All You Need to Know About Sofa Beds

With homes getting smaller, and the cost of extra bedrooms ever more expensive, it’s hardly surprising that more and more creative ways of doubling up living space with sleeping space have appeared. Whether it’s to maximise space in a bedsit, student room or studio flat, or to allow guests to sleep over in a living room or study, a sofa bed is the ideal solution.

Sofa beds are a quick and flexible way to provide a full-size, comfortable bed without permanently losing the space taken up by the bed. During the day, or when not in use for longer periods, they fold away into a sofa that is indistinguishable from any other sofa, and without compromising on size, style or comfort.

Single Sofa Bed

Some of the simplest sofa beds convert into a single bed, often with the occupant sleeping on the sofa lengthways, although sometimes it may be that just half the sofa folds out.

With a single person sleeping on the sofa lengthways, the advantage is that the bed need to take up little or no more room than the sofa, which is ideal if floor space is at a premium, as there is no need to rearrange tables or move other furniture around. The disadvantage is that, for a comfortable night’s sleep for an adult, the sofa needs to be somewhat over six foot long or have some kind of extension, meaning that it is only really a viable arrangement with a larger sofa.

For single sofa beds that fold out, a little more floor space is required, but much less than for a double sofa bed, which can be advantageous. They are also often lighter and easier to move around, and sometimes the other half of the sofa may open up into a compartment in which bedding can be stored, making them a practical, self-contained solution.

Double Sofa Bed

A more common style of sofa bed is the double sofa bed, in which a two or three-seat sofa folds out fully into a full-size double bed.

These are perhaps the most flexible and useful options, especially as a guest bed, since they allow a couple to be accommodated comfortably. Since they typically have a separate mattress that does not make use of the sofa cushions, they are also often more comfortable than a single sofa bed that simply uses the sofa as a mattress, and both look and feel more like a ‘real’ bed when set up.

The disadvantage is that the folding mechanism of a double sofa bed can make the whole sofa heavy, and a reasonable amount of room must be cleared in front of the sofa for the bed to be unfolded.

Kids Sofa Bed

Because children’s beds can get away with being a good deal smaller than an adult bed, there are often more options with a kid’s sofa bed. In particular, it is much easier to use a lengthway configuration as the length of the sofa can be shorter. Many kids’ sofa beds are also simpler, with just the cushions unfolding to create the bed, and less need for a full-size frame and springs to support a mattress. This makes them ideal for when your kids have friends sleeping over, or for grandparents and other family to keep in their house for occasional visits by younger children.

Sofa Bed Sale

Sofa beds can be amongst the more expensive options for a sofa, as the folding bed mechanism is complex and has multiple moving parts. This means that for some purchasers it can be well worth looking for sofa beds in a sale. These are often ex-display beds, in which case they may have a little wear from the showroom, but will never have been slept in. Others will be returns or end-of-line items. Regardless, all are likely to be in good condition, although any minor wear or damage will be clearly identified, and can often be as much as 50% off, and occasionally a little more.