Qualities to Look for When Buying Single, Double, or 3 Seater Sofa Beds

Sofa beds are a classic furniture option for small homes. Whether you have a sitting room or home office that also acts as an ad hoc guest bedroom, or you just want to make the most of a room with furniture that pulls double-duty, a sofa bed can be an ideal pick for offering both seating and sleeping space. 

It used to be that sofa beds weren’t much to write home about. They were utilitarian and provided the bare minimum, appealing mostly for their multifunctionality. However, modern sofa beds have a lot more to offer, from a variety of sizes ranging from chair beds to spacious 3 seater sofa beds, and a whole host of styles and features. 

There have also been quality improvements — previously you might never have considered a sofa bed as the primary seating in your living room, but the comfort and longevity they now offer will make you excited to incorporate a sofa bed into your home.

When you are searching for the perfect sofa beds for your home, there are a few factors that may be slightly different than your usual considerations in buying either sofas or beds, so read on for our top tips for choosing the best sofa bed. 

Think about the size of your sofa and space

Any time you are purchasing furniture it is important to measure carefully to be sure your new pieces will fit correctly in your home. And for sofa beds, which require space to fold out and convert from seating to bed, this is even more crucial to your decision-making. 

There are sofa beds that are ultra-compact for small spaces and fold up into seating the size of a small armchair. But most are 2 or 3 seater sofa beds that need as much space as a traditional sofa. However, you also need to think about the area in front of the sofa, where the mattress will fold out, and keep this in mind when you’re choosing other furniture for the room such as coffee tables or additional seating. 

Keep in mind your seating and your sleeping needs

In many homes, sofa beds are not the main sofa in the living room. They may be a convenient addition to a secondary sitting room, or to a home office or other space where you may need to occasionally host guests. 

The main purpose of your sofa bed, and how often you intend to use it for sleeping compared to the frequency with which you’ll sit on it, will help you decide what kind is best for your home. For example, traditional 2 and 3 seater sofa beds that have a classic sofa shape are ideal when you are using them often in a main living room, or you can even get larger sofa beds with L-shapes and corner configurations. On the other hand, if you only need the sofa bed occasionally, a compact chair-type sofa bed may do the trick. 

Similarly, sofa beds convert from sofa to bed in a number of ways, and once again, the amount of use they’ll get for each function will help you choose the right sofa bed for your space. Click-clack sofa beds are the easiest to swap between positions, but they tend to be a bit smaller and don’t have a traditional mattress. If you need a way to quickly accommodate unexpected visitors, a click-clack sofa bed can be the perfect convenient pick, but if you’re setting up the sleep space more often you may prefer to opt for a traditional pull-out couch that is more spacious and has a full mattress stored inside. 

Choose the upholstery that offers the right style

There are plenty of upholstery options for sofa beds, rivalling the variety from which you can choose in traditional sofa types. From leather upholstery to fabric in a full spectrum of colours, you’ll want to select upholstery for your sofa bed that complements the rest of your decor. 

However, there are also practical as well as aesthetic considerations to keep in mind for sofa bed upholstery. With some sofa bed types, you are sleeping directly on the sofa cushions when it is converted into a bed. Therefore, you will want upholstery that is comfortable to sleep on. 

Longevity is also an important consideration when buying 2 seater sofa beds or any size that might see frequent use. Because you will be using the sofa bed during the day and at night, it should be particularly hard-wearing to accommodate the extra hours of sitting and sleeping. 

Chair sofa beds, 2 and 3 seater sofa beds, corner sofa beds, and more

At Corcoran’s Furniture, we stock a fabulous range of sofa beds to suit every home furnishing style and seating/sleeping need. Whether you’re having guests over all the time or just need to sleep extra visitors in a pinch, you can find the perfect sofa bed to suit your requirements at Corcoran’s. 

Shop our sofa bed collection in-store or online now, or get in touch with our expert team for more help choosing the right sofa bed for your home.