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The best sofa beds can help you to transform your home by conjuring up overnight sleeping space for guests in the living room, or allowing you to convert a guest bedroom into a home office or playroom without sacrificing the ability to host friends and family occasionally.
However, finding a sofa bed that's stylish, affordable and comfortable is a tall order – trust us, we've walked multiple miles around multiple sofa showrooms in search of the best sofa beds, and unearthed plenty that don't hit the mark in terms of sitting or sleeping comfort – so we know just how difficult finding a good one can be.
Thankfully we've compiled all of that first-hand testing experience into this guide, rounding up the best sofa beds from John Lewis & Partners, Habitat, Darlings of Chelsea, Heal's, Swyft, Dunelm, and many more, so you can jump straight to the Ideal Home team's top recommendations.
And whilst most sofa beds are going to feel a little firmer for sitting on than one of the best sofas, we're confident this selection offers the cream of the sofa bed crop, including some great multifunctional options that will allow you to maximise your living space and add versatility to your home.
Sofa bed deals
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may officially be over, but there are still some good sofa bed deals to be found in the extended Cyber Week sales. We’ve rounded up today's best sofa deals below.
The quick list
Short on time? This quick list is an overview of the very best sofa beds. You'll find more information on each sofa bed and why we recommend it if you keep on scrolling.
Best sofa bed overall
It's an investment, but this sofa bed is comfortable enough to use as everyday seating as well as providing guests with a decent night's sleep – a rare find! There are four frame widths available – all with a single roll-out mechanism that makes transformation from sofa to pull-out bed light work – over 175 upholstery options, the option of assembly in-situ if awkward access is an issue, and options to tailor comfort levels of both mattress and seat cushions.
Best value small sofa bed
If you want to host overnight guests, but don't have much floor space to play with, the Habitat Roma Sofa Bed is a great buy. It comes in a compact 91cm chair bed or slightly larger 101cm wide option, both of which are available in a host of on-trend upolstery options at affordable price points. It's click-clack design is more occasional seating (and sleeping) than an everyday option, but it makes a useful and stylish addition to a home office or bedroom.
Best budget buy
There's no denying sofa beds are expensive, which is why the Dunelm Mito Futon's price tag is such a welcome sight. Yes, it's basic, and it can't offer the comfort of a sofa bed five times its price, but, it does the job – and the addition of a mattress topper can work wonders. There are over 20 colourways available and two size options, the 137cm wide double futon and a 76cm chair bed that is a useful and affordable option for kid's sleepovers.
Best quick delivery sofa bed
Sofas and sofa beds are reknowned for their long lead times – a wait of up to 16 weeks isn't unusual! – which isn't great news if you need to host overnight guests, fast. That's where Swyft's sofa bed comes into its own. It can be delivered in just 24 hours if you order direct from the brand, or well under a week via third-party stockists. Yep, you read that right. As it's delivered flatpacked (don't worry, assembly couldn't be simpler) it's also a great option for homes with awkward access.
Best value large sofa bed
If you're looking for a large sofa bed at a reasonable price point then it's hard to beat Habitat's bestselling Kota sofa bed – as long as you're happy with its somewhat Marmite contemporary design. For a (relatively) low investment, you get a generous three-seater sofa with a simple click-clack design where the backrest folds down to create a roughly small double-sized sleeping surface. Colourways are limited, but there are some good on-trend options such as this cream boucle upholstery.
Best for everyday use
In terms of sleep comfort, this is one of the most comfortable (and spacious) sofa beds we've tested. The mix of soft foam layers over a pocket-spring core gives it the closest feel to a 'true' mattress, and a king-sized sleeping area offers a luxurious amount of space to stretch out. In sofa form, that sleep comfort translates into a comfortable sitting experience too. It's an investment, but one of the few sofa beds that can perform as both everyday seating and sleeping.
