All The Different Types of Sofa Beds

Sofa beds are ideal pieces of furniture to make the most out of a small space. After all, they’re multipurpose; usable as a sofa, and as a bed!

With the right sofa bed, you can turn your living room into a bedroom in no time at all.

There is a wide range of sofa bed designs out there, and we’re going to explore 15 different types in this article.

We’ll discuss:

• How each design works
• What design is most suitable for you.

Let’s get straight into it!

Two-Seater Sofa Bed

A two-seater sofa bed is an ideal piece for a small space, particularly if the room is occupied by two people. It can also work with three people or more, as long as you have extra seating.

For a living room/bedroom set up for one, a two-seater is ideal as it is suitable for hosting a guest and is just the right size for one person to sleep on very comfortably.

The two-seater sofa bed comes with two seat cushions that are removable, and a fold-out mattress that can be constructed of various materials. Mattresses tend to be twin to queen-size.

Two-seater sofas can come in all sorts of styles as well as materials, such as velvet or leather.

Three-Seater Sofa Bed

A three-seater sofa bed is much like a two-seater sofa bed, but is suitable for a slightly larger area.

It allows for increased entertainment space and more casual relaxing as you can lay back on it without pulling out the mattress.

This is ideal for a couple or small family who sometimes have guests over but do not have a spare bedroom in their home.

You can turn your living area into a comfortable bedroom for one of two guests with this nifty piece! Just like two-seaters, three-seater sofa beds are available in a whole range of sofa styles to suit your decor whether that be classic, modern, or alternative.

Foam Fold-Out Sofa Beds

Unlike a lot of other designs, foam fold-out sofa beds come in just one piece and do not involve clunky mechanisms.

Their design is very straightforward, with seat and back cushions all folding out to form the mattress.

This is perhaps the most user-friendly type of sofa bed because of its simple design, and it can also be incredibly comfortable both for sitting and sleeping.

Some even contain storage areas in which you can keep spare pillows and blankets for your guests’ usage!

Pull-Out and Lift-Up

The pull-out and lift-up design is similar to regular sofa beds, just with an added feature that allows you to elevate the bed up from the floor.

This makes for a more comfortable piece of furniture that closely resembles a conventional bed.

This type of sofa bed is ideal for older guests who would otherwise have trouble getting in and out of a bed at floor level, such as you would experience with a foam fold-out style.

Pull-out and lift-up sofa beds are generally made with a light aluminum frame so that the mechanism is easily workable. This also makes for a lighter piece that is moveable from one room to another as you require.

Three-Fold Roll-Out

This innovative sofa bed design makes it as simple as possible to turn your living space into a bedroom!

The bed is formed of the three main sections of a sofa: seat cushions, back cushions, and under-seat padding.

Each section is connected in one unified piece that can be picked up and rolled out with ease.

The bed lies flat along the ground and is typically made of a foam material – comfortable for a few nights, but perhaps not so ideal for long-term stays.

Click-Clack Sofa Beds

Click-clack sofa beds, otherwise known as futons, are a stylish and versatile space-saving solution. They often come on a wooden or aluminium base and have a foam cushion/mattress.

The cushioned mattress is one large piece that sits atop the base, often attached with a ribbon or other adhesive. Cushions tend to be covered in a tasteful cotton or wool fabric.

It is named click-clack for the sound the sofa makes as it is reclined into a bed or brought back up into the sitting position!

In many click-clack sofa bed models, you will find extra storage underneath the seating area to stash pillows and blankets which guests can access with ease.

This type of sofa bed is best suited for short-stay guests as they tend to only have a thin cushion/mattress. However, one advantage is that the bed is elevated up off of the floor.

A-Frame

A-frame sofa beds are rather similar to click-clack sofa beds in that they are made up of a wooden or metal frame. They also have a simple one-piece cushion/mattress that sits atop the frame.

These are modern and stylish by design, in addition to being comfortably elevated from the floor.

This means that guests can rise from the bed as they would from their regular bed, without causing injury to their back or knees.

Again, the A-frame’s primary disadvantage is that it consists only of a thin mattress. You might start to feel that hard base after a few nights’ sleep!

Sleeper Sofa Bed

A sleeper sofa is an excellent choice for a sofa bed design as it is practical, stylish, and comfortable all at once.

