Mattress stores are so omnipresent these days it’s become a real struggle for sleep shops to stand out from their stuffed, sprung & padded competition.

Mattress stores (along with dollar stores) are the rats and roaches of the retail apocalypse, spreading across the nation(s) under so many names it’s hard to keep track of them all. On the flip side, mattress store owners are doing their utmost to rise above the tide. Take Houston-based Mattress Firm, for instance. Flickr member revjdevans snapped a series of evocative photos that feature a red tube man advertising a store in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ironically, since 2010 the City of Houston has banned tube men, stating their use “contributes to urban visual clutter and blight and adversely affects the aesthetic environment and the safety and quality of life for the community and the citizens of the city.” Sucks to be you, safe and aesthetic Houston.

Myers, Myers, Myers!

Is their life on Myers? More to the point, are there mattresses at Myers… and if so, WHICH Myers? No less than six Myers-centric sign legends look out from the otherwise subdued-looking store in Crouch End, London, UK. Flickr member gingerbeardman found himself “Myer’d” in mattress store heaven (or hell) in February of 2009.

The Gift of Good Nights

Most mattresses we’ve seen better resemble plains than mountains, though perhaps the former is a tad too “plain” to use for advertising purposes. Speaking of which, Mountain Mattress in central Appalachia has labeled itself as a “gift emporium”. Remind us to reference them next time a friend or family member gets hitched – they’ll never, ever forget your thoughtfulness. Kudos to Flickr member da_mere for reading the sign’s double-take-worthy subtext back in the summer of ’06.

Civil Snore

Southern sleepers will rise again… every morning, soon as the alarm goes off. And by “southern”, we mean southern Portland, Oregon, according to Scott Beale / Laughing Squid who posted the above photo at Flickr. Beale captured the incongruous (did any Civil War battles take place in Oregon?) mattress store in early 2010, though likely not without a fight.

Dublin Down

Ethnic humor ain’t what it used to be – not that we’re complaining – and these days only Canadians, Scots and the Irish are still fair game for stereotypical profiling. Problem? Not for “Mick” (if that’s really your name) of Mattress Mick’s Superstore in Coolock, Dublin. In related news, it would appear that mattresses are being made in Ireland, presumably stuffed with shamrocks and Lucky Charms marshmallows… NTTAWWT. Flickr member William Murphy photo-documented Mattress Mick’s garish storefront in early 2016.

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Box Springs Eternal 10 Sheet Kickin Mattress Stores

Blow-up dolls and boyfriend-shaped body pillows may make you feel a little less lonely, but they can’t give you a massage – unlike this multifunctional bed that performs so many functions, you half-expect it to cook you breakfast in the morning. Sold by a variety of Asian retailers for roughly $600 USD, including SG Shop and English TaoBao, this slightly bonkers piece of furniture incorporates virtually everything you can imagine (reasonably) wanting to be built right into your bed, from USB chargers, speakers, power outlets and a pop-out laptop table to an actual built-in massage chair with multiple settings.

Lift up the mattress to find plenty of storage underneath for extra bedding and ubiquitous pillows. There’s also hidden storage in the bench at the foot of the bed, and shelves all along both sides. Optional features include leather upholstery instead of the default fabric, which comes in a multitude of colors, and even a freaking safe to hold your valuables.

If there’s one glaringly obvious feature this bed doesn’t have to offer, it’s a mattress long enough for the average American. The small size measures just 4’11” while the large size adds a foot. So if you’re larger of stature, this bed might not be for you – at least, not to sleep in. It would still make a pretty cool living room lounger. If you were designing your own all-in-one dream bed, what would you add? A mini fridge? A built-in coffee maker?

h/t My Modern Met

Turn your home into a gallery with functional furnishings that double as sculpture, like cabinets in the form of human torsos and beds shaped like roller coasters. These 18 designs blur the lines between furniture and art, blending gallery-worthy aesthetics with practical purposes.

Enignum Chairs, Tables and Beds by Joseph Walsh

Artist Joseph Walsh strips wood into thin layers to create incredibly delicate-looking sculptural forms that also function as an array of practical objects. “Using free form design allows the material to dictate the composition,” reads Walsh’s artist statement. “Tables, chairs, entire walls that don’t just straddle the universes of art, architecture and function but unify them into a beautiful equation.”

La Montaña Rusa Roller Coaster Bed

The shape of this communal bed and lounging area by artist duo ‘Los Carpinteros’ echoes that of a rollercoaster, the pink padded surfaces rising and falling in a reference to “the cycles of life, rest, dreaming, sexuality, birth and death.”

Human Figure Cabinets by Peter Rolfe

The nude human form becomes more than just a visual to admire in the hands of woodworker Peter Rolfe, who has created a series of figurative sculptures that are also cabinets. Drawers pull out of some unexpected places, the seams sometimes hidden so you have to paw around a bit to find them.

