We tested this year's best click-clack and pull-out sofa beds for making the most of your living space
The best sofa beds promise a handy two-in-one solution; both a sofa for relaxing and entertaining and a comfortable bed for guests. Historically, though, they have been neither. They seemed to be too firm and unyielding as a sofa and uncomfortable and creaky as a bed. That’s a surefire recipe for back pain. Black Couch Legs
But the sofa beds of today have evolved, according to interior designer Katy Raywood of Howson Design Interiors. “They used to be poorly sprung, uncomfortable additions,” she says. “They are now comfortable, practical and easy to function.” You can also order sofa-beds flat packed now, for easy home delivery.
Raywood does still only recommend them for occasional use, rather than to replace a bed full time. This is because the mattresses are much thinner than on standard beds. But for an overnight or weekend visitor, it’s great to have the multi-functionality of a sofa and bed in one.
“As an interior designer, I see many clients who need a guest room that doubles as a home office,” says Raywood. “The sofa bed is the ideal solution. Your workspace feels less like a bedroom - and you have more space.” But it can be hard to know which is best for you.
I spent a week testing sofa beds of various sizes around London showrooms. I tried click-clack sofa beds, where the back folds down to create a flat surface and pull-out sofa beds, which conceal a hidden mattress. (There’s more on the difference between them in our FAQ section.) You can read my full reviews below, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:
If you’re looking for a more comfortable sofa to sit on, choose a click-clack sofa bed, says interior designer Naomi Astley Clarke. “A really comfortable sofa would have a spring base, then cushions. If the base contains a pull-out mattress instead of that spring base, it’s going to be less comfortable to sit on.”
However if you’re looking to prioritise the comfort of the mattress, choose a pull-out sofa bed. The mattresses themselves are generally pocket sprung or foam, like a bed mattress, compared to the padded sofa cushions you will be sleeping on with a click-clack sofa bed.
“The comfort of the mattress is key – even when choosing beds for clients, the base isn’t the expense, it’s the mattress,” says Astley-Clarke.
As the resident of a small flat in London (I prefer bijou), I have a vested interest in finding a sofa bed that’s durable and comfortable enough for entertaining and evenings spent in front of the TV and spacious enough to host weekend guests. So, I set out to remedy the sofa bed’s disrepute and test the best models on the market. I tried everything from John Lewis to Ikea, corner and chair sofa beds.
Due to the aforementioned small flat, I was unable to trial each sofa bed at home. But I could persuade shop assistants in furniture shops to let me have a shameless lie down. I visited all the big names – John Lewis, Heal’s, Loaf etc – to try the bestselling sofa beds out for myself. I was testing them for fabric, style, features, comfort, quality and the ease of opening out the sofa beds. Here is what I found, starting with my favourite…
We like: the raised legs mean it looks like a regular sofa
We don’t like: only the velvet and cotton are easy-clean
The Bluebell sofa bed is interior designer Katy Raywood’s high street pick, thanks to its ability to fit into any modern or contemporary home and the customisation available. “It’s a classic design with a timeless feel and I love that there are a vast range of fabrics and colours to choose from,” she says.
Sofa.com offers the choice of more than 80 fabrics including “smart” cotton or velvet, which is stain resistant and can be cleaned with a damp cloth. It’s ideal for families with young kids or pets. You can also choose from the House herringbone weave, various linens, weave, cottons, velvets and leathers and a new boucle. You might be buying one of the most popular sofas on the market, but the variety means you’ll come out with something bespoke to you. You can even choose between oak or mahogany legs.
The cushions are made from feather-topped foam and are a little firm with the mattress underneath, although you can upgrade to the Bluebell Premium Comfort Sofa Bed (from £1,548) which sits lower, allowing more cushioning between you and the pull-out mechanism.
The pull-out mechanism is easy enough for one person. You simply remove the bottom cushions then fold out the hidden mattress. The frame actually has numbered step by step instructions inside for ease. The back cushions can stay in place, for a squishy headboard.
It’s hard to fault sofa.com’s Bluebell sofa in any way. I suppose I’d like to see the “smart” stain-resistant technology rolled out to its linen and weave fabrics as well, which select other retailers have managed. But I’m sure that’s the next step anyway.
If you’re looking for a click-clack model, which tends to be more affordable and compact than a pull-out, I also loved sofa.com’s collaboration with Jack Wills on the Jack Sofa (from £399). It’s a stylish, well-priced option which looks more expensive than it is.