Best sofa beds of 2023
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Best sofa bed overall
It may be an investment compared to other options in our edit, but if you have a little more budget to play with then the Bromley sofa bed from Darling's of Chelsea offers a lot of bang for your buck. It manages to nail the holy grail of the sofa bed search; a sofa bed that's comfortable enough to use as your everyday seating as well as providing overnight guests with a decent night's sleep.
There are four frame widths available, all with a single roll-out action mechanism that makes the transformation from sofa to pull-out bed a super simple affair. And as the seat and back cushions remain attached to the frame there's no need to find somewhere to store them whilst your guests are snoozing (although that does mean you can't flip the seat or back cushions over like with some other pull-out models).
The roll-action design also means this model is able to offer a longer mattress than most pull-out sofa beds, with a 190cm length sleeping area that taller guests will appreciate. And, at 12cm, the mattress is one of the deepest that pull-out sofa beds can be equipped with, also offering options of pocket spring or memory foam construction for enhanced comfort.
Seat comfort can also be tailored to your preference with a choice of fibre-wrapped foam or feather-wrapped foam seat cushions for low-maintenance squish-factor, and there are a whopping 175+ upholstery options to choose from.
Plus, if a narrow hallway, tight corners, or tricky stairs are an issue, this sofa bed can be delivered flat-packed and built by the delivery team in situ; a real boon for those with awkward access.
Best value small sofa bed
If you're looking for a small sofa bed on a budget, then the super affordable Roma sofa bed from Habitat is our top pick, combining a (relatively) low price point, stylish good looks, and perfectly acceptable comfort levels for both sitting and sleeping.
The main downside is that whilst the largest 108cm width option can sleep two guests at a push, both the chair bed and small sofa bed option are really a better option for a lone guest. However the small footprint does make this a great option for a smaller home, and, with all options well under £400, the price is hard to beat.
The click-clack sofa bed design also makes it a super simple task to transition this sofa bed from seating to sleeping, with hidden pockets (disguised by the coordinating scatter cushions) opening to reveal hinged legs, and the backrest and seat easily unfolding to create the sleeping surface. That design does mean the sleeping surface ends up pretty low to the ground, but we still found the medium-firm foam cushioning a comfortable spot to bed down for a few nights – especially if you add a mattress topper. And it's more comfortable than we expected as a seat too, with the angled back hitting just the right level of recline.
The lack of arms and medium-firm cushioning mean we can't quite see it cutting the mustard for everyday use, but as occasional seating, it makes a great accent chair, working particularly well in a living room, bedroom, or guest room, or providing a great solution for impromptu sleepovers in a kids' bedroom or playroom. Upholstery-wise, there are seven colourways to choose from, including our favourite, the Roma sofa bed in off-white boucle.
Best budget buy
This simple futon sofa bed may be fairly basic, but if you're after an affordable way to put up the occasional overnight guest then, at just £175 for the single chair bed and £209 for the small double, the Dunelm Mito Futon makes for a useful and budget-friendly extra sleeping space.
You can opt for the minimal Japandi vibes of the natural or pale grey upholstery, or there are multiple other colour options available, including practical darks and vibrant brights that are perfect for a teenager's lair or children's bedroom. Plus, the new patterned colourways including an on-trend watermelon-pink stripe Mito futon and a graphic abstract print futon are perfect for adding style to an otherwise bland home office.
The FSC-certified solid pine frame is fairly roughly finished – there were a few sections that looked like they could splinter on the model we tested – and, at this price point, the sleeping is a fairly firm experience. Guests also won't be that far off the floor once the futon bed is extended, which may not be ideal for less mobile visitors.
However, whilst guests might struggle to spend a whole week on this temporary bed (which may or may not be a good thing!), if you only need a guest bed for the occasional overnighter and want a cheap and cheerful option that's a little more permanent than a roll-up or inflatable mattress, this budget option could strike just the right balance. Plus, the addition of a good mattress topper can work wonders in terms of sleep comfort.
Quick delivery sofa bed
