The Best Sofa Beds of 2021 - Comparison and Buying Guide

SOFA BEDS: HOW TO CHOOSE WITHOUT MAKING A MISTAKE

Having furniture that is 2 in 1 is really practical. If you do not have space to leave an empty room at home, it is a great solution because you never know when you will need extra space for someone to stay the night.

There are many models that you can buy online without having to go to a furniture store, and to be able to choose (and get it right) you just have to know a couple of important things.

I'll tell you about them below.

But if you don't have time to read the entire guide, here is a practical questionnaire that will recommend your ideal bed according to your needs and your budget. It will take less than 30 seconds to answer!

 

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT IS WHAT YOU NEED?

It seems a truism to ask yourself this question when you are already reading the buying guide, but it really is not so much. And I explain why.

A sofa bed is a piece of furniture that is suitable for two uses in one. This is important to keep in mind because, most likely, it is neither the best sofa nor the best bed possible. It will be a more versatile hybrid but somewhat less comfortable than if you bought the furniture separately.

I'm telling you this because the number one complaint from sofa bed users is that they are uncomfortable.

And yes, they can be, at least the cheapest ranges. Because they are not designed to sleep many nights in a row or to sit down to watch an entire season of your favorite series.

They are designed to solve a specific need and, incidentally, serve as a seat.

In general, if you want maximum comfort in both uses, you will have to go to separate furniture: you will gain comfort but you will lose versatility.

And aren't their sofa beds that have it all? Sure, there are different qualities ... and prices. High ranges improve all aspects.

WHAT USE ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE THE SOFA BED?

The frequency of use will greatly condition the purchase, so the first thing to do is define why you need a sofa bed.

These are the most common reasons:

• For occasional use: you have your house set up and you want one or two extra places to sleep: guests, friends who are passing through, a family member who stays a few days ... You don't want to have a guest room or you don't have space to set it up, but without, However,  having an extra bed comes in handy.

Or maybe you need it for a second residence or to have it in the office, with which you will also use it sporadically.

And the use as a sofa is also going to be secondary. It will be in a second living room or in a passage room, but it will not be your main sofa.

• For everyday use: maybe you live in a small apartment and space is the priority. You need transformable furniture and the sofa bed is going to be your usual resting place (or your children, for example). Sofa by day, bed by night, to make spaces 100% multipurpose.

Another possibility is that you use it daily as the main sofa in the house, in that case, you will also want it to be comfortable because you will spend many hours sitting.

In any case, it is the use that you are going to give it that sets the priorities.

In the first case, it is understood that your sofa bed will not have intensive use. Therefore, although you obviously want it to be comfortable (who does not!), You can see cheaper options that will help you get out of the way.

 

But in the second case, if it is going to be a piece of furniture that you use daily (either in a sofa, bed, or both versions), the recommendation is that you stop a little longer to choose better and expand the budget.

You are going to need it to be really comfortable, with the precise degree of hardness so that you can rest and wake up fresh when you use it as a bed. And if it is a sofa, a good backrest, armrests, and headrest. Your back will appreciate it.

Therefore, go for higher quality materials and, above all, give it a try. Make sure they allow you a  refund if you buy it online.

TYPES OF SOFA BEDS

To get an idea, we are going to review which are the main opening systems to turn our sofa into a bed, and with that, we will have a criterion to be able to choose the one that convinces us the most (and best fits our budget).

It is one of the most common systems, due to its simplicity. The seat and back of the sofa transform into a mattress when it is opened to sleep. The two surfaces are simply open to form the bed or close in an L shape to become a sofa as if they were the pages of a book.

The click-clack refers to the mechanism. To extend the mattress, the backrest is pushed forward slightly until there is a click that indicates that the lock has been released and can be fully opened. Then you hear a clack that indicates that you have been placed in a stable position, with the mattress completely horizontal.

Some models have another click-clack on the armrests, which are raised slightly in the sofa-position, and left horizontal for the bed-position.

It is not the most comfortable thing in the world, neither as a sofa nor as a bed (although in recent times the fillings have improved a lot), but it has the advantage of the ease of assembly, space-saving and lower price. That is why it is one of the best-selling models.

As its name already indicates, the base of the sofa slides forward easily, if we pull it. When we have pulled it out to the top, we see that in its lower part it keeps a compliment, which is the other half of the bed. There is usually a tab to help us get it out.

Therefore, the mattress (which is usually a two-seater) is divided into two parts by an intermediate slit.

In addition to that, one of those two parts is the base of the sofa, so that over time different levels of wear can be noticed between the one that is always in use and the one that is hidden.

If you are going to use your sofa bed a lot, this may be the model that interests you.

They are more expensive, of course, but they have a fundamental advantage: they have a separate mattress that is “hidden” when it is collected and is left in view when the bed is assembled.

The foam on the sofa seat is not part of the mattress. That means that you can choose a mattress to your liking and in which you feel really comfortable. The only precaution is to choose one that does not have interior springs so that it can be fully folded. You also have to make sure that it does not exceed the maximum thickness indicated by the manufacturer.

As the mattress is independent, you can replace it with another whenever you want, for example when it is damaged by use. That will greatly extend the life of your sofa bed.

Another advantage is that, when you pick up the bed and fold it back on itself, you can leave it made. That is, you do not necessarily have to remove the sheets. So, if that's where you sleep on a regular basis, you save time at night by not having to put it all back together.

In addition, depending on the models, the sofa bed may have extra space to store, for example, the pillows, which comes in handy to avoid having to look for an extra place such as a closet or a chest to leave them for the day.

Futon

A futon is a mattress that, in Japanese tradition, is laid directly on the floor to sleep. The simplicity of the Japanese concept has been copied (and adapted) to create different models of futons, but it is still the simplest and most minimalist version of a sofa bed.

Japanese futons consist of a wooden slat base. When we extend this base, it looks like a slatted base at the ground level on which we place the mattress. When folded, it transforms into a floor-level sofa with a backrest. The mattress folds over itself to adapt to the structure and is usually fastened with a few simple loops. They can be one square or two.

The cheapest models forget the sheet base and consist only of a mattress (usually foam) that folds over itself. When it is collected it is a small sofa or puff and, if you want to lie down, you will simply have to stretch it and put a sheet.

The quality of the foam is very noticeable here but you must bear in mind that, in general, they are not comfortable mattresses. Of course, they quickly solve that extra place to sleep.

There are different models of futons, but they all have one characteristic in common: the simplicity of design, assembly, and use.

IMPORTANT TIP FOR ONLINE SHOPPING

When buying a sofa bed online (and, in general, any furniture or heavy object), make sure you know the delivery details.

Why? Well, because this way you will avoid surprises when, for example, the carriers tell you that they are not going to take it home and that they leave it for you at the portal.

In general, transport companies do not take it to your home if you do not have an elevator. And even having it (and assuming it is large enough for the sofa to fit), the carrier may not want to upload it if you have not previously agreed.

Therefore, check the delivery conditions before making the purchase, especially if you cannot take charge of the climb if they leave it at street level.

Some companies allow you to contract separately the rise to the floor and the assembly, but you have to check it or contact the supplier.

 

Eye!

And one more thing: in all probability, they will give you a delivery note to sign. Also check if you are signing the conformity with the product because in that case, it is possible that if something does not go well, the manufacturer will not be responsible. And it is difficult to know that if you are on the street and with your purchase still packed.