There’s no need to remove any cushions before transforming the sofa into a bed. Simply flatten down the back, and you’ll have a twin to queen-sized bed!

The cushion/mattress is thick, elevated up above the floor, and well-sized. The only disadvantage is that the size of the bed is not as packable; instead, it sits as a sofa at full bed length.

Folding Sofa Bed

The folding sofa bed design involves a flat cushion-topped bed that gathers up into a comfortable sofa.

There’s no need to remove cushions or deal with awkward mechanisms. Instead, simply lower the backrest!

The folding sofa bed is a rather comfortable option for long-term stays. Its qualities also make it ideal if you are a couple or single living in a studio apartment where your living space is also your bedroom.

Folding sofa beds are often covered in a tasteful material such as suede or leather, with wooden or metal legs.

Daybed

Day beds are long sofas with comfortable cushioning, suitable for sleeping on.

They are long enough for adults to stretch out completely, but also have a backrest so that they can act as a regular sofa.

Daybeds tend to be only single-sized, so are not suitable for more than one person.

They are classic, stylish, and practical pieces of furniture that are particularly well-suited for hosting guests for short stays. With longer stays, your guest may tire of the casual setup that a daybed provides.

They also tend to have built-in storage underneath the seating, in which you can keep pillows and bedding as well as guests’ belongings.

Stacking Sofa Bed

A stacking sofa bed’s parts are assembled with the help of sliding and folding mechanisms, designed to form a sofa for seating during the day.

These are one of the more complex designs when it comes to folding and unfolding.

However, they are nicely compact and serve as a comfortable couch. As a bed, they are less comfortable due to their positioning flat along the floor.

These are generally not as stylish when compared to other options included on this list. This is because they are chunky and foamy, without slim and artful frames.

They also do not allow for storage space as some other sofa beds do.

Corner Sofa Bed

Corner sofa beds are extremely comfortable and cosy, tucked away into the corner to allow for maximum (yet compact) sleeping space.

If you live in a small studio apartment, this is a great way to create a sense of snugness that is separated from the rest of the space.

Corner sofa beds come in a range of styles, materials, and specific designs, but are generally stylish and practical.

They take little to no setting up in the transformation from sofa to bed, apart from rearranging a few cushions!

Storage Sofa Bed

A storage sofa bed is a sofa bed that doubles as a storage unit as well. This is a super practical piece of furniture, having three purposes that make small-space living a breeze!

When it comes to storage sofa beds, there are a variety of different designs.

One of them involves removing the bed cushions to reveal storage capacity below the sleeping space. Other designs incorporate large drawers that pull out from below the sleeping area.

You can keep bedding for yourself or guests to use in these storage units, as well as personal belongings such as books, clothes, or supplies.

1-Part Metal Action

Sofa bed mechanisms can be heavy (and even dangerous) to someone without a lot of strength.

1-part metal action sofa beds require only a short tug on the mechanism to set it into action, causing it to unpack itself on its own. Only the back and seat cushions may need to be removed manually.

These sofa beds often come in leather covering, making them stylish modern pieces that fit into a studio apartment nicely.

Because of their user-friendliness, these are great as an everyday bed for your small space, or as a guest bed in your lounge or spare room.

3-Part Metal Action

The 3-part metal action sofa bed requires a fair bit more effort than the 1-part metal action bed.

This is not a recommended option for people with less strength, who may find lifting and pulling these parts tricky.

It is, however, one of the more comfortable options both as a sofa and a bed. It can also appear more stylish as the bed is entirely tucked away from sight.

This is not a great sofa bed for everyday use due to how difficult it is to transform. On the other hand, it’s excellent for use as a main couch in your living room that can double as a guest bed!

The Bottom Line

As you’ve seen in this article, there is a huge variety of sofa bed designs to suit different needs. These can relate to style, maneuverability, practicality, and the space you have available in your home!

There’s something on this list to suit everybody’s living situation, whether that be a single-room studio or a house that lacks a guest room.

There’s also sure to be a style to suit your taste, and endless different materials to choose from as well.

Be sure to consider whether you’ll need to transform your sofa bed daily or only occasionally, as well as how it will fit into your space.

It’s also a good idea to think about whether you require a sofa bed that has storage included!