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5 Best Sofa Beds and Futons - 2021
If Aunt Maude arrives unexpectedly, a sofa bed or futon is a useful thing to have. Ideally, it will be comfortable enough to put her up for a couple of nights, whilst looking half decent the rest of the time.
Many online guides include detailed descriptions of the 94 different types of sofa bed. They offer confusing diagrams of mechanisms, which are about as interesting as a book about concrete.
However, from what I can tell, there are two main types of sofa bed:
Personally, I prefer the look of a sofa bed with a hidden mattress, as it can easily masquerade as a normal sofa the rest of the time. However, the downside is that the mattresses are thin because there's only so much storage space under the cushions.
Anyway, that's enough waffle...
We've picked out five of the best sofa beds on sale in the UK today, by looking at specification, value for money, customer reviews and awards.
Many online guides include detailed descriptions of the 94 different types of sofa bed. They offer confusing diagrams of mechanisms, which are about as interesting as a book about concrete.
However, from what I can tell, there are two main types of sofa bed:
- those which have a separate hidden mattress (e.g. folding sofa beds)
- those where you sleep on the sofa cushions (e.g. futons, corner sofa beds, click clack/clic clac sofa beds, lift and pull sofa beds, A-frame sofa beds)
Personally, I prefer the look of a sofa bed with a hidden mattress, as it can easily masquerade as a normal sofa the rest of the time. However, the downside is that the mattresses are thin because there's only so much storage space under the cushions.
Anyway, that's enough waffle...
We've picked out five of the best sofa beds on sale in the UK today, by looking at specification, value for money, customer reviews and awards.
1. Birlea Aurora Sofa Bed/Birlea Snug Sofa Bed - £139/£279 - 1 colour choice
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Roll up bargain hunters! £139 doesn’t go a long way when you’re looking for a cheap sofa bed, but the Birlea Aurora Sofa Bed gets good reviews for the price or you can upgrade to one called the Birlea Snug Sofa Bed which costs about twice the price and has a thicker cushion/mattress.
They're both what are known as the ‘click clack’ style of sofa bed (sometimes called ‘clic clac’), which means that the back of the sofa flattens out to make the bed. Nothing too fancy but it'll do the job for Aunt Maude (assuming you don’t want her to stay for too long). Once they've been turned into a settee bed you’ll end up with something which is about 10cm wider and 10cm shorter than a standard single mattress. So, it's not really wide enough for two, unless you’re both very petite. The Birlea brand was scoring 3.5/5 on TrustPilot or 4.7/5 on Google Reviews when we checked (2021). The cheaper Birlea Aurora was scoring 4.1/5 on Amazon at the time of writing. We couldn't find reviews of the Birlea Snug Sofa bed unfortunately. If you buy either the Aurora sofa bed or Snug sofa bed from Happy Beds then you get a five year guarantee, which I would say is pretty appealing as a lot of cheap furniture just comes with one year. Pros: terrific value, good reviews, longer warranty than many rivals Cons: poor choice of colours, high chance of your feet falling off the edge if you are taller than 5 foot 8 inches, no arm rests Our value rating: ***** (out of five) |
The Birlea Aurora sofa bed is a simple design and is slightly wider than a single mattress when flat...
...whilst the Birlea Snug sofa bed has a similar design but has a deeper mattress/cushion
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2. Dreams Gallway 3 Seater Clic-Clac Sofa Bed - £799 - 3 colour choices
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This Dreams Gallway Sofa bed does a convincing impression of a sofa in your lounge and it comes in green, grey or navy blue. It's a clic-clac sofa, which means that the seating area and back rest area folds flat and you sleep on the sofa cushions.
That means you get a thicker bit of foam to lie on than you’d get with a fully concealed mattress. The ‘mattress’ uses pocket springs which should give it a good level of support (pocket springs are posher than cheap 'open coil' springs). When it's laid out flat you get a mattress which is 190cm long by 112cm wide. That means that it's the same length as a normal single or double mattress, so you should be able to stretch out unless your name is Richard Osman. It's worth noting that the armrests stay in place at both ends, so your pillow won't fall off the end during the night. The width of the sleeping area is halfway between a single and a double mattress. It is advertised as being suitable for two people to sleep on but I would say that it would be quite cosy for a couple for more than a night or two. Reviews on the Dreams website are currently very positive (4.8/5 after 60+ reviews). You can buy matching armchairs and footstools from Dreams as well. Dreams also sell a two seater sofa bed called Haze which works in a similar way and is available in two colours and is a similar price. Pros: genuinely looks like a sofa, pocket springs for added comfort, very positive reviews, long enough for an average height male Cons: modest choice of colours, too narrow for most couples being despite advertised as suitable for two, only a one year warranty Our value rating: **** |
The Dreams Gallway sofa comes in 3 different colours...
...and gets good reviews from customers
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3. House by John Lewis Oliver 2 Seater Sofa Bed With Pocket Sprung Mattress - from £1299 - 200+ colour choices
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This House by John Lewis Oliver Sofa Bed isn't the cheapest but it comes in dozens of different colours and tick most boxes that I look for.