We like: it’s so easy to operate
We don’t like: it’s not comfortable enough for more than a couple of nights
As a general rule I think John Lewis’ Anyday collection, which spans across furniture, kitchen equipment and clothes, is an excellent budget range. It came as no surprise to me that its Clapton click-clack sofa bed is the best value-for-money option I tried.
Costing just £299, it’s the cheapest on this list by far. With a foam filling, lacking feathers, it’s unsurprisingly on the firmer side, although not uncomfortably so for an overnight stay. Any longer and you might want to consider a mattress topper. The frame also has a 15 year guarantee - impressive for the price.
The click-clack mechanism requires you to release the locks and push firmly until you hear a “click-clack”, which takes just seconds and is perfectly doable for one person. Size-wise, it matches up to a small double.
I wouldn’t want this for my main sofa, I prefer something with a bit more squish, but it’s perfect for a dual-purpose room like a second bedroom that doubles as a study. You can buy it in teal or steel.
Best sofa bed for ease of use, 9/10
We like: you don’t need to remove the cushions
We don’t like: as the seat cushions are attached, you can’t flip them if they lose plumpness
Darlings of Chelsea has British manufacturing at its heart with all its sofas being handmade to order in the UK. For a brand that produces such traditional looking sofas, a lot of what it does is actually quite innovative.
Take this Bromley Sofa Bed, for example, which uses a roll-out method rather than a traditional pull-out. To operate it, reach between the two back cushions to find the fabric lever and pull. The back cushions will fold onto the base cushions. Then you get hold of the metal frame of the mattress and keep pulling, to reveal a 12cm pocket sprung mattress (although you can upgrade to memory foam).
Meanwhile the back cushions, which are attached to the frame, sit beneath. It’s all very intuitive and impressive but Darlings of Chelsea have an excellent explanatory video on the product page if you’re struggling.
Darlings let you choose between almost 200 fabrics of varying prices, many of which are “easy clean” meaning you can clean spills with a damp cloth. You can also customise the piping and choose between the standard fibre wrapped foam or upgrade to feather wrapped foam for the cushion fillings. I love the ability to mould the sofa to exactly suit you.
The one thing you can’t customise are the legs as this sofa bed does sit almost touching the ground. Personally, I prefer the look of a raised sofa bed, which I think makes it look more like a regular sofa. But it’s true that a lower sit is more comfortable - it means the mechanism can be hidden lower down, so you’re sitting on more cushion when using it as a regular sofa.
While we’re on comfort, the mattress is also one of the deepest and most comfortable. All in all, a sofa bed that hits the sweet spot between practicality and comfort.
If you’d still prefer an off-the-floor option, I also loved Darling’s more contemporary Exmouth Sofa Bed (from £1,722). It has higher arms and a higher back for anyone needing the extra support in and out.
Best sofa bed for tall guests, 9/10
We like: the good-quality, durable fabric and plus back cushions
We don’t like: the price tag
Not only is this a stylish sofa worthy of any living room, it folds out into a vast king-size bed, measuring approximately 222cm x 150cm; tall guests will thank you. It has a softly rounded design and individual pocket springs that made it among the most comfortable I tried, both as a sofa and as a bed. I was sad when my department-store-nap had to come to an end.
The only downside is price, as the Oswold will set you back more than £2,000. Is it worth it? On balance, yes. The fabric quality is excellent and it has plump cushions and a springy mattress that will please even the fussiest of guests.
It’s obvious a lot of attention has been paid to the design. Unlike other pull-out designs, you take the lever and pull the rest of the mattress out from the bottom of the sofa. The backrest then flips back, sort of how a click-clack design would, to fill the gap. There’s a classy leather pull for setting up the bed and inbuilt storage for the cushions.
Heal’s also do a stylish but slightly less comfortable click-clack sofa-bed-Chesterfield, which is aptly named ‘Forty Winks’ £1,599, Heals).
We like: each sofa is delivered in four boxes
We don’t like: minimal fabrics to choose from
Snug is fairly new to the scene, having launched in 2018 after founder Rob Bridgman had a disastrous experience when ordering a luxury sofa online. He was frustrated by the long delivery time and the fact that when it arrived, the sofa couldn’t fit through the front door.
Bridgman rectified this by creating Snug - flatpack sofas which are stocked in the UK and ready to be shipped as quickly as the next day. The obvious downside to stocked sofas compared to made-to-order is a lack of range - it’s just physically impossible to stock all manner of sofa shapes and fabrics ready to ship. The very obvious upside is the quick delivery time.
