5 Best Single Mattress Options For Apartments That Maximize Every Inch
Maximize your small space with these mattresses.
Your bed is the biggest piece of furniture in your apartment. It’s a non-negotiable item that dictates the layout, flow, and function of your entire living area. In a studio or one-bedroom, that single piece of furniture can easily consume 50 square feet of precious floor space, turning a multi-purpose room into just a bedroom.
This isn’t just about finding a mattress that fits. It’s about choosing a strategic tool that gives you back control over your space. The right single mattress can be the difference between a cramped room dominated by a bed and a flexible, functional home that adapts to your needs throughout the day.
We’re going to look at mattresses not just as places to sleep, but as design components. The goal is to find a solution that provides comfort when you need it and disappears when you don’t. This is how you start winning the battle for square footage.
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Find Your Perfect Small Space Sleep Solution
The first mistake people make is thinking all small mattresses are the same. A Twin XL for a dorm-style loft bed serves a completely different purpose than a foldable mattress you store in a closet. The real question isn’t "what size?" but "what function?"
Your lifestyle dictates the right choice. Are you creating a permanent, cozy sleep nook, or do you need your living room to transform into a bedroom every night? Answering this honestly is the most critical step. A permanent bed offers set-it-and-forget-it comfort, while a convertible option demands daily effort but delivers maximum floor space.
Think of it as a tradeoff between convenience and versatility. A fixed bed on a platform frame gives you under-bed storage but locks in your layout. A futon or tri-fold mattress frees up the entire room but requires you to "make" and "unmake" your space daily. There is no single right answer, only the right answer for how you live.
Zinus Green Tea: Budget Comfort for Your Nook
When you have a dedicated corner for sleeping, you don’t need a mattress that does tricks. You need one that is comfortable, affordable, and has a low profile. The Zinus Green Tea mattress is a workhorse for exactly this scenario.
Experience restful sleep with the Zinus 12-inch Queen Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress. Its zoned pressure relief technology targets discomfort, while natural green tea and charcoal infusions ensure all-night freshness. Certified safe foams and fabric provide peace of mind.
This is a simple memory foam mattress that comes in a box. Its strength lies in its simplicity and availability in slimmer profiles, like 6 or 8 inches. A thinner mattress means more headroom in a loft, a lower overall bed height for a less imposing look, and an easier time fitting it onto minimalist platform frames. It’s the go-to for building a permanent, comfortable bed without the bulk of a traditional mattress.
Experience cool, all-position comfort with this 8-inch gel memory foam mattress. It provides pressure relief and spinal alignment for restful sleep, featuring a breathable, washable cover for easy maintenance.
Don’t overthink it. For a dedicated sleeping space, you want reliability over novelty. This mattress delivers consistent comfort without the high price tag, allowing you to put your budget toward other space-saving solutions, like a good storage bed frame. This is your foundational piece for a permanent small bedroom.
This queen bed frame offers ample storage with a 2-tier headboard featuring a built-in charging station and four under-bed drawers. The sturdy metal structure ensures noise-free support and includes customizable RGB LED lighting for a personalized ambiance.
Milliard Tri-Fold: The Ultimate Space-Saver
This isn’t just a mattress; it’s a piece of convertible furniture. The Milliard Tri-Fold is for the person who needs their floor space back every single morning, no exceptions. When folded, it becomes a functional ottoman or a low-profile floor chair.
The magic is in its stowability. It can slide under a console table, fit inside a large closet, or become part of your seating arrangement. This is the solution for guest beds in a small office, or for studio dwellers who refuse to let a bed define their living room. It transforms a room from a bedroom back into a living space in under a minute.
Understand the compromise here. You’re trading the luxury of a permanent bed for ultimate flexibility. It sits directly on the floor, so it’s a lower sleeping position, and it requires the daily discipline of folding and unfolding. But if maximizing daytime living area is your absolute top priority, no other option returns as much square footage.
Linenspa Hybrid: Support Without the Bulk
All-foam mattresses aren’t for everyone. Some people need the responsive support of coils, but traditional innerspring mattresses are often thick, heavy, and difficult to maneuver in tight apartment hallways. The Linenspa Hybrid offers a practical middle ground.
By combining a layer of coils with foam, these mattresses provide more bounce and edge support than their all-foam counterparts. Crucially, they often come in 8 or 10-inch profiles that don’t feel overwhelming. This makes them a perfect match for simple metal platform frames, which preserve visual openness and maximize under-bed storage potential.
