Day beds are a great addition to any home. They are perfect for most spare bedrooms and are especially well suited to homes where space is limited. Day beds offer more than just a bed. With the addition of a few cushions, they can be used as a sofa during the day and at night can be easily transformed into a single or double bed. In addition to this, they often offer a great storage solution.
Here at A.M Flat Pack, we assemble lots of different of daybeds from many manufacturers, but we are going to focus on two of the most popular day beds. These two day beds are both from IKEA and they are the Hemnes and the Brimnes.
Both the Hemnes and Brimnes day bed are the same style of bed. They can both be used as a sofa, a single bed or a double bed. These two also have built in storage drawers.
Although both of these day beds have similarly spelt names and both are manufactured by the same company, there are some differences which we will look at today.
Price
The Hemnes day bed starts at £215 making it £50 more expensive than its smaller brother the Brimnes. This is due to a few characteristics which we will look at in more detail.
Differences
Looking at both beds side by side you will see there is an immediate difference in the way they look. The Hemnes is taller. It has a back rest and sides (headboard and toe board) which make it look and feel more like a sofa. As you can see, the back and sides are made from wood, the same material as the rest of the day bed frame so you wouldn't use it as a sofa without adding a few of your own cushions to make it more comfortable to relax on. The Brimnes does not have this back/side support, so immediately it feels less like a sofa and more like a bed.
Storage
Both day beds have built in drawers. As you can see the Brimnes has two large drawers, in comparison the Hemnes has three smaller drawers to help with its more traditional look. However, in terms of storage space the Hemnes has a slightly larger volume. This is due to the drawers being deeper and going further back than the ones in the Brimnes.
The drawers may differ in terms of style, but they consist of the same materials. However, in terms of fixings the Brimnes uses plastic cams and plastic fir tree fixings in place of the stronger metal cams used in the Hemnes day bed. The drawer runners are the same for both day beds.
Aesthetics
The Hemnes style is beautifully traditional with softer rounder edges, delicate detailing on its back and side panels and simple round knobs on the drawers which give it a quaint country feel.
The more contemporary Brimnes has sharper lines with a slightly flatter, more basic appearance which is reflected in the more modern style drawer handles.
Another aesthetic feature is the colour. Both are available in white, however, the Hemnes is also available in grey. The paint finish of the Hemnes is lovely and smooth. Its acrylic paint offers a nice gloss finish which is easy to wipe down.
The slightly matt finish of the Brimnes is due to the surface being covered in what IKEA call paper foil. The reason for this is down to what each bed is made from. The Brimnes is produced using particle board which does not give a smooth surface on which to paint. However, the Hemnes is produced using Fibreboard which offers a very smooth finish that can be painted on. Fibreboard is heavier, stronger and denser than particle board, but that's not to say the the Brimnes bed will fall apart. As long as they are assembled correctly, both day beds will last for a very long time.
To complete the look of the room, both the Hemnes and Brimnes day beds can be combined with their relative models of furniture such as bedside tables, chest of drawers and wardrobe.
Slats
The wooden slats for both beds are very similar in appearance. However, to keep the cost of the Brimnes bed down, IKEA have used glued wood vaneer slats in comparison to the solid pine slats of the Hemnes.
Mattresses
There are three types of mattress, two foam and one sprung, and you can choose any of these for both day beds. If you wish to use either of these day beds as a double bed then you will require two mattresses. These mattresses be stacked on top of each other when being used as a sofa or single bed.
The mattresses are the same size for both day beds.
Trundle
Both of these day beds have a pull out trundle section which is on castors, allowing the bed to be turned from a single to double quickly and easily. The castors on both beds are identical.
Assembly
The fixings for the bed frame, trundle and slats do differ ever so slightly, but this wouldn't affect the build quality at all. In terms of assembly, I would say they are both as easy to assemble as each other.
In conclusion, both of these beds offer excellent value for money and come from a brand you can trust. They are both brilliantly versatile and make a perfect addition to any house as either a guest bed in the spare room or to save space in smaller homes.
Personally, I would say the finish of the Hemnes day bed gives it a quality feel which encourages the user to use it as an every day bed, rather than as just a back-up for when guests stay.
However, if you choose to purchase either of these beds, you really cannot go wrong.