Too many sofa beds fall short of being useful as either a sofa or a bed. With firm cushions, bad support, thin mattresses and clunky mechanisms, they’re usually not met with great enthusiasm by house guests. Thankfully, there’s a whole new breed of bed designs that solve the problem, with those at the top of the range being so comfortable they’re good for use every day. As always with large furniture pieces, think about size, access to your home, and guarantees that indicate sturdiness and good craftsmanship. 1. Willow and Hall Appley 2-seater Sofa Bed: from £554, Willow and Hall This small but comfortable bed from Willow and Hall folds out easily by pulling the wheeled base. Good for spare rooms and studies, the two-seater version is 122cm wide, and the armless design means it’s good for getting through small doorways. The frame is steel, and the cushions are foam and fibre. It’s available in 90 different fabrics and leathers, and is handmade and delivered in four and five weeks.
2. Sofa Workshop Jude Corner Sofa Bed: from £1,994, Sofa Workshop More of a sofa with an added bonus, the Jude sofa bed hasn’t compromised on comfort in order to discreetly include a pull-out double bed within its design. Made by hand in Britain, the sofa bed has a 15-year guarantee, a hardwood frame, foam seat cushions with fibre-filled back cushions and a deluxe double mattress that will give your guest a good night’s sleep. 3. John Lewis Clapton Sofa Bed: £349, John Lewis Great for small budgets and spaces, the petite Clapton sofa bed simply folds flat to go from day to night, rather than involving a bulky pull-out mechanism. The hardwood frame is guaranteed for 10 years – a good investment for a small price. Best for occasional use, the bed is a compact 182cm x 109cm when flat, and may need a mattress topper for added comfort. 4. Habitat Honovi Sofa: £1,700, Habitat If you’re dead set on impressing guests, the Italian-made Honovi sofa from Habitat is a three-seater that converts to the equivalent of a kingsize bed, with a luxurious 14cm-deep sprung foam mattress.
Foam is used for the deep seats cushions, and feather-filled for the back. The covering fabric is removable (dry clean only), making it practical too. Delivery takes eight to 10 weeks. 5. Loaf Pavilion Medium Sofa Bed: £1,445, Loaf The slouchy design of Loaf’s beds and sofas put comfort first, with deep seats and feather-filled back cushions across the range. The Pavilion sofa bed is no exception. Proving comfortable as both bed and sofa, it has a 12cm deep folding mattress and a mechanism that’s easy to use. The sofa comes with a 10-year guarantee. There’s a medium, large and love seat/single bed combination available too. 6. Made Jefferson Sofa Bed: £999, Made The ingenious folding mechanism makes Made’s Jefferson sofa bed stand out. The whole piece glides smoothly from sofa to bed in one action, with the back cushions stowing under the legs. With a 14cm-deep mattress it’s comfortable enough to be used every day – great for studio flats or small bedrooms.
The polyester fabric comes in grey and dark red versions. 7. Esme Sofa Bed: £970, Living It Up Esme is a smart-looking sofa bed with extra care given for your guest’s sleep. There’s a 13cm-deep pocket sprung mattress with layers of cotton, fibre and insulator pads. The sofa bed also locks into place at six points, giving good support. The small two-seater version folds out to a bed of 85cm x 186cm. The sofa has loose back pillows making it better suited to occasional rather than constant use. 8. Next Brompton Occasional Sofa Bed: £950, Next Next’s Brompton bed has a design to suit traditional interiors, with scrolled arms and a high back that look great in tweed and checked fabrics. It comfortably sleeps two with a fold-out size of 194cm x 98cm, and has a standard pull-out mechanism. There’s great scope to design a sofa to suit your needs, with a choice of three feet colours and 91 fabrics. Delivery takes six weeks. 9. Aissa Two Seat Sofa Bed: from £1,410, Sofa
This charming sofa bed looks small but packs a lot of space. Thin arms allow it to deliver a generous area for seating and a surprising mattress size of 193cm x 153cm. Comfort is key: the seat and back cushions have feather in the fillings, and the mattress is 12cm deep. There’s a choice of 100 fabrics and the frame has a lifetime guarantee. 10. Backabro Sofa Bed with Chaise Longue: £725, Ikea Ikea’s solution for combining corner sofa and bed is neat and practical – including hidden storage space under the chaise longue section for pillows and blankets. The pocket-sprung mattress is on the firm side, designed to give support, and the overall sleeping area is a huge 200cm x 248cm. The cover is a cotton and polyester blend. For unexpected guests, Willow and Hall’s Appley occasional sofa bed is sturdy and comfortable for a good price. Its compact boxy looks are made with the guest room or study in mind. If you’re opting for a sofa bed that can be used every day Made’s stylish Jefferson sofa bed delivers on comfort with a 14cm-deep mattress.
