IKEA
IKEA HEMNES Day Bed Reviews + Our Editorial Verdict
By Sam Hollis · Updated July 2026
Independent editorial review. We never accept payment for coverage, though we may earn a commission if you purchase through our links.
Verdict
The IKEA HEMNES Day Bed is one of the most consistently recommended value furniture purchases in home decor communities, and the storage drawers and guest conversion are the reasons people name. Community feedback is realistic about the IKEA assembly system and the budget materials, and still overwhelmingly positive about what the bed does for the money. No comparable product at this price is consistently identified as a better alternative.
Read full take ↓Similar beds
Storage, sleeping, and flexibility for one price
Three usable storage drawers, a fiberboard frame on a solid pine bed base, and a bed that converts from single to double, all for under $700. Nothing else at this price does all three, so as a pure value proposition the IKEA HEMNES Day Bed has essentially no competition. Buy a storage bed, a trundle or guest conversion, and a basic frame separately at other retailers and you'd spend more and still not have the feature set. That's the reason to take the HEMNES seriously even if you aren't shopping the budget tier.
If bedroom storage is a genuine need, if your bedroom lacks closet space or dresser capacity, the three drawers built into the base hold real volume without a separate chest of drawers that would cost as much as the bed itself. The math changes once the HEMNES is solving two problems at once.
The guest bed conversion is a real feature rather than a gimmick. A second mattress of the same single width slides under the main sleeping surface and pulls out to expand the bed to double width. It isn't a standard trundle that sleeps a child in a separate lowered position. The sleeping surface genuinely expands and takes two adults, which has obvious utility in studio apartments, small bedrooms, and guest rooms where a full-time double bed would be too much bed.
What the HEMNES is made of
IKEA builds most of the HEMNES daybed from fiberboard finished in acrylic and polyester paint, with solid pine reserved for the bed base and the bottom rail that carry the load. So the visible frame, the legs, the bed ends, and the drawer fronts are painted engineered wood rather than the solid lumber the HEMNES look suggests. The solid pine sits exactly where the mechanical stress goes, at the base that takes the sleeping load.
The painted fiberboard picks up small dings and marks over the years, mostly at edges and corners. On a bed frame that lives under bedding and rarely gets a close look, that barely registers. Handle the frame with any care during moves and it ages acceptably over a decade of use.
Cam-and-dowel assembly
The HEMNES line uses cam-and-dowel (camlock) fasteners throughout: cylindrical metal cams that lock onto dowel pegs when you rotate them, so the frame goes together with the included hex key and comes apart the same way, no specialized knowledge required. The reality is the cycle count. A cam joint gets roughly 3 to 5 assemblies before the cam bores in the pine or particleboard degrade and the joint loses clamping force. Move a lot and take the bed apart each time and you'll hit that wall. Assemble once and leave it in place for years and the cams are entirely adequate. Fiberboard tolerates fewer disassembly cycles than solid wood, and the cam system is the limiting factor either way.
The three drawers, sizing and real-world capacity
These are under-bed drawers accessed from the side, pull-out rather than lift-out boxes, which makes daily access easy. Real-world capacity is generous, enough for folded bedding, seasonal clothes, shoe storage, and the pile of things people always wish had an organized home. The slides are basic rollers, no soft-close hardware. They run smoothly under a sane load and start to drag when overloaded. Drawer fronts are painted fiberboard with simple hardware, in keeping with the rest of the HEMNES look; the drawer boxes inside are particleboard with a foil surface, which is standard and appropriate for storage.
How the guest conversion works
You need a second IKEA LURÖY slatted base and a second mattress in the same single dimensions. The extra slatted base lives under the main sleeping surface and rolls out on casters when you want it. Fully extended, the two single mattresses sit side by side at the same height and make a double sleeping surface. It's a real functional conversion, not an approximation.
Two practical notes. You buy the second mattress and the second slatted base separately. And IKEA HEMNES mattress dimensions are specific to the HEMNES frame, so a standard twin or single from another brand may not fit the secondary position correctly. Confirm mattress dimensions before buying a non-IKEA mattress for it. The conversion suits an occasional, predictable need for a second sleeping surface, not a nightly routine.
Who the HEMNES is right for, and who should skip it
Get the HEMNES Day Bed if you're furnishing a small bedroom that has to do storage and sleeping in one footprint. Studio apartment residents who want a day bed that converts for guests are the other obvious case. Parents furnishing a child or young adult bedroom where storage and occasional guest capacity are both genuine needs get real use out of it, as do budget-conscious buyers who want working storage and conversion features at a low entry price.
