DIY Daybed Design for Office Renovations

I wanted to share an inexpensive, DIY daybed design the boyfriend and I put together for my open den slash office space.

Whether you think you’re handy or you’ve never done woodwork before, this simple DIY daybed design is easy to follow and super customizable! 

After all, no matter how well-designed a home is, finding just the right furniture for just the right space proves difficult.

After my Morocco trip in 2018, I’ve obsessed over the Moroccan style of casual lounges and floor poufs. Ever since, I knew I wanted to replicate it in my own home eventually.

Besides that, I am uber-focused on making my new home as functional and space-saving as possible. Yes, I currently have 800 more sq. ft. than my first home, but I don’t want any of it to go to waste.

If a furniture piece can be multifunctional, it automatically wins my heart. Thus, I decided a daybed design that could triple as storage, a reading nook, and sleeping arrangements for guests was the perfect solution for my office renovations!

I know all of my fellow pinners relate to the many times you said “I saw it on Pinterest…” before starting a home project. Even more of you relate to the disappointment when said project end result didn’t come close to the pin-spiration.

Such is life. But you know what? It’s still always worth the try to A) save money, and B) learn something new.

After many Pinterest searches for functional, DIY daybed designs, I finally came across the pin above. Immediately, I decided to try my hand in re-creating it!

Materials needed:

• Twin mattresses (or these 30×74 cot mattresses like I bought)
• Measuring tape
• A good thick pencil 🙂
• Four 3/4″ Plywood sheets
• Ten 8-foot 2×4’s for frame
• Tee hinges (we bought 6 total, 3 for each lid)
• Framing square tool (unless you’re really partial to your middle school ruler) – this one will do just fine!
• 7″ triangle square tool (used for smaller cuts)
• Power drill and drill bits
• Screws (2″ square head for the frame, 1″ and 1/2″ for hinges)
• Miter saw for cutting 2x4s
• *Handheld circular power saw like this one (to cut plywood)
• Long clamps like these
• Power orbital sander
• Craft jute rope like this one 
• Staple gun
• 8 Velcro strips
• Optional: your favorite wood stain (if you’re going for that rustic, all natural look, I’d still recommend a clear sealant to protect the wood)
• Upholstery fabric or fitted sheets

*If you don’t own a saw or feel comfortable doing it on your own, Home Depot’s lumber department will cut everything for you. Just give them exact measurements.

DIY Daybed Dimensions:

I found cot mattresses that were 30″ wide and 73″ long, and I wanted the daybeds to be a little taller than a standard couch. We decided the frame should be 18″ high to be even with the window in the office.

However, to ensure the mattresses wouldn’t just slide right off the wood, we planned to build the frame so that they sat an inch below the outside plywood.

In order for our DIY daybeds to fit flush against each other and for the lids to be able to close correctly, the inside end piece that goes against the other one was only cut to 16 1/4″ high. You can see a rough sketch of this on the bottom left of the top paper in the drawings above.

Pretty simple math, really. It will make sense once you start piecing everything together, and will largely depend on your own space!

Steps:

1. Measure (always double check your numbers)
2. Draw dimensions on plywood and 2x4s
3. Clamp or otherwise secure large wood pieces (I held the edges stable while either the boyfriend or brother used the power saw)
4. Cut (wear your safety glasses!)
5. Sand all corners and edges lightly with orbital sander
6. Pre-drill the 9 and 1/4″ cuts (used to vertically connect the horizontal frame) using the Kreg pocket hole jig strategy (pre-drilled holes at an angle). See photo #4 for example.
7. Time to connect your frame using 2″ square head screws. Use clamps to hold the ends to the long cuts to build your first rectangle. Repeat steps for 2nd, identical rectangle. Next, screw in the 9 and 1/4″ connecters (4 for each corner and 2 for the middles) to one rectangular frame. Lastly, flip this onto the 2nd rectangle and drill more 2″ screws into bottom frame.
8. Measure for and attach t-hinges to top of frame using 1 and 1/2″ screws. We used a small, spare plywood piece to act as the lid so the hinge placement was correct.
9. Attach plywood pieces to outside of frame, again, using 2″ screws.
10. Attach lid top under t-hinges. Note, we notched out the width and depth of the hinges so the lid would be able to open all the way without grinding.
11. Staple rope handles to outside edges of lid. We wrapped the ends of the rope with tape in case it decided to fray.
12. Stain (optional).
13. Throw on mattresses. Measure and stick on Velcro strips (you’ll want to use super glue to keep the Velcro attached to mattress bottoms). 
14. Decorate with blankets, mattress covers, pillow, etc.

DIY Daybed: Final Thoughts

I love how my DIY daybeds turned out, and they’re not even complete yet!

We still need to add a bottom inside each daybed so that they can be used for storage. Thankfully, we have extra plywood and it just might be enough!

Also, the cherry wood laminate floors you see in the pictures are gonzo! Once those were removed, I found a medium wood stain from Behr called Early American that I applied to the daybeds.

Luckily, these DIY daybeds actually aren’t as heavy as I thought they’d be, but they are heavy enough to stay in place without any bracers needed, even on the slick floor. Keep in mind, these are technically separate daybeds. We thought about connecting them but figured there was no need. This way, we can move them around easily if necessary.

The only real downside is that since the mattress sizes aren’t common, most brands don’t carry fitted sheets for them. Amazon has a few solid color ones but I want a simple print, like grey or gold stripes, and probably something more durable like a cotton canvas fabric. So, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for material at thrift shops or deals at JoAnn Fabrics. Once I sew those up (not my favorite task), they’ll be good to go for sleepovers and binge-reading.

Overall, this DIY daybed design really is versatile and can be altered to fit whatever dimensions you need for your own space.

Remember, today and tomorrow, October 13th and 14th, are Amazon Prime day, so why not save even more on your next home project?

I hope this post left you confident enough to try for yourself! Feel free to leave any questions in the comments or let me know how it goes for you!

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