Considering a sofa bed? Here are some good tips to help you decide.
How Often Do People Use Sofa Beds?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that sofa beds are hard, lumpy, uncomfortable, and simply put, not good for your back! In actuality, modern sofa beds are manufactured for daily use in mind, and using innovative technology, they offer a supportive and comfortable sleeping surface.
If you’re looking to purchase a sofa bed for daily use, make sure not to compromise on quality! The construction, mattress, and support should offer exactly what you would expect from a traditional bed.
Common Types Of Sofa Beds
The ideal sofa bed for your home is one that’s constructed well, durable, and has the right style as well as finish for your room. The more commonly found sofa beds have a double mattress construction while other options may include hidden storage or folding frames. Another take on sofa beds are chair beds that function as an oversized armchair during the daytime and fold out into a bed during nighttime! If you prefer a sofa bed that helps you take advantage of limited space in your home, consider corner units as they take up less space than classic counterparts. A faux leather sofa bed in the UK is a great option.
How To Measure A Sofa Bed
The right size is crucial for not just making sure that the sofa bed fits within your space, but also ensuring that your room doesn’t feel too crowded. When researching your sofa bed options, make sure you measure the fully assembled size of the piece of furniture before committing to purchase. Getting the proper measurements will eliminate the hassle of a return and also ensures that the bed is accessible from all angles.
Most sofa bed options feature short queen-sized mattresses that are approximately 150 cm by 185 cm when fully folded out. Usually, it’s good to have at least 30 cm of space on each side of the sofa bed when in use to ensure that guests can safely move around the unit. Of course, the more space you can allocate for the area around the sofa bed, the safer and more comfortable it’ll be for guests to use.
Lastly, ensure that you can actually fit the sofa bed through the doors of your home. That means you should take note of the height and width measurements carefully before making the purchase.
What Options Are There For Mechanisms?
The mechanism is fully responsible for allowing the transformation of the sofa into a bed and vice versa. To ensure that the sofa bed is easy to operate, it’s crucial to choose a mechanism that makes it easy and accessible to use on a regular basis. What’s more, it should also play well with your existing furnishings.
There are three major types of sofa bed opening mechanisms you can select from:
1. The Pull Out
Pull out sofa beds are fairly common and are seen as the most classic design. They’re fairly easy and straightforward to operate by removing the existing cushions. Once the cushions are removed, you can simply fold out the spring platform and pull the bed from the center to display the load-bearing legs. Unfolding the remainder of the mattress will help fold the rest of the bed out.
2. The Easy Open
These sofa beds are different in that their cushions can stay intact for easy operation. As the cushions are permanently attached to the frame, they stay there when you open and close the bed. Usually, these beds take less than ten seconds to unfold as they fold down from the back. As you pull the back cushions forward, the bed itself unfolds.
3. The Click Clack
These are the most affordable options as they aren’t technically sofa beds at all! They’re more of a bed that doubles as a daytime sofa option. They also don’t contain an additional mattress as they use the top and the bottom of the sofa to make the bed platform. The mattress is folded forward until a clicking noise is heard and the platform is flat. Just release the locking mechanism to fold it back into a sofa!
Opting For The Ideal Style And Design
Though sofa beds are great space-saving bits of furniture and offer much in the way of functionality, you shouldn’t have to compromise on design and aesthetics. When making your purchase considerations, pay attention to the quality of the construction materials as well as the upholstery fabrics that were used by the manufacturer. Even if a design looks fantastic, you need to ensure that the fabric is durable enough to withstand the regular use and abuse you will undoubtedly subject it to.
The right sofa bed should make a statement piece in your home and not serve as a jumbled piece of hidden furnishing. There are hundreds of options out there to select the right design that blends well with your existing decor and living room style also allows you to get the most out of functionality. Just pay attention to the shape, size, and the colors used to manufacture the sofa bed when making your choices during shopping.