Skip it if you want a design statement or a headboard with visual personality. Skip it if you're a couple sleeping in the double position every night, because two singles side by side are less comfortable than a purpose-built double or queen frame, and couples notice. Skip it if you move frequently and will disassemble the frame many times, or if you need a king or queen as your primary sleeping surface.
Frame, drawers, and the conversion mechanism
Fiberboard finished in acrylic and polyester paint makes up the frame, the bed ends, the back, and the drawer fronts, with solid pine used only for the bed base and the bottom rail that carry the sleeping load. IKEA sells the daybed in painted finishes, white, gray, gray-green, and black-brown, not a stain over visible grain. Cam-and-dowel fasteners handle the primary frame connections.
Storage drawer construction
Painted fiberboard drawer fronts, particleboard drawer boxes with foil surfaces, roller slides. The drawers open from the side of the bed and pull out to their complete depth. The slide runs smoothly under normal load and has no soft-close hardware, so you push and pull them yourself. Capacity is generous and adequate for folded clothing, bedding, or miscellaneous bedroom storage.
Dual-use conversion system
A secondary LURÖY slatted base on casters stores under the main frame and rolls out when needed, and the two sleeping surfaces sit at matching heights once it's deployed. You supply a second mattress in matching single dimensions. IKEA HEMNES mattress dimensions are specific, so confirm measurements before buying a third-party mattress for the secondary position. The casters roll well across hard floor surfaces.
Assembly notes
Budget 2 to 3 hours for one person or 90 minutes for two. The drawer installation is the fiddly part, since the slide tracks have to line up. Tighten the cam-and-dowel connections fully on the first assembly, then go back around after 30 days, because the pine compresses slightly at the connection points. The LURÖY slatted bases snap onto the frame rails and need no tools.
Our Ratings
Overall score
The HEMNES daybed frame is fiberboard with an acrylic and polyester paint finish, not solid pine throughout. The bed base rails are solid pine, and the three drawers are particleboard with plastic foil components. So the primary frame structure is engineered wood, with solid pine limited to the load-bearing base components. IKEA's cam-and-dowel fastening system is used throughout; it has a finite assembly-cycle lifespan, and it holds up fine over the ownership period anyone expects at this price point. Priced at $399.
Classic IKEA design language, clean and inoffensive in most rooms. The HEMNES line runs slightly more traditional than IKEA's minimalist alternatives, with panel detailing that gives it a little warmth. It isn't a design statement, just a furniture object that serves its space without demanding attention.
Three storage drawers plus a convertible single-to-double sleeping function at $399 is essentially unmatched in the furniture market. If you need sleeping and bedroom storage out of one piece, the case makes itself. No comparable product at this price consistently matches the combination of features.
What People Are Saying
The IKEA HEMNES Day Bed is one of the most consistently recommended value furniture purchases in home decor communities, and the storage drawers and guest conversion are the reasons people name. Community feedback is realistic about the IKEA assembly system and the budget materials, and still overwhelmingly positive about what the bed does for the money. No comparable product at this price is consistently identified as a better alternative.
Reddit and Houzz commentary are weighted 3× against blog and editorial sources in our sentiment score. Brand PR has a well-documented influence on editorial coverage — direct owner reports from message boards tend to be more candid.
What Reddit Is Saying
“Had one for 2 years now. No issues at all, quite comfortable but make sure to invest in mattresses.”View thread →
“I have one as my spare bed. I bought 2 6 inch mattresses online so that it's more comfortable when used as a king sized bed. I make the bed so that the pillows are at the wall and the feet are at the drawers. It's easier to make the bed that way anyway, and takes away the need for someone having to climb out of what feels like a crib or a coffin. Thumbs up to the bed. Just get different mattresses!”View thread →
“We've had this bed for three years and used it primarily as a couch. Here are my thoughts: 1. Daybed's in general are not a great seating option for a lot of people - I generally like sitting in oversized chairs and big sofas so I can tuck my legs up, but the sides and back offer so little support in this that I hardly ever sit in it.”View thread →
“One of my relatives has it. I find it comfortable to sleep on as a twin. But not comfortable as a couch - mattress is fine supporting your whole body, but the concentrated weight of your butt needs more support.”View thread →
“Currently using one as my (temporary) main bed - it's plenty big enough (pretty much king size), the only issue I found is the mattresses are a bit too thin (can feel the slats with my bum when I sit on it!)”View thread →
“I bought one for my guest room a few years ago, hoping it would serve as both a comfortable bed and a stylish sofa. While it does look great, I found the assembly to be quite challenging, and the bed isn't as sturdy as I expected. The trundle feature is convenient, but it doesn't provide the same level of support as a regular bed. For occasional use, it's fine, but I wouldn't recommend it for daily sleeping.”View thread →
