Between the improving but still struggling economy and the ongoing very tight housing market, many of us are being forced to sit tight in accommodations that might be a great deal smaller than we would accept if we had our druthers. That means that more and more of us are seeking out — and finding — furniture that does double duty. Futons that double as chairs, day beds that are also very comfortable couches, loft beds that are also computer desks and many other flexible furniture options are, it seems, more popular than ever with singles, couples, and growing families.

The appeal of a bed that doubles as a couch is especially easy to see for individuals living in studio or bachelor apartments where the bedroom is also pretty much the only room. Futons pioneered this type of furnishing and first became popular in the United States in the 1970s in an America increasingly smitten with Japanese culture and products. Still, it was the flexibility more than any association with Toshiro Mifune, Godzilla, Honda Motorcycles or sushi that sold this traditional form of Asian bedding to U.S. college students and bohemians. On the other hand, beds that do more than one thing are somewhat the equivalent of another major Japanese cultural export — they are the Transformers of the furniture world, we suppose.

So it is for some of the very contemporary day beds that do double duty which have been selling very well in furniture stores throughout the nation. The fact of the matter is that American consumers really need to investigate any and all space saving options and have to find furniture that’s as flexible as the tough economic situation is forcing them to be. Thoughtful creativity is, it seems, more needed now than ever.