Daybed

• A daybed is usually a twin-size bed with rails on three sides of the mattress, instead of just the head and the foot. A daybed can be used as a standard bed, but the back rail allows it to be used as a couch as well. This convertibility is useful in a studio apartment or other small room where furniture needs to fulfill multiple roles.
  
  

Daybed Accessories

• Many daybeds feature a trundle, which rolls underneath. This is another twin bed, either on extending legs or a fixed platform, that can be rolled out to expand the day bed or be used as a separate twin bed. If the trundle is not decorative, a bed skirt or dust ruffle is placed beneath the daybed mattress and hangs to the floor.
  
  

Daybed Covers

• A daybed cover is more like a slipcover for a couch, usually with split corner seams to allow the fall to smoothly pass the mattress supports. One style of cover has a fall on all sides of the mattress. The other style of cover has a fall on only three sides of the bed, and is intended for use when the back of the daybed will be placed against a wall.
  
  

Bedspreads

• A bedspread is intended to have a fall on three sides of a standard bed, leaving the fabric at the head of the bed free to be pulled back for sleeping. A bedspread will work on a daybed, particularly if the extra material at the foot is tucked under the bed.
  
  

So Which is Better?

• Using a daybed cover or a bedspread depends on the use the bed will get and the desired look. If the bed is being slept in nightly, a daybed cover with extra fabric near the sleeper's head may not be an advantage. A daybed cover is great for a guest bed not used nightly, or for a daybed intended primarily as a couch.