What Are The Origins of The Futon

June 17, 2011 - PRLog -- Futon is the English name given to the Japanese traditional style of bedding known as “futon” Basically a traditional futon is the name given to Japanese bedding that consists of a padded mattress and quilts that are pliable enough to be folded up and stowed out of the way so that a room can be used during the day for purposes other than that of just a bedroom.

Futons in Japan consist of basically two elements, the first is a shikibuton which is the bottom mattress and a kabebuton which refers to the quilted bedcover. Futons are sold in Japan through specialist stores known as futon’ya and often come in sets consisting of blankets and pillows.

Futons sold in the west are based on the original Japanese futons but with quite a few differences, almost all western futons are constructed around a wooden or metal frame so rather than being folded up and put away as in Japanese homes they almost always double up as a sofa or chair.

Futons when laid out fully will often resemble normal single or double beds in terms of size and comfort, partly due to extra layers and banding that are used in the construction of western futons.

Western futons mattresses usually have a removable cover which is handy if you get spills or are using the futon as a sofa in your living room and fancy a change of décor, it’s much cheaper to change a futon cover than it is to change a traditional sofa for a new one or even the cost of professional recovering a sofa.

Futon mattresses are typically filled with offcuts of foam of various types and sizes but more recently in recognition to the environment, more eco-friendly fillings are used, although this does tend to be in the higher quality futons.

Sofa beds do differ from futons slightly, but were the line is drawn can be confusing, traditionally sofa beds looked exactly the same as a standard sofa, but underneath the cushions they had a fold out metal frame and a thin mattress, most people will find they will get a better night’s sleep on a futon when compared to a traditional sofa bed as the futon mattresses are much thicker and offer better support. Another point to note when comparing a futon to a sofa bed is the weight, the metal framed sofa beds are very heavy and if you fancy a change of colour scheme or stain them you cannot recover a traditional sofa bed as easily and cheaply as the more practical futon.

Source:
Futon Sofa Beds Direct is able to deliver futon sofa beds at very competitive prices direct to your door and with our excellent level of service. We know that our unique combination of quality goods at the right price, will make dealing us a pleasure.

Futons http://www.futonsofabedsdirect.co.uk/index.html
Futon http://www.futonsofabedsdirect.co.uk/index.html
Sofa Bed http://www.futonsofabedsdirect.co.uk/acatalog/Modern-Foam...

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