In many homes or game rooms you will find an older style futon collecting dust and maybe being a home for the cat or dog.  But, with a bit of expense and the right eye for design you can turn that old futon into a nice addition to the overall design in your room.  Many people never replace the futon cover that originally came with the unit, and then miss out on the fun of adding a little color to an old piece of furniture.  First of all, the most popular futon covers are made of a tougher cotton fabric that stretches just a bit for a perfect fit.  You can also order custom futon covers based on exactly what you want on the cover.  Many futons that are in a game room or TV room will look great with a cover sporting a favorite team’s logo.

There are some similarities between the way we use our futons in the West and how they are used in the traditional Japanese way.  We’ll go over those similarities and differences briefly here.  For a more detailed description you can do a search for something like “Japanese Futon Mattress” in Google or Yahoo.

Basically, the traditional futon is a two part system consisting of a mattress and then a topper.  The mattress itself is made of cotton or other wool materials and the topper is usually also cotton or wool.  These two are paired to create the traditional Japanese futon.  In our country, futon mattresses are made to be much thicker and have a frame with armrests or other amenities.  In Japan, the futon is used for sleeping as the primary arrangement.  Here, we use them as secondary sleeping arrangements for guests or extra seating as a sofa-couch.

A futon is both versatile and functional. It can be a cost-effective couch and bed with most new models starting from $70. They are often used as a space saving guest bed or in university dorms as the main bed and couch.

One of the first places to find a futon mattress for sale is the classifieds in the newspaper. If you live on a campus then the college newsletter would be a good option.

Another way is to look out for moving apartment sales. If you live in an apartment block many people who are moving out will put up notices about the furniture that they no longer want or need that they will be selling.

Online there are traditional websites like Amazon and eBay. There is also Craigslist.

Finally, if all else fails, there is the traditional way of buying futon mattresses – a department store.