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Step inside Leanne Ford’s reimagined guest cottage and you’ll be immersed in what the designer describes as her aesthetic essence: visual simplicity. After several years of living the cottagecore life, Ford was craving an interior that favored the clean and peaceful over the textural and eclectic. “I thought, it’s time to get this back to me,” Ford told our deputy editor, Julie Vadnal. “I wanted to simplify. I had to undesign it.” While lounge inspiration can be found throughout the home, we were particularly drawn to the cozy upstairs common space padded with soft surfaces. As part of a long-dreamed-of project, Ford and her team removed a non-load-bearing bedroom wall to create space for the new layout. The finishing touch—and our new obsession—was stacking two twin mattresses on the floor with Crate & Barrel’s Ever daybed covers zipped over them. By layering in a rug at the base and tossing a few linen throw pillows from her collection to tie it all together, Ford created the best DIY daybed hack we’ve seen to date.
Ever White Daybed Mattress Cover by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel
The mattresses are easy to reconfigure for guests as loungers by day and impromptu extra-sleep space by night. Each slipcover is made from 100 percent performance cotton and designed to pair with the Ever daybed, priced at nearly $1,500 for the frame alone or $1,600 for the frame and mattress combo. But with Ford’s refreshing “undesign it” hack, you only need to purchase two of the slipcovers (currently on sale for $99) to outfit a pair of 7-inch-high twin mattresses (we found this top-rated option for under $150), saving yourself close to $1,000.
Ever Slipcovered White Daybed by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel
Ever Slipcovered White Daybed & Mattress Cover by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel
Shop our top picks for more DIY daybed hack essentials—including affordable twin mattresses paired with their appropriately sized slipcovers and lounge-to-sleep-ready throw pillows.
7'' Medium Gel Memory Foam Mattress, Alwyn Home
Daybed Mattress Cover Eco Linen, Etsy
5 in. Twin Memory Foam Mattress for Daybed, Milliard
Heavy Cotton IKEA Farlov Sofa Replacement Slipcover, Amazon
Jackie Stripe Linen Natural Standard Sham by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel
Matthew 30u0022x30u0022 Mudcloth Throw Pillow Cover by Leanne Ford, Crate & Barrel
