With the amount of problems I had with my last metal bed, I'm quite surprised I ended up with another one. My previous bed was a metal frame double from Argos, which is beautiful but with a combined weight of 21 stone, the bed couldn't hold me and my partner without squeaking uncontrollably. Because of this I took the bed apart and took it to the skip - resorting in me buying a day bed.
Day beds have always appealed to me because of their 'sofa' like appearance when it isn't a bed. My bedroom isn't the biggest of places and because I am moving out I quite liked the idea of a sofa/bed without actually having a sofa bed (chances are I'm going to be in a studio flat not a 1 bed so every space counts!).
After a lot of browsing different stores to find the perfect one, I resorted to the Ikea day bed, which is black and looks quite 'vintage' in my opinion. It costs £84 and is self-assembly like most of the furniture that Ikea sell.
I visited Ikea to pick up the bed as I needed various other bits at the same time, and if you haven't been there before the process is quite simple. You write the product number of the item you want (if it isn't on the shop floor) then you go through to their warehouse and collect the items before visiting the checkout. I am quite a child when I visit Ikea because it is so much fun!
The day bed comes in three large boxes which are quite easy to carry but one is the size of a flat single bed (obviously, another of a similar size and one contains just bed slats so it is thinner. I did leave my partner to collect all the items off the shelf so I am unsure whether they all came from the same isle (hunger and hotdogs was more appealing).
When you unpack the boxes there are really easy to follow instructions to follow. As it is flat packed the parts come made they just need to be put together with the screws given to you. I was quite shocked at the fact there are next to no screws which hold the bed together. It is quite simple to put the bed together, but you definitely need a lot of patience when you are trying to screw because you need to make sure the bed pieces are stable to screw. It took me about half an hour to assemble by myself but I am sure with help it won't take as long.
I purchased my mattress separately as the bed doesn't come with one, but they are relatively priced and the frame is average sized so it fits all single mattresses (200x90cm). The bed itself is 208cm long, 95cm wide and 96cm high. It is quite a good size and it fits perfectly into a small room without looking too big. The metal frame is quite simple but it is pretty and very vintage but lovely. I find that even when used as a sofa it is really comfortable, when it's a bed I can sleep on it without the squeaking which annoyed me previously. It is very sturdy and isn't uncomfortable at all, I find it really comfortable whether I am lying or sitting on it. As a sofa it can be irritating unless you have a lot of pillows as your legs are completely off the floor and the metal can hurt your back.
Since I've added a wall of cushions this isn't as much of an issue though which I like.
I would recommend this bed to anyone wanting a nice addition to a bedroom or studio flat. Obviously it isn't ideal to be used just as a sofa but for a guest room or something it is lovely. I will edit this review when I move into my new place to let you know what it is like as a sofa AND a bed in a 'lounge/bedroom'. It isn't overly expensive and definitely worth the price. It hasn't faulted me in the past few months so hopefully it will last me many more to come!
SOFA & BED IN ONE 
