A quality convertible sofa bed can turn any room in your home into a bedroom or a guestroom. A good sleeper couch is probably one of the most practical and versatile pieces of furniture you could own, and there are many good reasons why you should consider choosing a convertible over a regular couch. Here we've gathered a great selection to help you find the right modern convertible sofa or convertible chair bed for you.
Convertible Chair Bed
Modern Convertible Sofa
These products have come a long way from the old-days' uncomfortable and sleepless nightmare it used to be. In fact, some sofa beds can be just as comfy as a regular bed. We're going to give you an in-depth rundown of the most important things to consider when choosing the sleeper sofa bed that will best fit into your needs.
The first thing to ask yourself is, do you actually need a sleep sofa, or are you simply thinking you should buy one “just in case”?
Sleep sofas have a different construction from regular couches, therefore they are considerably heavier, more expensive and usually have firmer seats than their conventional counterparts. So, unless you are definitely going to use it for sleeping (be it on a few occasions or for accommodating longterm guests), you might want to think it over.
Next in line, is the matter about size: in all cases, you must measure the spot into which the sleep sofa will be placed, in order for you to figure out the perfect sofa size for that space. Normally, sleepers come in four standard widths:
- Convertible chair bed: 51 to 58 inches
- Twin sleeper sofa: 56 to 65 inches
- Full size sofa bed: 68 to 92 inches
- Queen size sofa bed: 79 to 101 inches
Still having size in mind, you should also make certain that the piece of your choosing will fit through the door. Measure the dimensions of all doorways, stairs or elevators that precede the room that you have designated for the sofa sleeper bed, beforehand. Have those figures before you when you click on the “Buy” button, so you'll know that you could get the piece all the way into the room. In most cases the legs can be unscrewed, but if you have any doubts about your own judgment, we're here to help you out.
Now, about frames and mechanisms.
Most of them are made pretty much the same, so there's really not that much of a difference from one brand to another. One noticeable difference is this between a conventional pull-out sofa bed and the futon sofa sleeper. The traditional convertible couch bed looks much like a standard couch. In order to make it into a proper sleeping place, you need to remove the cushions and pull out the mechanism with the sleeping mattress, which is attached to a metal frame. By design, those mattresses are almost always thinner than a standard mattress. A futon chair bed or sofa, on the other hand, simply unfolds itself and turns from a sofa/chair to a bed and back again, by a simple and straightforward conversion movement, thanks to the way the frame is built. So, basically, you sit and sleep on the same cushioning.
Most pull-out sofa mechanisms have metal frames with coils that circle the edges of the frame, holding a canvas decking on top of which lies the folded mattress. Some still have that back-breaking crossbar underneath the mattress, but now it's been redesigned to curve away from your body, so that you don't suffer a painful surprise upon waking up in the morning. There are, indeed, exceptions in the upscale lines of most manufacturers, that feature a solid wood base or frame. This kind of system would allow you to use conventional mattresses, which often are bigger in size than the ones that originally come with sleeper sofas.
If and when possible, choose your ideal mattress. This is actually the big thing that distinguishes one convertible couch bed from another, and because it folds, it isn't quite as solid as its conventional cousin. Overall, there are three basic types of mattresses:
Innerspring mattresses – as the name itself suggests, those have coils (springs) inside. On average, a folding mattress for a full-size sofa bed will have about 345 coils, but the more coils, the better.
Memory foam mattresses are an even better choice. No coils whatsoever and the magic trick of this amazing material is that it conforms to the curves of your body, then it easily restores its original shape.
Air-coil mattresses are the ultimate upgrade to any sleeper sofa. They combine the first two technologies mentioned above, bringing the luxury feel of the cushioning layer of air on top of the solid spring coil support to give you the comfort of a premium mattress. Some models even offer adjustable firmness via remote control, and they inflate or deflate in a matter of 30-40 seconds.
Now, if you have the chance in a store, you should test the mattress out. It's well worth the few minutes of challenging your shyness. Lie down on the mattress and try out all the various sleeping positions (not going beyond reason and good taste, of course).
Take your time when choosing a deluxe sleeper sofa for your needs, but it's a good thing to keep in mind not to wait until the last minute. If there's an upcoming need for you to host a guest sleepover, don't wait for the week before to start shopping. Your selection of models, colors and fabrics will be limited to whatever’s on stock at that time. Give yourself at least a month in advance, so that you can consider every option that's important for you or even two months if you wished to make a custom order for the piece in the exact size, color and fabric you want.
Style, priority of primary use, location and space available for placing the couch sofa bed, colors and upholstery, base and frame materials, mattresses, ability to easily move and set it up – that's the sum-up of the things you need to consider. Now you know. Shop away and enjoy your comfort for as long as possible!