Interior Design
Be My Guest: Choosing a Sofa Bed
Get tips on selecting the sofa bed that offers comfort and convenience
Anyone who has spent a restless night on a friend’s fold-out sofa will appreciate the importance of a good sleep sofa. Yes, there are comfortable models on the market – you just need to know what to look for when you shop. Here’s a rundown of some of the most important things to consider.
Most bed frames are the same
Most sofa bed mechanisms are made the same way (and by the same manufacturer), so there’s little difference from one brand to another: You’ll find a metal frame with coils around the edges holding canvas decking. (Although sofa beds still have that bar underneath the mattress, it now curves away from the body, preventing painful surprises in the morning.)
Choose your mattress
The mattress is what distinguishes one sofa bed from another. Because it folds, it won’t be as solid as a conventional mattress. There are three basic types:
Most sofa bed mechanisms are made the same way (and by the same manufacturer), so there’s little difference from one brand to another: You’ll find a metal frame with coils around the edges holding canvas decking. (Although sofa beds still have that bar underneath the mattress, it now curves away from the body, preventing painful surprises in the morning.)
Choose your mattress
The mattress is what distinguishes one sofa bed from another. Because it folds, it won’t be as solid as a conventional mattress. There are three basic types:
- Innerspring mattresseshave coils inside; the more coils, the better. The average is 345 coils; 644 is very good.
- Memory foam mattresses are better. They have no coils inside; the foam conforms to the user’s body.
- Air-coil mattresses are on a par with memory foam and feature an innerspring mattress with an air mattress built on top.
Modern
Test it out
Shoppers are often shy about testing out a sofa bed in the store, but considering the size of the investment you’re making, it’s well worth a few minutes of embarrassment.
Lie down on the mattress and mimic various sleeping positions (within the realm of good taste, of course).
Retract the bed so you can sense the weight and ease of the mechanism, then sit on the sofa with the bed folded up so you can judge how it feels to sit on it (which is, after all, the way you’ll be using it most of the time).
Shoppers are often shy about testing out a sofa bed in the store, but considering the size of the investment you’re making, it’s well worth a few minutes of embarrassment.
Lie down on the mattress and mimic various sleeping positions (within the realm of good taste, of course).
Retract the bed so you can sense the weight and ease of the mechanism, then sit on the sofa with the bed folded up so you can judge how it feels to sit on it (which is, after all, the way you’ll be using it most of the time).
Don’t wait until the last minute
If you start shopping for a sofa bed the week before your house guests’s visit, your selection of colours and fabrics will be limited to whatever’s available on the sales floor. For best results do your shopping at least two months in advance, so the store has time to custom order the piece in exactly the colour and fabric you want.
If you start shopping for a sofa bed the week before your house guests’s visit, your selection of colours and fabrics will be limited to whatever’s available on the sales floor. For best results do your shopping at least two months in advance, so the store has time to custom order the piece in exactly the colour and fabric you want.
TELL US
How do you make your overnight guests feel welcomed? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
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How to Squeeze Guest Space Into Any Room
How do you make your overnight guests feel welcomed? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
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How to Squeeze Guest Space Into Any Room
If you’ve never needed a sofa bed before but are thinking about buying one “just in case,” you might want to think again. A sofa bed is more expensive than a conventional sofa, so unless you’re going to use it for sleeping, you’re better off buying a conventional sofa and stashing an air mattress in the storeroom. Due to their construction, sofa beds have firmer seats than conventional sofas. While seniors often like the extra support (it’s easier to get up), others may find sleepers less comfortable.
What size?
Measure the spot where you want to place the sofa bed, and figure out the ideal sofa width for that space. Sleepers come in four standard widths:
Chair: 130 to 147 centimetres
Twin: 142 to 165 centimetres
Full: 172 to 233 centimetres
Queen: 200 to 256 centimetres
Will it fit through the door? Measure the height of the room’s ceiling and the width of the doorway (and any preceding doorways, stairs or elevators). Bring those figures to the store, so you’ll know whether you can get the piece into the room. Legs can usually be unscrewed.