All hail the hero of sleepovers - a sofa bed! What do you do when there’s not enough room in your home for overnight guests? You get a sofa that you can sit on most of the time and use as a bed sometimes. Whether you’re looking for the perfect sofa bed to use as your lounge room suite or something that turns your home office into a temporary guest room, there’s a style to suit your needs. This sofa bed buying guide will walk you through the different types of sofa beds available at Amart and give you some tips on how to find the one that’s right for you.
Why every home needs a sofa bed
You have guests coming! But before you start relegating the kids from their rooms and onto inflatable mattresses, think about whether you’re in the market for a clever piece of multifunctional furniture that will have sleepovers sorted. That’s right, the sofa bed.
Sofa beds have come a long way in style from their days of a basic-looking lounge with a metal frame and mattress concealed inside. Modern sofa beds can be corner suites in minimalist designs, a lounge with a chaise, a stylish click-clack futon, or even hidden inside an ottoman!
Every home needs a sofa bed. They’re the perfect solution for temporary sleeping space in your spare room, rumpus or living room without needing to commit to a permanent bed.
How to buy the best sofa bed
Buying the best sofa bed starts with choosing a style. The great thing about the range of quality sofa beds at Amart is that many of them don’t even look like sofa beds. This means that you can shop our sofa bed range for whatever style of sofa you need, from a comfy 2 or 3-seater lounge to a corner sofa or a sofa with a chaise and know that it contains a bonus bed for the occasional guest whenever you need it.
So, your best starting point is to know the style of sofa you want for your space as this will also determine your choice of bed mechanism.
The basic sofa bed types
Click-Clack - The easiest-to-use style of sofa bed is a click-clack style. The sofa doubles as a mattress and the back of the seat will simply fold back to become flat, creating a bed.
Stacked - A stacked sofa bed is designed so that the seat cushion unfolds onto the floor to become the mattress.
Fold-out - This is the traditional style of sofa bed where a folding metal frame and mattress are concealed inside the sofa and are lifted out to set up the bed. A fold-out bed can be housed inside a 2 or 3-seater sofa, a sofa with a chaise, and a corner sofa. Some sofa beds with a chaise also contain storage space for bedding inside the chaise.
Ottoman Sofa Bed - This style is newer to the sofa bed market than traditional styles and comprises a folding metal bed frame concealed inside an ottoman such as the Alecto Ottoman Sofa Bed.
Sofa Bed Chair - An armchair that converts to a single bed like the Angler Sofa Bed Chair. A great option for small spaces.
Day Bed - A day bed does not have a moving mechanism. The seat surface is usually dressed with cushions for day use and can be made up as a bed when needed.
What type of sofa bed do I need? Bi-fold or tri-fold?
A bi-fold sofa bed folds down the length of the seat where it joins the back of the sofa. This means that the bed length is the width of the sofa. The Percy Fabric Click Clack Sofa Bed extends to a bed in one click by folding the seat back down.
A tri-fold sofa bed is a sofa that houses a pull-out metal frame and mattress and extends in three folds, like the Nixon 3-Seater Sofa Bed. A stacked sofa bed can also be considered tri-fold.
Choosing the best type of sofa bed for your house comes down to the style you prefer, your available space, and the functionality you’d like. When extended, a bi-fold style takes up a little less space than a tri-fold style.
Frame types for sofa beds
Most of the sofa frames in Amart’s sofa bed range are made from quality timber just like a regular sofa. Fold-out sofa beds contain a folding metal bed mechanism and frame that holds a mattress that is lifted and extended out.
Click-clack or bi-fold sleeper sofa frames are made from timber or metal and are reclined or extended by moving the back of the seat.
What to consider when buying a sofa bed
The first factor to consider when deciding on the type of sofa bed you need is whether it will be a high-use or low-use piece of furniture e.g., a sofa bed that forms part of your living space would be high-use, while a day bed or sofa bed in your home office or guest room would be low-use.
Other factors to consider include:
Functionality/Ease of Use: What functionality do you need from your sofa bed? If you want to be able to switch it from sofa to bed quickly, go for a click-clack/bi-fold style. If you are happy with slightly more effort, choose a tri-fold style.
Design: What style and fabric will suit the location? If you’re matching your new sofa bed to an existing lounge or armchair in your seating area, choose a complementary fabric and colour.
Style/Type: The location of your sofa bed will determine the type you need. If you’re buying a sofa bed as the main lounge for your living room, you might like a corner sofa, a 3-seater sofa, or a sofa with a chaise. Or you could go for something smaller like a sofa bed ottoman or sofa bed chair that matches your living room decor.
Placement: Check that your planned location has room for a sofa bed once it’s extended. If a click-clack sofa bed is up against a wall, it will need to be moved forward to flip the back down.
Size & flexibility: If you’re short on space, a sofa bed is a great way to squeeze in an extra bed while retaining a functional seat for daily use. A sofa bed ottoman or sofa bed armchair are also great space-saving options.
Comfort level: It’s important to think of comfort in both configurations - a sofa and a bed. As your sofa bed is likely to be used for occasional guests, it might be best to focus more on the comfort of the sofa. And if you’d like to test the comfort level and operating mechanisms of the bed before you buy it, head to your nearest showroom.
Colour and material: Amart’s sofa bed range is made from high-quality upholstery in your choice of leather, leather look, and fabric. Important factors to remember when choosing upholstery are whether it suits the style of your home decor and whether it’s likely to be used frequently by kids or pets.
Mattress types in a sofa bed
A sofa bed that houses a separate mattress inside it will contain a foam mattress or an inner-spring mattress. A futon mattress is the seat and back of the sofa. Here’s a little more about each type:
- A foam mattress is an affordable and long-lasting option for a sofa bed mattress.
- An inner-spring mattress contains a coil support system covered by cushioned, quilted material for comfort.
- A futon or click-clack style mattress differs from a tri-fold style of sofa bed with a separate mattress because the cushions of the sofa become the bed. So, the materials of the mattress are made of foam cushioning covered by upholstery. Futon mattresses tend to have a firm feel.
Sofa bed care and maintenance
The care of a sofa bed mattress is like that of a regular mattress.
Rotate - Regularly rotate your mattress to ensure even wear.
Airing - If you haven’t used your sofa bed for a while, open it up to air it. If possible, take it outside for a couple of hours on a sunny day to kill dust mites and other allergens.
Vacuum - Remove dust, dirt, and allergens from both your sofa and its mattress by vacuuming them regularly.
Spot clean - Remove any marks or stains from your sofa as soon as you notice them.