According to Japanese folklore, futons were crafted by samurais who were no good at swordplay – those who hadn’t fully honed their craft. The same could be said today. The futon is regarded as a young man or a lazy man’s bed, couch, seat (what-have-you). To me the futon is the province of the young. If I still have one in my 40s and it’s not in at the rumpus room of my Westchester pile, I know I will have blown it somewhere in life.
That said, if you are young and still figuring it out, you probably already know to buy one of these guys. What you might not know is that you can also do it with a bit of style. If I can steal from Japanese lore, and invoke the spirit of the ninja now, I would recommend selecting a futon that doesn’t look like a futon at first glance – a convertible. They look a bit more grown up and won’t scare off the fairer sex. These days the style of the western futon is evolving at a surprising rate. Choose wisely grasshopper and you can find something both stylish and functional.