My favourite sofa bed from the four collections (see below) was The Rebel. I tested it in the pop up showroom in London where I pulled it apart so that the arms, back, base and cushions were separate and connected it back together. You can pay an additional £40 on delivery to have it put together but from experience, it’s super easy and doesn’t require tools. You might just consider paying the price if you lack arm strength.
The sofa beds are well priced compared to others I tried without skimping on quality - the 10cm deep pull-out mattress is pocket sprung, the cushions are a medium-firm fibre and foam, any fabric you choose is easy-care and spill-resistant (even the boucle) and the frame has a 15 year guarantee.
What’s more, if, say, an arm gets damaged but the rest of the sofa bed is still perfectly fine, you can simply replace one part instead of the whole thing. The colours are fun, if a little limited and I love the sloping style of the arms, which also offer decent support for getting in and out.
Snug stocks four collections of sofas: The Rebel, a mid-century style sofa with sharper lines, The Big Chill, similar to The Rebel with chunkier arms, The Cloud Sundae, a fully modular plump and deep design to sink into and The Small Biggie, similar to The Cloud Sundae but with a smaller footprint and slimmer arms.
We like: when pulled out, it looks like an actual bed
We don’t like: long delivery time
OKA’s only sofa bed is this contemporary, customisable and made-to-order Egerton. Its sloping arms and relaxed valance which covers the frame when pulled out make it look like a real bed rather than an adapted sofa. You won’t find one better looking, although it’s definitely a luxury buy.
On purchase, you can choose to customise the material and colour of fabric and the colour of the legs. Opt for one of the “clever” fabrics if you’re after easy-clean and spill-resistant, or a linen if you want the ability to switch the covers with the seasons.
Most impressively about this sofa bed, the mattress is 13cm. That’s the thickest on this list, equal to the West Elm sofa bed below. It’s still not as thick as a regular mattress (those tend to be around 20cm), but noticeably comfier than other sofa bed mattresses. It’s also easy to pull out. You simply remove the foam and duck feather seat cushions and unfold the mattress onto its additional two legs.
To address the elephant in the room, it costs a minimum of £5,300 and jumps up in increments of hundreds when you choose different fabrics. But it’s handmade to order in the UK and will undoubtedly last long enough to be passed down a generation.
We like: even without the mattress pulled out, it’s like a second bed
We don’t like: requires regular cushion-turning
Loaf is known for supremely comfortable, deep-sit sofas to relax into rather than entertain in. As the name suggests, The Squishmeister Sofa Bed fits into that category with its huge sumptuous pillows made from feathers, foam and fibre and depth of just over a metre. Even the armrests are soft. The whole sofa is like having a bed in your living room.
In contrast to the huge slouchy sofa, below are tapered oak legs which raise the sofa, to help with access. Another design feature I love is that the majority of fabrics are spill-resistant, even the woolly fabric. Only the brushed cotton, the bamboo and the house fabric are not.
You can tell that Loaf also sells standalone mattresses as the sofa bed mattress shows a high attention to detail. It’s pocket-sprung and properly tufted, made with breathable wool and cotton plus polyester, which helps it to retain its shape. The outside is even edged with Egyptian cotton ticking to allow air circulation.
The usual complaint about Loaf sofas is that they’re too soft and need regular plumping. It’s hard to say whether this is the case with the Squishmeister as I only tested it in the showroom, but I was assured that regular turning of the cushions stops this from happening. Just bear in mind that if you need a firm cushion or extra support for getting in and out, this might not be the one.
If you love the Loaf style but find the deep-sit and squishiness are a bit too much, Loaf’s Jonesy Sofa Bed (from £2,095) is narrower and firmer. It’ll better suit smaller spaces or anyone needing better support from their sofa.
Best sofa bed for delivery time, 8/10
We like: the stain-resistant fabric
We don’t like: the sofa is reasonably slim
You may well have heard of mattress in-a-box brands Simba, Emma and Nectar. Well, now meet the sofa in a box. Swyft is one of a new crop of sofa brands that offer ultra-fast delivery in manageable boxes. They have also formulated a stain-resistant fabric, so your Swyft sofa will be armed against red wine spillage.
Speaking of fabric: the Swyft sofa bed comes in more than 50 hues, and you can tell it’s been designed with the Instagram generation in mind. The green velvet is my favourite, although I reckon the neutral ‘pumice’ woven fabric would be a little more hardwearing. That said, Swyft’s velvet is rated to a commercial level 100k Martindale run count, a measure of durability.
