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Sofa beds have been around for a long time, but are they really practical? We want to give you all the information you need to make the right choice for your home and your lifestyle.
Whether you are short on space and need a living room sofa that doubles as a guest bed, or are kitting out a spare room and want the space to be functional and practical, this guide is a combination of practical tips and insight for choosing the right sofa bed size, shape and type for your home, while making sure you love it too.
So, if you’re considering a sofa bed, or haven't made your mind up quite yet, you’ve found the perfect resource.
Key factors to consider when buying a sofa bed
Understanding sofa bed styles and types
Understanding the different types of sofa bed mechanisms
With a wide range of sofa bed styles and types available, understanding which will best suit you can be difficult. Keep reading to find out about them all, then you'll be armed with all the information you need.
The size of a sofa bed will ultimately determine the size of the sleeping surface, so depending on whether your sofa bed is needed for more than one person to sleep on at a time, or will mostly be used for kids sleepovers, the size of sofa bed you choose should be a consideration.
2 Seater sofa bed - this size of sofa will generally have a sleeping area of a single bed, or small double bed.
Consider how quickly you may need to turn your sofa into a bed, and also whether you are able to manage this yourself so some mechanisms are easier to use than others.
Pull-out sofa beds are easy to use and work by pulling the frame of the bed out from where it is stored under the sofa seats. With our Carlotta sofa bed, the seat and back cushions remain attached to the frame and live underneath while the bed is in use.
Shop Carlotta sofa bedFrequently asked sofa bed questions
Sofa beds are not intended to be used every night long term due to the mattress quality not being the same as a regular bedframe mattress, however they can be used every night if needed.
Generally, a 2 seater sofa bed will have a mattress which is around 110 - 120cm wide, which is smaller than a double bed which is 135cm wide.
Two people can comfortably sleep on a sofa bed, however you should consider the mattress size of the sofa bed before you buy if the intended use is for two people as most sofa bed mattresses are smaller than a double size mattress.
Generally speaking sofa bed mattresses are not as comfortable as a regular bed owing to the fact that a sofa bed mattress will be required to fold in the middle to enable it to live inside the sofa when not in use. A click clack style sofa bed will have a thicker sleeping surface as the mattress part is essentially the sofa seat and sofa back.
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