Furnishing a Room

An ottoman can add style to your living room, provide a comfortable spot for your feet, and even offer some storage space. What you might not realize is that some ottomans can even convert into a place to sleep. When you visit a local furniture store, ask a salesperson if the store has any sleeper ottomans for sale. This type of ottoman opens up into a bed for one person to use. It's handy to have a sleeper ottoman in your home if you often have overnight guests. For example, a couple who stays over could use a pull-out sofa while a single person could use the ottoman. Here are three ways to assess a sleeper ottoman.

Appearance 

It's always important to assess the appearance of any piece of furniture you buy, but this is particularly true when you shop for something that converts into a bed. Lots of sleeper ottomans look like regular ottomans and have no signs that they open up. This is probably the look that you favor, as you'll be using this piece of furniture as a standard ottoman for the vast majority of its life. When it's sitting in your living room on a daily basis, you don't necessarily want it to look like something that people can sleep on.

Width And Length

You should always open up any sleeper ottoman before you buy it so that you can assess the width and length. Or, if you're shopping online, you should take note of the measurements when the ottoman is opened up. The length and width of sleeper ottomans can vary, and you'll typically want something that is as wide and as long as possible. This will ensure that the sleeper ottoman can accommodate more people. For example, if you get one that is very short, someone who is tall won't be able to comfortably sleep on it.

Softness

Given that anyone who sleeps on this piece of furniture will spend several consecutive hours lying on it, you want it to be as comfortable as possible. Try to assess how soft and comfortable the sleeper ottoman is when you open it up. In a store, you can touch the material and perhaps even lie on it. When you shop online, you should read reviews about a particular product to get a sense of how comfortable people report it is. A sleeper ottoman can be a good addition to your living room, and by keeping these points in mind as you shop at your local furniture store, you'll get the right one.