It’s a fold-out design, and comes with a mattress topper for extra comfort and protection (although the 300 pocket-sprung mattress itself is very comfortable). It’s the size of a standard UK double, at 208cm x 135cm. There’s inbuilt storage for bedding, too, and the frame comes with a 15 year guarantee.
Swyft’s sells another sofa bed, the Model 08 (£1,499) which has more of a modern shape and a comfier foam fibre filling than just the foam in the Model 04. The Model 08 uses a pull-out mechanism rather than the click-clack design of the Model 04.
Best sofa bed for everyday use, 8/10
We like: the chic design
We don’t like: it’s very upright, not the best for lounging
If it’s a multifunctional sofa you’re after, one smart enough for your drawing room that doubles as an extra bed, this West Elm Paidge Sofa Bed might just tick your boxes. The only area in which it’s lacking is squishy, loungey comfort. It’s far too chic for that.
It’s still comfortable as a sofa, as long as you don’t mind a medium-firm seat, but where it really comes into its own is when the mattress is pulled out. With a depth of 13cm, it’s neck-and-neck with the OKA Egerton above as the thickest sofa-bed mattress around.
And despite its misleading name, it pulls out to a king size mattress. While I still wouldn’t recommend using your sofa bed for sleeping on everyday, if that had to be the case, I’d choose this West Elm.
As with all furniture from US based West Elm, this sofa bed is handmade using sustainably sourced materials. If you want a sofa bed that both actually looks like a sofa and has a genuinely comfortable mattress to boot, this is it.
West Elm also sells a click-clack sofa bed, the Andes Futon (from £2,299) which sleeps two, available in velvet or twill.
We like: the spacious sofa
We don’t like: the quality is noticeably worse than other sofa beds on this list (a compromise for the cheaper price)
The Friheten, Ikea’s three seater corner sofa bed has one of the simplest mechanisms possible. To convert into a bed or back to a sofa, simply pull out or push in the secret drawer.
I like the Friheten because the fabric is pleasant to touch, and three people (or five kids) can lie in a row facing the TV. Plus, it fits two people comfortably to sleep (as long as they don’t mind getting cosy – as a bed it measures 204cm x 140cm, though as a sofa the total length is 230cm). It’s available in black, beige, blue and two shades of dark grey.
Overall, this doesn’t feel as plush or as well made as others, although the frame comes with a 10 year guarantee. But bargain hunters will note that it’s considerably cheaper.
I also love Ikea’s GRÖNLID sofa bed (£899), a plush, deep sofa bed version of one of our favourite sofas and the HOLMSUND (£650) which uses a similar fold-out technique to the Heal’s Oswald above.
We like: great solution for small rooms
We don’t like: slightly tight fit for two adults
Since most sofa beds will go in spare rooms, and most spare rooms aren’t large, we wanted to find the best space-saving two-seat model. Luckily, Dreams brought one out just this year that fits the bill. The Hazel works extremely well as a compact sofa, with a vaguely 1920s vibe that will suit most rooms and even add a dash of class (it comes in navy, dark grey or blush pink). It takes about five seconds to convert: just pull on the handle at the front and fold the backrest back.
Like most click-clack beds, there’s no actual mattress: you’re sleeping on the sofa cushions and the sleep is definitely on the firm side. That’s great for some people (I personally love it), but you would not choose this as a permanent bed. It’s a good size for one person, but it’s a bit of a tight squeeze for two.
One other thing to note is the assembly time: it takes two people one hour, although you can pay 40 for the delivery guys to assemble it, which we would definitely advise. Overall, an excellent sofa and spare bed for a small room.
If you’re looking for something larger, Dreams’ Galway three-seat corner sofa bed is equally pretty.
On a click-clack sofa bed, you’re sleeping on the surface of the sofa, says interior designer Naomi Astley-Clarke. The back of the sofa folds back to create a flat surface, much like a sun lounger would.
Pull-out sofa beds, on the other hand, have mattresses hidden beneath the base cushions. You remove the cushions to reveal the folded up mattress, grab the metal base and pull it out. Usually, it has two concealed legs which support the folded out mattress.
Couch Mechanism Sometimes pull out sofa beds, like the Heal’s, Ikea and Dreams sofa beds above, have another layer of sofa beneath the seat instead of a mattress which can be pulled out and up while the back is pushed back to create a flat sleeping surface. While this type is also called a pull-out sofa bed, it acts like a hybrid between a pull-out and a click-clack because you sleep on a sofa surface rather than a traditional mattress.