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Form Follows Function 18 Sculptural Home Furnishings

When you want to have a place for house guests to sleep but don’t have a spare room in which to put them, a sofa bed can be a lifesaver. This original piece of transforming furniture has often been mocked as uncomfortable, ugly, and inconvenient. But today, a new generation of sleeper sofas is turning that perception upside down with style and surprising functionality.

(images via: Bonbon)

The DOC sofa bed from UK company Bonbon is an elegant solution to the small-space conundrum. By day it’s a regular-looking (and rather stylishly modern) sofa, but by night – or just when your old college roommates are visiting – it transforms into a bunk bed with room for two. As the video above demonstrates, the action to take the DOC from sofa to bunk bed is surprisingly simple.

(images via: Dornob)

Italian furniture manufacturer Campeggi might just be onto something with their push-button convertible sofa. Rather than moving cushions, pulling hard on a reluctant mattress and trying desperately to smooth everything into place, this sofa lets you extend a single finger to take it from couch to bed. The drawbacks, of course, include having to keep it near an electrical outlet and the potential for inconvenient breakdowns – but it might be worth it to never have to deal with a standard sleeper sofa again.

(images via: Bonbon)

Not all sofa beds are alike, as evidenced by the Adam horizontal wall bed unit from Bonbon. Designed to fit into an office or den setting, the actual bed pulls down from the wall to cover the sofa. The clever setup is a bit different than the typical convertible sofa, but the Murphy bed-type solution still allows for a multi-functional space.

(images via: Bonbon)

Likewise, the Altea Relax creates a room that can be made for socializing or for sleeping – all using a minimal amount of floor space. The Altea Relax incorporates a wall storage unit along with a pull-down bed, and the lower sofa segment also features a handy storage space under its surface.

(images via: de Sede)

While not exactly a sofa that transforms into a bed, the DS-1164 from Swiss furniture maker de Sede is both a sofa and a bed. The elegant piece of furniture features “bed heads” which can be moved around into any configuration to create a comfy lounging or sleeping spot, no matter what time of day it is. As if it wasn’t hard enough to get out of bed in the morning already.

(images via: Dornob)

This modular convertible sofa from Dutch designers Zuiver is a fun departure from the usual bed-or-sofa binary design. It allows each individual segment to be moved up or down as desired, creating entirely new pieces of furniture every time. When entirely unfolded, the sofa could easily be used as a comfy temporary bed.

(images via: Grüne Erde)

The stylish Stefano sofa bed completely redefines the functionality of a sofa bed, lending a superbly unique form factor to the classic piece of furniture. Rather than a sofa out of which a bed is pulled, the Stefano is a folding piece of soft foam that takes the form of a sofa when folded and a bed when unfolded. With no moving parts, the Stefano is simple enough for anyone to operate.

Here’s what happens when creative types have difficulty sleeping… their bedroom set invariably gets an interesting makeover. Some of the most interesting beds stray from normal conventions and show a surprisingly rare creativity.

(Images via architecthousedesigns, gandana, apartmenttherapy, foundshit)

Circular beds are cool, but circular beds suspended from the ceiling are even cooler. The so-called Floating Bed is an interesting product that can be hung inside or outside, depending on one’s desire. They are a bit more expensive than a conventional mattress, but for good reason! Look how well they complement a living room, bedroom, and porch. The non floating circular bed is just there to compare how drab the Floating Bed makes even an unconventional mattress seem.

(Images via apartmenttherapy, inahole, intellibed, asylum)

Car lovers will instantly understand the appeal of these beds. Whether one creates a vehicle bed for a child who wants to be an astronaut, or simply wants to take the old Mercury for a spin (notice the working headlights), this is a creative way to go. The V8 hotel in Germany holds the honor of having some of the coolest beds around, including the Mercedes Benz going through a faux car wash, and a 70’s Cadillac sitting out under the stars at a drive-in theater.

(Images via manolohome, homeinteriordesignthemes, mazamail, buzzfeed)

Some beds are stranger than others. We like to call these artistic. For example, this lovely bed designed to look like a trap, or this furry dog pod bed meant to entertain a pooch in style. The elegant and organic looking wooden bed seems very conventional once once examines the terrifying clam bed, for those who want to actually become pearls.

(Images via 2pep, sleeprevolution)

A lot of parents like to incorporate animals in the design for a kid’s room, but those inspirations typically stay on the walls. Here are two examples where that didn’t happen. The home-made dinosaur bed could be a bit terrifying for the youngest kids, but most children would likely find it awesome. It’s hard not to like the shark bed, which definitely seems to match the window decor.

(Images via gajitz)

The futuristic HiCan bed has some amazing features. Beyond its modern look, it also has a built in projector and video game console. It looks like the ultimate in sophistication, even though it’s actually the ultimate man-cave.

(Images via simplydesigning, girlscurls)

A kid’s room should be entertaining and fun, right? Here are two girl’s bedrooms that take the princess theme to a new level. The first is a carriage straight out of a fairy tale, while the second is built as a castle / playroom with a bunk bed on top.