Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The indulgence of a bed outside the bedroom has long had a special appeal. The ancient Greeks lounged on klines, while Victorian women suffering from tightly-laced corsets are said to have collapsed onto “fainting couches”. With the release of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona daybed in 1930, the versatile furniture item took on its most iconic shape – a simple tufted mattress with a cylindrical headrest. I’m a daytime napper, and find daybeds nice for that purposeFor contemporary designers, the horizontal plane of the daybed makes it a useful tool in the home. “I’m a daytime napper, and find daybeds nice for that purpose,” says Canadian designer Thom Fougere. “But I know others like them as a bridge between two adjacent spaces.” His backless model for Mjölk can “float” in the centre of a room without visually segregating it. Japanese brand Time & Style have harnessed this concept to create a whole collection of flat seating options that can be freely arranged across the floor. We’ve selected the best new daybeds for a stylish siesta. Some riff on classic designs with upholstery and bolster cushions. Others use the sleek surface to showcase interesting craft techniques and unusual materials such as woven bulrush or washi salvaged from ceremonial dragon costumes. Bouclé beautyThe Dusty Deco V Daybed rests on a beech base in the Swedish brand’s signature V-shape. It is upholstered in velvet or cosy bouclé with a “sunken” headrest. €2,240, dustydeco.comIndustrial modeFrederik Fialin’s ultra-modern Monteverdi Daybed features a thin sheet of steel on wide tubular legs, plus a mattress in velvet or linen. €7,700, frederikfialin.comA penchant for paperFor his inaugural furniture collection Paper for Béton Brut gallery, David Horan reworks leathery Sekishu paper from the giant dragons that star in Japan’s Iwami Kagura shows. His low daybed features a tiered stack of cushions. POA, betonbrut.co.ukIndian idyllicÆquō’s grand Ajanta daybed sits in a curved hollow of teak wood, hand-carved in Bangalore. Its seat is woven from rice straw. €24,000, aequo.inMidcentury modernistaThe star of Thom Fougere’s minimalist oeuvre is this three-quarter length daybed topped by a down-filled mattress with midcentury-style tufting – and space at one end doubling as a side table. Choose from a white oak and tan leather combo or a darker oiled walnut with navy Colline fabric. From C$7,960 (about £4,507), mjolk.caSleek and simpleTime & Style drew on Japanese futons and tatami mats for its modular Stone Garden collection, a flexible seating system. From €1,500, timeandstyle.comArtisanal ensembleInspired by architect Luis Barragán, Atelier de Troupe’s Pedregal collection employs brutalist and art deco shapes and woods that are sourced and handmade with Mexican artisans. The daybed has a striking solid base and headrests on both sides. $18,000, atelierdetroupe.comDark and dreamyKāna Objects’ Yoishu daybed combines sleek panels of handbrushed, smoked or swamp oak with soft vintage hemp cushions designed by Isabelle Yamamoto. From €10,000, kanaobjects.comA sweeping statementKentaro Takashina creates a smooth rounded silhouette for his Endai design by cold-moulding strips of red cedar, a technique traditionally used for ships’ hulls. The daybed is topped with white leather and a maple headrest. $25,600, studiotashtego.comExpressive impactA series of bolster cushions perched on beech slats create a sense of dynamism within Gärsnäs’ playful Dag daybed, which designers Teresa Lundmark and Gustav Winsth call “a meeting between the minimal and the expressive”. From £2,868, garsnas.seLush in rushA hand-woven rush surface and oak button feet add natural texture to Studio Atkinson’s Bulrush daybed, which comes with an optional deep cushion. From £3,500, studio-atkinson.com