For a start, it's a 'folding sofa bed' so it actually looks like a sofa, unlike some clic clac sofa beds or futons which can look a bit out of place in a lounge. The mattress is also a reasonably good size, as it’s as wide as a double mattress and almost as long. Some sofa beds are barely bigger than a single. It's a 2 seater sofa, but is wider than most of the 2 seaters at John Lewis. Most important though is the materials used for the mattress, as it's available as a pocket spring mattress. For the uninitiated, a pocket spring mattress is far superior to an open coil mattress which is what Grandma has in her spare bedroom which hasn't been decorated since 1953. The mattress itself is 10cm deep. For comparison, most decent mattresses are at least 20cm deep, with a cheaper one being about 15cm deep. Of course, this thinner option is a necessity of a folding sofa bed and 10cm seems to be about as a good as it gets. The alternative is to pick a sofa bed where you actually sleep on the sofa cushions, which of course can be a lot thicker but doesn't always look so subtle in a lounge. Personally, I would lay a duvet over the top of the mattress before putting a fitted sheet on as that will work as a topper and make the whole thing a bit thicker and comfier. |
This John Lewis sofa bed comes in 200+ colours and actually looks like a sofa...
...and it has a pocket spring mattress, albeit a thin one
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The mattress sits on slats, rather than on some sort of flimsy material base, which is the less posh option.
For nerds like me who are interested in the little details, it’s worth noting that the sofa frame is made from birch, which is a hardwood (that’s a good thing for a sofa as it keeps its shape and hardwoods emit lower volatile organic compounds than softwoods) whilst the frame is held together with glue and staples (that’s less good and is generally seen as a cheap option). The frame comes with a generous 15 year guarantee.
As for John Lewis & Partners, the company itself regularly scores well in customer service surveys. In 2019, it beat Amazon at the Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Finally (and I’m impressed if you’re still reading by this point..) it is made in the UK. Whilst that isn’t a complete guarantee that you’re buying quality, it is worth saying that many of the very best and poshest sofas and mattresses are made in the UK, so it’s a good sign.
A cheaper alternative is the John Lewis & Partners Camden Sofa Bed (£1049+). Instead of a pocket sprung mattress, you get a foam mattress. Other notable differences are that it's not quite as wide and it is made in Romania from a number of different woods (including some cheaper ones). You still get a long guarantee with the frame though.
Pros: respected brand, mattress is entirely hidden, very good choice of colours, long warranty, made in the UK, hardwood frame
Cons: thin mattress, expensive, frame construction method, not long enough for above average height UK men
Our value rating: ***
For nerds like me who are interested in the little details, it’s worth noting that the sofa frame is made from birch, which is a hardwood (that’s a good thing for a sofa as it keeps its shape and hardwoods emit lower volatile organic compounds than softwoods) whilst the frame is held together with glue and staples (that’s less good and is generally seen as a cheap option). The frame comes with a generous 15 year guarantee.
As for John Lewis & Partners, the company itself regularly scores well in customer service surveys. In 2019, it beat Amazon at the Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Finally (and I’m impressed if you’re still reading by this point..) it is made in the UK. Whilst that isn’t a complete guarantee that you’re buying quality, it is worth saying that many of the very best and poshest sofas and mattresses are made in the UK, so it’s a good sign.
A cheaper alternative is the John Lewis & Partners Camden Sofa Bed (£1049+). Instead of a pocket sprung mattress, you get a foam mattress. Other notable differences are that it's not quite as wide and it is made in Romania from a number of different woods (including some cheaper ones). You still get a long guarantee with the frame though.
Pros: respected brand, mattress is entirely hidden, very good choice of colours, long warranty, made in the UK, hardwood frame
Cons: thin mattress, expensive, frame construction method, not long enough for above average height UK men
Our value rating: ***
4. Chesterfield Style Three Seater Sofa Bed - £619 - 6 colour choices
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This Chesterfield style sofa bed makes our list because of its pretty strong customer reviews (4.1/5 on Amazon when we checked) and decent specification for the price. It comes in a number of colours and has two seater and a wider three-seater option.
The mattress on the three seater version is pretty much a double mattress size, so larger than some sofa beds which are cosy for two people. Like most folding sofa beds, the mattress is relatively thin to allow it to fit into the base of the sofa, but most reviewers say it is fine for occasional use. You might consider a double mattress sized topper to make it more comfortable. The sofa itself has a hardwood frame, which is a good sign. Cheap sofas use softer wood which loses its shape more easily.' Our analysis of the 100+ Amazon reviews found that there are 14 uses of key phrases praising its build quality ('well made' or 'good quality') whilst six people described it as 'value for money'. On the other hand, five reviewers highlighted that it was a 'little hard' to sit on. Pros: good range of colours, good value, long enough mattress for most people (185cm), hardwood frame Cons: thin mattress, short warranty, less well known brand, too firm for some people Our value rating: **** |
This Chesterfield style folding sofa bed has a hidden mattress
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5. Innovation Recast Sofa Bed With Pocket Sprung Mattress - £999 - 2 colour choices
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This Innovation Recast sofa bed is more expensive than most simple sofa beds, but it gets glowing reviews and has a good specification.
It has a ‘pull out base and drop down back’ which basically means that half of the bed bit is hidden round the back. The sofa cushions are then used as pillows. I reckon this one looks more like a sofa than many sofa beds, so you could get away with having it in your trendy lounge. The real winner for me is that it has pocket springs, which are what decent mattresses have. Foam can be comfortable but most of us are used to the feel of pocket spring mattresses. Once it folds flat, it is 200cm x 140cm, which is slightly larger than a standard double mattress. It comes in blue and grey and was getting reviews of 4.7/5 when I checked. Most reviewers consider it a firm mattress. Pros: trendy design, long warranty, positive reviews, long sleeping area is suitable for taller people, pocket springs Cons: expensive, small range of colours, no arm rests Our value rating:*** |
Innovation Recast's sofa bed has a modern and simple look...
...and it uses pocket springs which is a sign of quality
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A note about our value rating - we give each product a score ranging from one star (poor value and unlikely to be featured) up to five stars (exceptionally good value). Three stars represents good value whilst four stars is very good value. We look at factors such as specification and warranty length before giving our ratings.