A spare room is a luxury few of us can afford. Even if we did have one, with today’s flexible working patterns, it would be more likely used as a home office than a guest bedroom. Enter: the trusty sofa bed – a hardworking, dual-functional piece of furniture that enables you to accommodate overnight guests comfortably.
Sofa beds often get a bad rap, however, thanks to the clunky mechanisms, bumpy seat cushions, and paper-thin mattresses of old, leaving you with neither a cosy sofa nor a comfy bed.
The great news, though, is sofa beds have evolved, with most contemporary pieces boasting shrewd engineering, clever design, and even high-tech memory foam or coil-sprung mattresses to rival the best ones designed for your bed.
Modern click-clack (or clic clac) styles are considered the easiest to use – simply fold down the backrest of the sofa, which then becomes the mattress. More conventional styles employ an integrated hidden metal frame, complete with a separate mattress, which opens out with ease – contemporary designs can prove surprisingly comfy and user-friendly.
Both types have their pros and cons, of course – it’s all down to personal preference and the space you have available – but the very best sofa beds prove perfectly comfy in either setup and will withstand everyday use. Read on for our top picks of the comfy couches that are also super sleeping solutions.
How we tested
We put a range of sofa beds to the test, including click-clack and pull-out styles, looking for that sweet spot that gives you comfort and support in both sofa and bed setups. We weighed up affordability with quality of craftsmanship, and we were keen to test different upholstery fabrics, to see which ones stood up to a battering from the kids – suffice to say, we’ve had numerous sleepovers.
The best sofa beds for 2024 are:
Dreams Gallway clic-clac sofa bed
If you’re after a nippy turnaround from sofa to bed, the Gallway, with its user-friendly click-clack mechanism, proves particularly speedy and efficient. Simply unzip and pull out the hidden metal legs at the back, lunge the backrest forward, lay it flat, and voila! A makeshift double bed in seconds.
This one is a comfy sofa and a comfy bed in equal measure, meaning it can absolutely be used as a main settee – yet you have the versatility of an extra guest bed when you need it. Mid-century in design, the sofa bed is elevated off the floor with tapered wooden legs. Despite its bulk (think firm and supportive deep cushioning), it boasts a clean silhouette.
The sofa bed comes in a small range of plush velvet-like fabrics, while decorative details include smart buttoning at the back and curvy armrests. It’s a quality mid-priced buy.
Buy now £899.00, Dreams.co.uk
Benson for Beds Alexa small double sofa bed
If there were a prize for the quickest turnaround when it comes to transforming a couch into a bed, this would be a contender. Futon-like in design, the sofa bed boasts a simple fold-out function, which proves a godsend for late nights when all your guests want to do is crash. Just unfurl it and pull out the hidden metal legs.
In its bed configuration, the Alexa measures up as a small double, making it perfectly compact and suited to smaller spaces, loft rooms, and indeed spare rooms that won’t quite fit a standard double bed.
The Alexa boasts a plush velvet upholstery fabric that’s soft to the touch yet reliably hardwearing and durable. We love the addition of the matching back cushions – which, rather handily, double up as comfy pillows.
Buy now £399.99, Bensonsforbeds.co.uk
Swyft model 02 three-seater sofa bed
There’s no denying sofa beds can be cumbersome things, which is why Swyft’s newly transformable model 02 caught our eye. The low-sitting 02 is the sofa-in-a-box brand’s bestseller, for obvious reasons: it is a wholly stylish affair with design roots in mid-century modern. It boasts a wide comfy seat; firm but suitably slouchy back cushions; and a slimline frame that makes it compact enough for tight spaces. You wouldn’t know this one’s a sofa bed at all, with its uninterrupted, angular lines.
Like any click clack sofa bed worth its salt, the 02 can be laid flat in a matter of seconds. With the addition of hidden metal legs, the seat cushion becomes the mattress, while the back of the sofa is pushed down to make up the remaining surface area. As with all of Swyft’s offerings, the sofa bed comes in a range of highly durable and stain-resistant fabrics, but you do get a smart mattress topper to go with this one, too. It may be slim, but it is surprisingly comfy, both as a sofa and a bed.
Buy now £1840.00, Swyfthome.com
Cocoon Ashley corner sofa bed
Contemporary and pleasingly boxy in design, this is another dual-function furniture piece you wouldn’t know transforms into an inviting bed – the way it does so is quite the feat of engineering.
For the ultimate in comfort for your overnight guests, this sofa becomes a king-size bed in a jiffy, with a simple pull-out section, while the back of the sofa comes forward and lies flat, to give you a generous surface area. What we loved most about the Ashley is the way we can store the back cushions within the frame of the bed, including the ottoman section, keeping the living room free from clutter. What’s more, the side cushions double up as handy pillows.
As a corner sofa, this one is cosy, sociable and super comfy – choose left- or right-hand configurations, depending on your space. As a bed, it is a dream – guests can spread out in style, and they’ll thank you for it.
