12 best sofa bed brands for style as well as sleep

Whether you're furnishing a compact guest bedroom, a dual-purpose home office, or simply making the most of your living room, today's best sofa bed brands have moved far beyond the flimsy fold-outs of decades past.

This new generation of designs hold their own as statement sofas by day, while delivering genuinely restorative sleep by night.

If you're navigating the options, this guide covers the sofa bed brands worth your consideration.

Every type of sofa bed, explained

With an A-frame sofa bed, the back of your sofa becomes your sleeping space. Pull the whole sofa toward you and push the back out to reveal a flat bed. As you need to pull it right out to reveal the back A-frame, this mechanism tends to work best for futons and smaller, lighter frames: ideal for solo sleepers.

Clic-clac sofa beds are designed for super easy transitioning from sofa to bed, as you simply push the back of your sofa away from you to create a flat surface ready for a mattress and sheets. You’ll need to move your clic-clac away from a wall before you transform it into a bed.

Pull out and lift up sofa beds do what they say on the tin. This mechanism is commonly used for corner (or ‘L-shaped’) sofa beds: the back of the frame stays firmly in place (unlike your A-frame design) while you pull the bed out and up from the front of the sofa. This design tends to work best in larger spaces for a double or king size sofa bed, backing onto a wall.

3-fold roll out sofa beds store an in-built mattress under the seat cushions, giving you a sofa-to-bed situation in one fell swoop. Simply take off your cushions and pull the mattress out toward you: no faff necessary.

Corner sofa beds are one of the most common types because they make efficient use of space — but they’re also really comfortable. Stretch your legs out for movie night, and simply pull out the rest of the sofa from underneath when you need it as sleeping space.

Storage sofa beds tend to be ideal for smaller or rental accommodations, or in busy family homes providing additional storage space for all those (often random) bits and bobs that need their own home: toys, bedding, board games, even the vacuum.

How to make a sofa bed more comfortable

Gone are the days of cumbersome sofa beds with flimsy metal bed frames and poorly-placed springs. But care still needs to be taken to ensure a comfortable night’s sleep.

Lee Trethewey, a sustainable furniture expert, suggests taking steps to ensure the longevity of your sofa bed. “Don't let children jump on it, and try not to sit on the arms! Standard sofas are built to be durable, sofa beds are built to be convenient and comfortable,” he says. “Stay strict to the care guide. Sofa beds might have a stricter and more precise care guide, so just make sure to follow this. This will help keep your sofa bed in the best condition possible for as long as possible.”

When it comes to making your sofa bed more comfortable for your guests, Lee suggests “a good, thick, comfortable mattress topper because it will make even the uncomfiest of sofa beds feel more snug.

“Mattress toppers are usually easy to store away when they're not needed, so they're a great addition even if you don't have a lot of extra space," he adds.

“Sofa bed mattresses aren't designed to stay cushioned and spongy. If you or someone else is sleeping on your sofa bed for multiple nights, make sure to flip the mattress in order to keep it comfortable, and high quality bedding will help make your sofa bed more comfortable to sleep in. The more it feels like your everyday bed, the better.”

The best sofa bed brands for every type of home