A sofa bed is two pieces of furniture in one – a comfy sofa by day and a handy guest bed or even permanent one by night. It's therefore ideal for small apartments like studios or bedsits where you use one room as both bedroom and living room, or functions as emergency sleeping arrangements for guests that are staying over.

When looking for a sofa bed, make sure you pay attention to the different options and features to choose from.

Mechanism
There are two main mechanisms: fold out and clic clac. When buying the first type, a fold out sofa, you get a sofa bed that you transform by folding out its cushions or entire seat. You either end up with the cushions or seat flat on the floor like a mattress or will have them on top of a metal frame. With a clic clac sofa bed on the other hand, you have a sofa whose entire back rest will be folded back until it is level with the seat.

Space In Your Room
Whether you buy a fold out or clic clac sofa bed, you do need enough space to transform your sofa into a bed and use it. Measure how much space you have behind and in front of your new sofa bed or make sure that you can easily move any other furniture like a coffee table whenever you want to use your instant bed.

If you want to install your sofa bed at a wall, it is best to opt for the fold out version since this extends to the front only. But if it will stand in the middle of the room with space behind it (functioning as a room divider for example), a clic clac sofa bed probably is the best option for you.

Softness / Firmness
Similar to mattresses, you can choose sofa beds with different firmness’s. While you might consider buying a sofa bed with soft upholstery because you simply want to flop down and sink into the cushions after a long day at work, think about if you like the same softness in a mattress you sleep on. This point is extra important when you want to sleep on your sofa bed every single night.

Sofa Bed Size
Another factor is the size of the sofa bed. Of course, it has to fit into the room. But the number of people sleeping on it and also how tall they are, is important, too. Of course, children will need a lot less space and sofa length than adults, whether sharing or not. Check out the overall width and depth as well as the seating capacity. There are 2-seater, 3-seater and 4-seater options available.

Once you know which transformation mechanism, firmness and size your new sofa bed needs, you can have a look at other important attributes and features. Choose from different upholstery materials like leather (faux and genuine) or fabrics, arm styles, frames, special features like storage or slipcovers, as well as upholstery design and colour. At mrfurnish, we offer a wide range of different sofa beds for you to choose from. If you have decided on the sofa bed that is best for you and your home, have a look around our other bedroom and living room furniture and do not forget to buy duvets, pillows and bed linen for your new piece of furniture.