The best sofa beds often go unnoticed in furniture collections, yet they effortlessly transform your living space into a cosy sleeping area, ready to accommodate overnight guests at a moment’s notice. So, quit trying to get your friends to kip on your tiny loveseat, foldaway bed, futon or chaise lounge. Instead, offer them a good night’s sleep with our pick of the best sofa beds on the market.
Luckily, if you’re clued-up on the best online furniture stores, you won’t have to settle for an uncomfortable sleeper sofa with a flimsy mattress. This new generation of sofa beds champion convenience while rivalling your master bedroom’s bed frame in terms of comfort and style: springy, soft and complete with pocket sprung mattresses, backrests, armrests and squishy seat cushions. Just don’t blame us when your sleepover companions outstay their welcome.
Yep, whether you’re in need of an emergency bed for the friend that stayed too late or a more permanent fixture that’ll give your home office an update, we’ve got sleeper sofa search down, from compact two-seaters to luxurious corner settee, here’s our top picks…
SKIP TO: Which type of sofa bed is most comfortable? | Can you sleep on a sofa bed every night? | How we tested the best sofa beds | Sofa Bed FAQs | What are the benefits of a good sofa bed? | Which is better sofa bed or sofa sleeper? | Are there any really comfortable sofa beds? | Is it worth getting a sofa bed? | Our full reviews.
Which type of sofa bed is most comfortable?
There are two main types of sofa bed to choose from:
Click-clack sofa bed
The first is the “click-clack” sofa bed. With the sofa in its upright position, you simply fold the back down and – as the name suggests – use the clic clac mechanism to ‘click it’ flat. Et voila! You’ve got yourself a double mattress. Click clack sofa beds tend to be cheaper and a bit easier to convert into bed form than their more traditional counterparts.
Pull-out sofa bed
Pull-out sofa beds do tend to be more comfy than the former, but require a little more effort to assemble. You’d need to remove the cushions from the sofa to reveal a pull-out mattress and “bed” frame. Both click clack sofa beds and pull-out sofa beds come in a range of mattress sizes – from single to double – and upholstery options, to suit your interior design style.
Is it OK to sleep on a sofa bed every night?
Unfortunately with this one, the answer is, it depends. While many of mattresses included with sofa beds don’t provide buyers with ample back support, nowadays, brands like Swyft, Heal’s, Swoon and are offering consumers mattresses that just as plush and supportive as the ones you buy for your bed. See, for instance, the Swyft Model 04 sofa bed, which features a pocket sprung mattress.
How we tested the sofa beds:
To test as many sofa beds as possible, our team used them in their own homes, sitting and sleeping on each one for a minimum of 30 days (and often much longer). We evaluated the fabric quality, ease of cleaning, comfort level, and overall design. In addition, we considered the warranty, sustainability credentials, and how practical the sofa bed was for daily use, before deciding whether a model would make it into our round-up.