“The most stressful piece of ikea furniture I've ever owned. Was beautiful and fun to look at/design around, but ended up agonizing in its everyday use.”View thread →
“I have a review. sorry it's not positive but it's honest: It's a piece of crap. I bought one in white for a spare room so it can convert it a guest bed and I broke it trying to assemble it. When I closed the drawer a side panel warped and cracked somehow. Now the whole thing is unstable and it's just there until someone strong enough who I'm willing to ask to help me move it comes over lol”View thread →
“This is the most difficult piece of IKEA I've ever assembled. It took hours and hours. To make matters worse, it is nearly impossible to move once assembled.”View thread →
What Houzz Is Saying
“Many IKEA products are made mostly from particleboard, which I don’t like. The Hemnes line of products is primarily made of wood (typically Pine) rather than particleboard. I think it would be fine.”Source →
“My wife and I used that bed for our foster daughter (from 16-19), and she would often have her best friend over and they would both sleep in it just fine. She is pretty tall so I wasn't sure it was going to work but it always worked out great. No durability issues.”Source →
“Plus, it's a much more comfortable alternative to sofa bed and pulls out to king size if you need it. Pretty good deal I'd say, for a small monetary cost.”Source →
“Foam on the seat bench as a daily use item...the spring mattress in the "little used" trundle bed. And when you have your next guest...drop by Ikea again and pick up the $99 foam mattress and add it to the top of the spring mattress for comfort (I have this set up as my daily mattress and love it).”Source →
“But on the one occasion when we had two guests so needed to use both upper and lower sections, the trundle really didn't work for our two guests (a grandmother/grand-daughter couple that didn't want to be on top of eachother!). We ended up just pulling the foam mattress out of its frame, pushing the trundle frame back under the daybed, and putting the mattress on the floor for the grand-daughter in the corner of the room away from the daybed.”Source →
“We have this day bed. I used to have it in the nursery when the children were little so that I could feed them in the middle of the night. Unless you have a lot of cushions on it it will not be comfortable to sit on. You can't remove the trundle. It will take the strength out of the base and will also leave you with exposed metal framework at the front of the daybed.”Source →
What Others Are Saying
“The IKEA Hemnes daybed style is the best-selling version in the bunch.”Source →
“The Hemnes daybed is a smart solution if you live in a small space. It can serve as a single bed, a sofa, a daybed in the living room, and storage space in one piece of furniture for my spare bedroom.”Source →
“We've got a Hemnes day bed. It's really useful and leaves more space in the spare room when tucked away.”Source →
“It's great as all the bedding can be shoved in the drawers underneath and when it's not in use I just cover it up with a throw and cushions so it looks like a sofa.”Source →
“I have two of these beds. They have held up well. Both are used nightly for we purchased the first 8 years ago the other 3 years ago.”Source →
“I bought proper spring mattresses to replace the original thin foam ones — much more like a proper bed.”Source →
“Perfectly comfy and spacious — BUT — it's quite difficult to get out of if there are two of you in it.”Source →
“It's great for the odd night or two but I'd only ever use it as a spare, never as an everyday bed.”Source →
“It was quite tricky to pull in and out. I suspect it would be better on hard floor, we had a carpet. And the more we moved it around the more wobbly it became.”Source →
Frequently asked questions
Is the IKEA HEMNES Day Bed worth it?
Three storage drawers plus a convertible single-to-double sleeping function at $399 is essentially unmatched in the furniture market. If you need sleeping and bedroom storage out of one piece, the case makes itself. No comparable product at this price consistently matches the combination of features.
How is the IKEA HEMNES Day Bed built?
The HEMNES daybed frame is fiberboard with an acrylic and polyester paint finish, not solid pine throughout. The bed base rails are solid pine, and the three drawers are particleboard with plastic foil components. So the primary frame structure is engineered wood, with solid pine limited to the load-bearing base components.
What styles does the IKEA HEMNES Day Bed work with?
Classic IKEA design language, clean and inoffensive in most rooms. The HEMNES line runs slightly more traditional than IKEA's minimalist alternatives, with panel detailing that gives it a little warmth. It isn't a design statement, just a furniture object that serves its space without demanding attention.
What do real owners say about the IKEA HEMNES Day Bed?
The IKEA HEMNES Day Bed is one of the most consistently recommended value furniture purchases in home decor communities, and the storage drawers and guest conversion are the reasons people name. Community feedback is realistic about the IKEA assembly system and the budget materials, and still overwhelmingly positive about what the bed does for the money. No comparable product at this price is consistently identified as a better alternative.
Options Worth Checking Out
You Might Also Need
Accessories worth grabbing alongside your purchase
More IKEA Reviews
See all →
How Does It Compare?
Side-by-side breakdowns featuring this product