Buy now £1999.00, Cocoonsleeping.com
John Lewis Anyday show wood bench three-seater sofa bed
Borrowing heavily from classic mid-century modern design is this sleek number from John Lewis & Partners’ Anyday range. This sofa bed is made with a deep memory foam that, just like a mattress, cleverly moulds to the shape of your body and quickly returns to its original form when not in use.
This is another nifty click-clack design, which enables you to make up the bed in a matter of moments, hidden support legs are neatly zipped up inside the upholstery at the back of the piece, and the backrest folds down with ease.
Its angular frame is made from a mix of pine and plywood and boasts a warm, honey tone, while the upholstery fabric is suitably durable for heavy, everyday use. Apart from being a particularly stylish addition to the living room, this one proves an invaluable space-saver, too, making it ideal for smaller rooms.
Buy now £499.00, Johnlewis.com
Sofa.com Patrick three-seater sofa bed
A Chesterfield-inspired sofa bed, the Patrick features the classic deep buttoning, low backrest, scroll arms and decorative turned wooden feet. Underneath its plush cushioning is a supportive and springy bed, which easily folds out via a lightweight metal frame that doesn’t lie too low within the structure of the sofa, yet allows the sleeper to feel cosy and cocooned.
This is a brand with a proven track record when it comes to quality. Like all of Sofa.com’s handcrafted seating offerings, the Patrick comes in a huge range of fabric choices, too. Think eye-popping bright velvets, silky jacquard weaves in earthy tones, soft leathers from light to dark, or the new texture-rich bubble velvet, as well as a choice of English oak or darker mahogany feet.
Available as a two-, three-, and a handy two-and-a-half-seater, the sofa bed proves a versatile number. This is a beautifully made piece that, until it’s opened up, doesn’t look like a sofa bed at all.
Buy now £2420.00, Sofa.com
King Felix studio bed
The most bed-like piece in our review is also the most sculptural and design-led – with a price tag to suit. Like a contemporary day bed, there’s not much shifting around needed to swiftly turn your settee into a bed – simply remove the cushions and pull out the seat to extend (or rather glide it out, with its integrated TouchGlide technology).
As comfy as it looks, the low-sitting sofa bed boasts a wonderfully deep tufted seat cushion with an equally supportive backrest to match. It is crafted with an engineered steel frame and boasts innovative springs and the brand’s own Postureflex seating system for comfort and support.
The Felix’s added luxuries include smart pockets to use with LED reading lights, swivel tables or charge tables, keeping unsightly leads out of sight, so as not to interrupt those clean, contemporary lines. This one’s not cheap but it is a modern beauty.
Buy now £2490.00, Kingliving.co.uk
Made.com Rosslyn sofa bed
The Rosslyn is a stylish, mid-century-inspired sofa bed that’s comfy enough to use as your main settee. Its nifty click-clack design enables you to lie it flat, while its tall, clean-lined armrests act as both head- and footboard (albeit for two-thirds, rather than end-to-end).
For a practical sofa bed, there’s little in the way of bulk here, which is a testament to its thoughtful design. It is also elevated on tall metal, pole-like feet, to give you the illusion of extra floor space. Importantly, the Rosslyn proves equally comfy as a bed and sofa, and it’s as easy to lie it flat as it is to push it upright again. You won’t break a sweat.
Buy now £599.00, Made.com
Furl Paris sofa bed, large four-seater
The luxurious Paris sofa bed ranges in size from an armchair all the way up to an expansive five-seater, making it one versatile furniture piece. It’s up to you whether you want to keep it compact to save on space or go extra-large for a sprawling, family-friendly settee that transforms into a true-to-size super-king bed (your overnight guests will love you).
There’s a choice of three mattresses: pocket sprung, memory foam, or reflex. Meanwhile, upholstery fabrics range from leathers to wools to easy-clean velvet – in fact, you can even choose your own material if you’ve got designs on a particular colour or pattern. Stylish add-ons include headrests, footstools, bolster cushions and nifty side pockets, making this made-to-order piece practically bespoke.
Timeless in shape with its slimline silhouette, gently curved armrests and high, tapered legs, this high-seated sofa bed is as elegant as it is practical. Even in its vast five-seater configuration, the steel mechanism allows you to open it up in one smooth motion.
Buy now £3024.00, Furl.co.uk
The verdict: Sofa beds
Dreams’ Gallway three-seater is a great buy if you’re after a sofa bed that’s going to take a lot of use, both as your main settee and as a makeshift guest bed. It proves equally comfortable, firm and supportive in both configurations. Mid-century in style, its tall wooden legs give it a decent seat height, while cleverly offsetting its bulky body.
We were also impressed with Bensons for Beds’ Alexa small double sofa bed, for a stylish but affordable buy. It is sized to fit smaller spaces but will still happily sleep two.
Want more recommendations? Lounge in style, with our pick of the best corner sofas
