WOW Great ideas. I would love to have a pretty little sofa bed. Maybe some day.

I like the screen idea too. If you were putting some one up in the open living room a screen would work here. Then it could be stored out of the way when you did not need it for guests privacy. Would not be ideal but workable.

We rarely have company and so far never more than one person at a time. This is why I refuse to fill up my sewing room with a full sized bed. Futon is it for now unless I can find a sweet little sleeper sofa.

Oh my, I'd forgotten this thread, and it slipped through the cracks. I will wait for Mama to see it now that it is up top again.
I think Scandinavians use the built in beds with curtains. I know I toured a Chinese home (brought to Salem MA Essex Museum and reconstructed there) and they had these carved beds with fabric hangings to keep warm and private probably. VERY interesting home. They would not let me take pictures inside though. And for the rain water, they used those huge diameter bamboo poles, and kept the water in a sistern and one was for laundry and one for cooking/drinking. They could barricade the place too, because all the men (and boys older than 12) went to the big city to work and the house was occupied by women, girls, and young boys, and there were bandits around, so they had high walls and could barricade the only entrance to this world of women. Reminded me of a New Orleans courtyard with 2 stories and open walkways around the upper level, shutters were raised inward to the ceiling when it was good weather, and they hung the laundry on the railings or a rope strung between the vertical timbers. When bad weather came, they dropped the shutters to keep out rain or some of the wind, and closed the bed drapery. Small braziers heated individual rooms. The grandmother was head of the family in this house. I like this house so much that when we go north again, I'll visit the museum to see this house. Wonderful place.

Another thing to note...They named the house, something I also like to do. They choose a name which describes the life they wish to live there.....sweet!

Here is a link that might be useful: Yin YuTang Chinese House