlined daybeds free up precious floor space while anchoring a room without feeling bulky. Their versatility spans aesthetics and eras – equally at home in rustic retreats or pared-back modern flats – and when positioned near a window, they can even dissolve the boundary between indoors and out.
Hide and Seat
In small homes especially, storage isn’t just helpful – it’s essential. In the 30sqm/323sqft Walkerville Retreat, a peaceful sanctuary a few hours southeast of Melbourne, architect Imogen Pullar transforms a sliver of space beneath the stairs into a tranquil built-in daybed with drawers tucked below. Featuring a cloud blue mattress framed by lime-washed pine, the plush bench acts as a calming reading nook with a single wall-mounted light, as well as a generous storage hub for guests on creative retreat. “Providing comfortable built-in furniture and storage minimises the need for other furniture and objects to clutter the space,” says Pullar – and it shows.
At Studio ANY in Paris, a once-cramped chambre de bonne became a modular marvel under the guidance of architects Chayeb & Paradis. The daybed – both a sofa and a guest bed – features discreet built-in drawers below the clean white mattress to keep essentials out of sight. The nearby desk stretches into a side table for the sofa, showcasing a level of multifunctionality necessary with the very limited footprint of 13sqm/139sqft. Designer Sarah Chayeb’s favourite feature? The daybed. “You can read, hang out, or work,” she says. It’s a compact command centre as comfortable as it is versatile.
Over in Oslo’s Gråbein Flat, owners and designers Elias Olderbakk and Anna Grøgaard carved out an expansive 4.5 metres of custom bench seating that spans the wall of the main living space. It’s not just a cozy spot near the wood stove – it hides ample drawer storage and offers guest bedding for two if needed. Thoughtful touches, like reversible wool-and-canvas seat covers and reading lights at either end, make it functional and versatile. The couple wanted to create a home that could change with the seasons and adapt to any living situation, a philosophy stitched into every custom cushion and drawer.
Framing the View
A well-placed window bench doesn’t just optimise space – it can open up a whole world. In the 35sqm/370sqft Type Street Apartment in Melbourne, architect Jack Chen of Tsai Design designed a sleek, window-length daybed that anchors the home’s main living zone. Perched atop short bookshelves and finished with a simple grey cushion, the bench remains a rare fixed feature in an otherwise ultra-flexible layout. Whether the fold-up desk is out or the dining area is hidden away, the daybed always offers a calm, grounded place to sit, read, or take in the view. Chen wanted to bring a sense of the outdoors inside – and with a dedicated space to soak up the generous window light, he does just that.
A similar effect plays out in Studio Christine and Jean, a 29sqm/312sqft seaside apartment in Belgium reimagined by Camille Delbecque of Façon Camille. To connect the home’s open-plan dining area to its natural surroundings, Delbecque tucked a soft terracotta-accented bench directly beneath the window, creating a cozy perch that doubles as seating for guests. Surrounded by warm timber cabinetry and adjustable bamboo blinds, the space is both soothing and practical – a nod to the slower pace of life the retired-couple clients envisioned.
In CAPSULE, a 25sqm/269sqft converted Parisian attic designed by Frères Voirin Architects, a small but sculptural L-shaped bench nestles below a window with rooftop views. Inspired by the nearby Observatoire de Paris – one of the largest, and oldest, astronomical research centres in the world – the bench seating was designed to channel the feeling of a personal observatory: a quiet vantage point above the city. Carved into a corner of the luminous living space, the daybed opens the apartment up, allowing the view to become part of the decor.
More Than Just a Place to Sit
Whether cleverly concealing storage or providing the perfect window perch, these benches and daybeds underline the fact that small-space seating is never just about sitting. It’s about making room – literally and figuratively – for a life that shifts and adapts. From tucked-away drawers to window-framed views, each design adds comfort, character, and a sense of spaciousness that goes far beyond square footage.
