A futon lounger is to a futon what a chaise lounge is to a couch. Instead of being a full futon, it is about the size of a love seat or large easy chair, and when it folds out it, is almost identical to a chaise lounge except that it is often a bit closer to the ground. In modern interior design, a futon lounger is often used as a replacement for the chaise lounge, which is considered by most interior decorators to be quite antique-looking in its standard form. In most cases, a futon lounger is used in a den or living room, but it can also be used in sleeping quarters as a narrow bed.
Depending on the design of a futon lounger, it may have arms on either side. In some rare cases, the lounger is designed so that the arms fold down to create a bed. This is uncommon as most futon loungers are designed so that the back folds down, as with most traditionally designed futons. Some people prefer loungers with arms to loungers without arms because the arms make loungers feel a bit more like traditional couches. Futon loungers without arms are somewhat more modern looking.
One of the benefits of a futon lounger is that, much like a futon, it can be used for both sitting and sleeping. Although it may not be as spacious and comfortable for sleeping as a full-sized futon, a futon lounger often works quite well for a house guest who is only staying for a night or two. While it may accommodate one adult comfortably, a futon lounger will probably not accommodate a couple.
Sitting in a futon lounger is much like sitting in an easy chair with one's feet up on an ottoman. The experience is also akin to sitting in an easy chair that has a built-in foot rest. For this reason, many people consider the futon lounger to be a modern take on the easy chair. It is common to see futon loungers used in designs for modern living rooms. One of the design benefits of a futon lounger is that it is quite easy to update the item when a living room or den is being redecorated by covering the padded part of the futon with a new cover, a process that is much less expensive than reupholstering a couch or love seat.