This sturdy queen-size metal bed frame offers reliable mattress support without needing a box spring. Enjoy ample under-bed storage space and a sleek, minimalist design that complements any bedroom.
This is the choice for someone who wants the feel of a "real bed" without committing to a massive, 12-inch-plus mattress. It’s supportive enough for nightly use but light enough to be manageable. It strikes a balance between the firm support of traditional beds and the modern convenience of a bed-in-a-box.
DHP Futon Mattress: Your Sofa and Bed in One
Enjoy comfortable seating and sleeping with this 6-inch futon mattress, featuring thermobonded high-density polyester fill for lasting shape retention. Its GREENGUARD GOLD certification ensures low chemical emissions, and the durable polyester cover wipes clean easily.
The futon is the original dual-use sleeping solution, and modern versions have come a long way. The DHP 8-inch futon mattress is designed specifically for this dual role, offering enough cushioning to be a comfortable couch and a supportive bed. This is for the person who needs one piece of furniture to serve two primary functions in the exact same spot.
The key is mattress thickness. A thin, 6-inch futon mattress will feel fine for sitting, but you’ll likely feel the frame when sleeping. An 8-inch mattress provides the necessary padding to work well for both sitting and sleeping, making the transition seamless. It’s the most efficient way to have both a full-size sofa and a bed in a small studio.
This solution is about footprint efficiency. You are dedicating one specific zone of your apartment to both lounging and sleeping. It’s less flexible than a tri-fold mattress you can store away, but it’s far more convenient if you want a dedicated sofa. It’s the ultimate two-for-one deal in furniture.
Nod by Tuft & Needle: Premium Feel, Small Size
Just because your space is small doesn’t mean your comfort has to be compromised. The Nod by Tuft & Needle is for those who prioritize sleep quality above all else but still need a mattress that works in a compact environment. It brings a premium, adaptive foam feel to the bed-in-a-box market.
This mattress provides a higher level of pressure relief and temperature regulation than many budget foam options. If you’re using your bed for sleeping, working, and lounging, that added comfort makes a huge difference. It’s an investment in the quality of the one-third of your life you spend in bed, even if that bed is tucked into the corner of your living room.
Think of this as the upgrade pick. It’s for the person who has tried basic foam mattresses and wants something more responsive and supportive for long-term, nightly use. It proves that you don’t have to sacrifice a premium sleep experience to live efficiently in a small apartment.
How to Choose Your Ideal Apartment Mattress
Don’t start by looking at brands; start by auditing your life and your space. Your daily habits are the best guide to the right mattress. A clear-eyed assessment of your needs will narrow the field faster than any online review.
Ask yourself these critical questions:
- Permanence: Will this bed stay set up 24/7, or does it need to be put away daily?
- Primary Use: Is this strictly for sleeping, or is it also your sofa and workspace?
- Frequency: Is this for nightly use or for occasional guests?
- Foundation: Will it be on the floor, a platform frame, a loft, or a convertible futon frame?
Your answers create a blueprint. If you need to put it away daily, you’re looking at a tri-fold. If it’s a permanent bed that’s also your sofa, a futon is the answer. If it’s a dedicated sleep-only zone, a hybrid or foam mattress on a platform frame is your best bet. Match the mattress to the mission.
Reclaim Your Floor Space With the Right Bed
The mattress is the anchor of your small living strategy. Choosing the right one isn’t a final touch; it’s a foundational decision that impacts everything else. It defines what’s possible in your home.
A bulky, traditional bed and box spring demands a permanent, single-use zone. It forces you to design your life around it. A low-profile hybrid on a storage frame, a convertible futon, or a storable tri-fold mattress does the opposite—it adapts to your needs, giving you a bedroom at night and a living room, office, or studio during the day.
Ultimately, this choice is about more than sleep. It’s about reclaiming your most valuable asset: square footage. By selecting a bed that aligns with your small-space goals, you’re not just buying a mattress; you’re designing a more flexible, efficient, and enjoyable home.
Living in a small apartment is a constant exercise in efficiency. Every object must justify its footprint, and nothing has a larger footprint than your bed. Treating your mattress choice as a strategic design decision is the single most impactful thing you can do to maximize your space.
Don’t let a conventional bed hold your floor plan hostage. Whether it’s a simple foam block in a cozy nook or a clever folding mattress that disappears by day, the right solution empowers you to live a larger life in a smaller space. Choose wisely, and you’ll get more than a good night’s sleep—you’ll get your living room back.
