The Best Sofa Bed

Whether you live in a McMansion or a starter apartment, multifunctional furniture pieces serve an important purpose in your lifestyle. For smaller spaces, multitasking furniture, such as a sleeper sofa, make maximum use of the limited floor area while addressing multiple needs. Even when you have room to roam in your home, it is always helpful to be prepared for company with a pop-up bed for weekend guests. The key is finding the right piece that will fit the space as part of your living/entertaining or home office setup but converts into a bed easily.

Brief History of the Sleeper Sofa

The original sofa bed was actually a sleeper desk. The design for a folding bed that fit into a writing desk was patented by Sarah E. Goode, a furniture store owner in Chicago, as a solution for customers living in small apartments. In the late 1800s, Leonard Bailey received a patent for a folding bed that consisted of a hinged metal frame and a folding mattress. This design was mass-produced for the use of military forces and recreational campers.
In 1908, Patrick Murphy designed a bed with a pivot and hinge mechanism that would flip the bed into a recess in the wall, leaving a larger living space when the bed was not in use. By 1931, Bernard Castro, an Italian immigrant, began designing and manufacturing convertible sofas that stored a pull-out bed frame and mattress within the sofa frame. This design is the basis of today’s convertible sofas.

Sofa Bed Styles

You can call it a sleeper sofa, a convertible couch, hide-a-bed or a Murphy bed. When researching your options, make sure that you have decided how this furniture piece is going to be used most of the time because this will have an impact on your shortlist and final decision. Your choices may be different if the bed feature is to be used for occasional guests compared to a bed that will most likely be pulled out every night, which would be the case in studio apartments.

Sleeper Sectionals

Sectionals as living room or den furniture are large, bulky and take up a lot of room, but they also provide the most seating for lounging and entertaining. They are called sectionals because the sofa comes in separate pieces that can be used as one unit or separated into a couch, chair or divan. Note that the size of the hidden bed will vary in a sectional sofa because only one section will host the bed. Typically, the sectional sleeper will have a queen-size mattress large enough for two adults. If the other end of the sectional is a divan, this can be used as a smaller bed by itself.

Futons

Futon is the Japanese word for bed. The American futon is designed to multitask as a sofa that converts to a bed by releasing a catch that holds the back up so that the frame and the pad will lie down flat to form a queen or full size bed. The bottom of the futon may be outfitted with storage drawers for storing the bedding. Futons are bulky furniture that may consist of a metal or wood frame. The wood frame version is more desirable for aesthetic reasons, but this may also be the heavier version that will be more difficult to move. Casters are rarely used with futons because of the weight.

Convertible Love Seat

A love seat seats two people, and it is the ideal size for small living rooms and recovered spaces near a stairway for instance. A convertible love seat can be turned into a twin or full-size bed by accessing the pullout bed or releasing the lever to drop the seat back into the flat position.

Chair and Chair-and-a-half Sleepers

A chair-and-a-half is wider than a standard chair but not nearly as wide as a love seat. Designed as convertible furniture, these pieces turn into twin beds. If you have limited floor area, this is a good choice to add an occasional chair and a guest bed.
Some of these chairs convert into a twin bed by flipping the pads to a single layer while others convert by reclining the back completely.

Divan Sleepers

The long, low structure of the divan makes it a perfect candidate for a sofa bed. Armless divans convert by releasing the catch to allow the padded back to fall flat and level with the seat to form the bed, which is usually a twin or full size bed. The divan sleeper may include a storage drawer under the seat for stowing the bedding when not in use.

Ottoman Sleepers

Aside from its standard use as a sofa extension, an ottoman can also be used as a coffee table or extra seating in the living area. Fashioned like a storage chest, it is also a storage option. However, in an ottoman that converts to a bed, the frame and mattress fold into the storage area. This type of convertible furniture is more convenient to keep around compared to the airbed, but it may not be the sturdiest choice.

Details Matter when Shopping for a Convertible Couch

With an abundance of options, it may be difficult to focus on what really matters when shopping for a sleeper sofa. Here are some of the most important considerations to make sure you get the right furniture.

Size

Measure the space that you have designated for the sleeper sofa before you even start shopping or browsing. It is also important to measure your doorways to make sure that the furniture can fit past these portals. Sofa sleepers tend to be heavy and difficult to move. Make sure that you have enough space for the bed when it is pulled out.

Additionally, pay attention to mattress measurements as pullout beds tend to run shorter than standard mattresses. Make sure that you can find the right bedding and replacement mattresses should you need them.

Pullout and Conversion Mechanism

If you can, examine and test the pullout mechanism thoroughly. Converting from couch to bed should be a one-person task if the mechanism is in good shape and designed correctly. Check that all moving parts are secure and in working order. Test the mechanism several times to make sure it functions as it should.

Bed Frames

Pullout beds are typically made with metal with canvas decking to support the mattress and the user. If the frame is made of wood, check that the wood is durable and kiln dried to minimize sprinting and maximize longevity.

Mattress

The mattresses on sofa beds vary in thickness and material. Memory foam is the preferred material in modern sofa beds, but not all designs are compatible with this mattress type. Some sofa beds may come with mattresses featuring traditional inner coil springs. Some sofa sleepers are designed to accommodate a specific mattress size to ensure that the bed folds back in properly. You can also add a mattress topper to enhance comfort. Test the bed for comfort before offering it to a guest.

A sofa bed can be a smart addition to your home if you find the right piece. It should fit in with the rest of your interior design while remaining functional as a seating option for guests. Conversion to a bed should be convenient and manageable. Finally, the furniture itself should be comfortable as both sofa and bed.

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This page about Sofa Bed was composed by V. Tobies and published by Alternative.me.
It was last updated on 2024-12-22 08:15:10 and has been viewed 4561 times.