Its clever fold-out mechanism makes using it easy to use daily. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing(Image credit: The Sofa Bed Store) I've slept on a lot sofa beds and sleeper sofas in my day and the one really good thing I can tell you is how much better the technology around them has gotten over the years. Forget what you always knew about sofa beds, because you actually can get a good night's sleep and have a stylish sofa these days. So, without further ado, here are our 15 picks for 2016. (And, please leave your review for these or others in the comments.) IKEA always does a great job holding down the low end of this category. The Manstad and Moheda used to be a favorite, but we can't get them anymore, and folks turned on the Karlstad (which looks great), so the current favorite is this very well priced corner sofa, which comes with extra storage for all the bedding.
Apartment Therapy reader Serendipity1110 says, "We bought FRIHETEN about a year ago just after it was available. It was the cheapest of the prettier sleeper sofas at IKEA (and here in Germany much cheaper than in the US!) We've had tons of guests sleep on it, some even for more than a week, and everyone loved it and said how comfortable it is." Adeline Storage Sleeper Sofa This may not be a super sophisticated sleeper, but it has a great price, lots of style and some believers. Reader Cupcake Caper says, "I have the Ava* from Urban Outfitters-and my feelings are pretty much in line with most of the reviews on their site. It's a bit hard (to sit) at first, but softens up over time. The fabric quality is OK, not awesome, but I needed an inexpensive and not wide option to fit in my small space, and I get skeeved about used sofa beds. I would never in a million years use this as a bed for myself, but it's fine for my tiny studio, where I don't want guests overstaying their welcome anyway."
*since this comment was originally posted, the Ava sofa was renamed the Adeline. La-Z-Boy Leah Supreme Comfort Full Sleeper A new entrant with high marks in the comments, I've noticed La-Z-Boy coming up over the past few years with solid, standard designs at very good prices. Says reader Jukesgrrl, "I agree with the recommendation of La-Z-Boy. I sold furniture for several years in a store that carried a lot of brands. La-Z-Boy compared favorably to any brand we carried (some far more expensive) and they have tons of upholstery options." During the day, this modern sofa has cushions every side you like to make for an extra comfy sitting fest. At night, it unfolds into a roomy queen-sized bed. And because the sides and back height are equal, it takes on the cocoon-like quality of a wingback bed. Clad Home Whittier Sleeper Sofa So many sleeper sofas have very boxy silhouettes, but this English roll-arm offering from Clad Home breaks through that mold. All the sofas from the brand have the option of being turned into a sleeper for an additional $500 (already included in the price above), so if this traditional frame isn't for you, there are tons more to choose from!
Another favorite from West Elm is the Bliss sofa, which comes in a sleeper. Comments around the internet mention the down-filled seat feels like sitting on a cloud. At about 85" wide, it unfolds into a queen bed for overnight guests. The Sofa Bed Store - Chester Sleeper We couldn't resist the luxe velvet tufting of the Chester. It has a split back to recline every which way, though both sides of the back go down in a futon-like way to create a 3/4 double (which is a tad smaller than a full-sized bed.) The chaise-like addition in the photo above is actually an optional chair that you can purchase separately to use as seating, an ottoman or a lounge. The Davis sofa is a best-seller for Crate & Barrel, and the sleeper version gets equally high remarks. Reviews on the C&B site average a nearly perfect 5-star rating, with commenters mentioning their guests giving it the thumbs up for sleeping comfort. The Diplomat Sleeper Sofa Very modern with a firm platform and easy opening construction, the Diplomat unfolds into a queen-sized bed.
This is for the occasional guest. K_T says, "We have a Blu Dot convertible sofa, an earlier version than the Diplomat, and I think it is so sleek and perfect for us. It stays in a room which is mostly used as an office but is also where our guests stay. To report on the comfort, I think our loved ones like the way it sleeps, but it is quite firm." Easton Guest Select Sleeper Sofa - 91" R & B takes this category seriously. This design has a great clean shape and has a more accessible price. The mattress is totally air filled, which gives it a much more alive feeling, but you do have to blow it up with the included blower like an Aero Bed. Slipcovered, with a causal cottage look, this sleeper gets the thumbs up. Cooklyn says, "We bought the Willow a few months ago. Guests have said it is super comfortable to sleep on, and I like that it doesn't look clunky. A few people said the cushions sag in the middle, but I haven't found that to be the case. Unlike a lot of sofa beds, it is really comfortable to sit on."
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams With a variety of classic styles and solid construction (made in the USA, too!), MGBW always scores high. The Alex has received the most mentions and the Luxe versions get the callout. Says Popkit, "The nicest - most comfortable - sleepers I've found are the luxe sleepers from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams." They're slightly more expensive than other models, but we've heard time and time again that American Leather makes the best, most comfortable sleepers. It is also their patented sleep mechanism that is inside Room & Board's great sleepers. Says BizzyGirl1, "The Brynlee is sassy and these are SO comfortable and available in many nice color choices in both leather and microfiber. (No, I don't work for them, I just own one and love it)." Clad Home Rodney Sleeper Sofa We love the mid-century lines of this leather sleeper from Clad Home. The company gets high remarks because their fabrics and foams are never treated with toxic flame retardant chemicals, and all their furniture is made locally in Los Angeles with a minimal carbon footprint.