To turn this hunky couch (ok, maybe chunky) into bedding, pull the bottom front of the couch out to reveal a wooden slat frame. Then, flip the cushions, made of memory foam, over. They tuck into the frame, becoming half of the mattress. The other half, also memory foam, is underneath them, exactly where they need to be, at all times.
The pic above is an old one from an Ikea showroom. Mine of course came from Craigslist. (It recently occured to me that all of our bed frames and three of our four couches were CL or thrift finds. Cheap or savvy? Hmm...) Where I found a steal on the exact cover I wanted, a tweed-ish charcoal grey. The cover is removable and washable. And if that is not enough couch-cleverness, check this out:
Why, yes, that IS a hidden storage compartment on each side of the couch. Those Swedes are a crafty bunch! Sadly, Ikea discontinued this Transformer of a sleep sofa, though you can still get it as a regular couch.
Either way, it turns out that its stylish utility comes at a price: The Kivik sofa bed is way short. It's stubby legs are less than two inches tall. Meaning you sit low, and you practically sleep on the ground. My husband is on couch-strike until I make it taller.
The problem is, Kivik is no ordinary couch. The legs are each made from one piece of plastic, with a dowel-like protusion that slips into a hole in the bottom of the frame. Which means you can't simply screw in new, taller legs. I guess it's time to do some idea hunting on Pinterest...
