Getting guest-ready

, Star Tribune

New from Minneapolis design collective Blu Dot, the “Flat Out” 80-inch-wide sofa opens to a flat sleeping area 41 inches across. Upholstered in rust or gray fabric (60 percent wool, 40 percent poly) with French seams and contrasting cross-stitching, the sofa has steel springs and base. Inner construction includes rubberized cloth webbing, polyurethane foam and nylon batting. $1,099 at Roam Modern Living, 813 Glenwood Av., Minneapolis, 612-377-6465 , and www.bludot.com .

"Stealth sleepers" offer options for housing those overnight guests who make your household population bulge during the holidays.

Last update: November 3, 2009 - 12:38 PM

"FLAT OUT"

New from Minneapolis design collective Blu Dot, the "Flat Out" 80-inch-wide sofa opens to a flat sleeping area 41 inches across. Upholstered in rust or gray fabric (60 percent wool, 40 percent poly) with French seams and contrasting cross-stitching, the sofa has steel springs and base. Inner construction includes rubberized cloth webbing, polyurethane foam and nylon batting. $1,099 at Roam Modern Living, 813 Glenwood Av., Minneapolis, 612-377-6465, and www.bludot.com.

"SOTO" SLEEPER CHAIR AND OTTOMAN

A full-length leather sleeper, sans crossbar, has a 4-inch high-density foam mattress on a wooden platform. Opens to a depth of 83 inches, $3,880, and has a matching, 2-foot-wide ottoman, $1,800, in which to stash linens and other guest-related jetsam. Also available in a queen-size sofa sleeper, $5,000. Twelve colors of full-grain leather; ultrasuede option available. Design Within Reach studio, 2939 Hennepin Av. S., Minneapolis, 612-827-0990, and www.dwr.com.

BED IN A BEAN BAG

Bean bags that zip open to reveal mattresses come in four sizes, from full to double king -- yes, it holds two king-size mattresses -- at Corda-Roy's Originals at the Mall of America. The mattresses, made of small, polyester pieces, don't have hard corners; the pieces mesh to conform to body shape inside their cotton-poly covers. The bean bags, in a variety of colors and materials, start at $189 for the smallest size, holding a 60- by 72-inch mattress. Corda-Roy's Originals, 348 E. Broadway at the Mall of America, Bloomington, 952-854-0335, www.cordaroys.com.

MATTRESS BY MAIL

Magniflex's "Riposo" ships its vacuum-packed, memory foam mattress to you in a roll one-tenth the size of a twin mattress, to which

it unfolds. The 9-inch-thick mattress is made of memory foam and has an antibacterial, stretch-knit fabric. It is hypoallergenic and breathable; starts at $605.99 with free U.S. shipping. Available at www.citisleep.com.

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