We have not one, but two Scandinavian daybeds in our house. Designed in 1956 by Poul M. Volther, they were part of a Danish initiative called FDB, set up to market the democratic philosophy of well-made, reasonably priced, everyday goods and furniture, both locally and to the world.
These daybeds are utilitarian in style and, as vintage buys, were not very expensive, even though one is covered in a chocolate leather and the other a stone-toned linen. They are positioned in the way interior designer Anna-Carin McNamara recommends: against a window and under a painting. "Choose a position where a sofa would be too imposing or obstruct a view," says the founder of Sydney's Anna Carin Design. "Daybeds work well in a 'non-space': on a stair landing, at the end of a corridor, in an entrance, in a study or in a bedroom as a room divider to break up space."
Photo: Justin Alexander.
The interior she created for an apartment in Sydney's Barangaroo boasts a finely crafted daybed by Ole Wanscher, designed in 1949 and manufactured by Carl Hansen & Sn in Denmark. "Where space is limited, such as in an apartment, or where there is a need for flexibility, a daybed can easily be shifted around. I see it as a 'chaperone' in support of the other pieces in the room."
McNamara is also an advocate of the patina vintage pieces bring to a room. She recommends trawling mid-century furniture shops as well as Danish website lauritz.com, but warns against buying sight unseen and urges buyers to ask about freight costs.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/lifestyle/why-daybeds-work-well-in-a-nonspace-20180213-h0vzbh.html?utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_lifestyle