Finally — I've Found a Comfortable Sofa Bed That's Also a Good-Looking Couch (and an Absolute Steal Right Now, at 20% Off)
I've reverse-engineered my research and worked out the sofa bed our readers shopped the most this year
This Christmas, I spent a total of five nights in three different sofa beds. Throw in a few cross-country train trips, and my back was in all sorts of twists and bends. So, as much as I appreciated my family and friends for putting me up — my gosh, was I happy to get into my own (proper) bed at the end of all of it.
The whole experience has made me clear on one thing: I want to make sure my sofa bed is as comfortable as possible for my future guests. But, considering it's not something you often ever use in your own home, it's hard to actually know what it's like to sleep in (unless you're willing to forgo your own bed for a few nights on the sofa). And it's even harder to test in a store.
So, instead, I'm reverse-engineering my research. Rather than telling you what I've bought, I'm sharing what you — our trusted Livingetc readers — have bought. And when it comes to sofa beds, this year Habitat's Julien Fabric 4-Seater Sofa Bed was a clear winner.
20% OFF
With a simple fold-out mechanism, Habitat's Julien four-seater sofa bed easily slides between day and night. Probably not best used as your every-day sofa, but instead something styled in the spare room (its fixed cushions make it a bit harder to clean), it comes backed with a manufacturer's 10 year guarantee, can be delivered to your door from just £6.95, and is currently 20% off.
And look, it's not hard to see why. It seems someone has finally designed a sofa bed that looks just as good by day as it does at night. Comfortably seating four, it looks soft and squishy but still structured, and I particularly like the fitted cushions for a fuss-free look.
But its biggest selling point is that it's well... big. At least for a sofa bed. With the sleeping space measuring 137cm wide and 191cm long, it's equivalent to a UK double bed, while most sofa beds are much less (especially if you go down the armchair-bed route). In fact, it's a wide enough sofa that you could probably convert it into a bed without even folding it out (if you're only sleeping one).
But don't just take it from me (as, truthfully, I haven't slept on it) — take it from the countless reviews that real customers have left:
- "Great quality for the cost, and the delivery men were lovely."
- "A number of guests have now used this sofa bed since our purchase last month — all comment on how comfortable it is."
- "Does not look like a sofa bed, is the easiest to convert into a sofa bed I've ever used, and is super comfortable."
- "Really comfy deep sofa with a good quality fabric. The arms are low, and it's good for lounging. The bed makes up very easily; it's big, firm, and comfortable. You can store bedding underneath when the sofa is up."
But if a natural sofa color feels too dangerous for your household, it also comes in a dark green corduroy-style fabric, although it's not on sale and only available through Argos (it's sold out on Habitat, though it's still the same sofa).
Like the look, but don't actually need a sofa bed? The same Julien style is available as a sofa, too, in a range of colors, fabrics, and sizes (many of which are also on sale right now).
We've mentioned Habitat's Julien Sofa Bed before in other articles, and can see just how many readers went on to buy it, and Habitat's website is telling me that while I've been writing this story, three people have added it to their cart... so, you might want to move fast and make the most of this post-Christmas sofa sale.
