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With this furniture, any room can be turned into a living room and a bedroom at the same time, saving space and not reducing comfort. Choosing a quality sofa bed.
It has come a long way from being uncomfortable, bulky, insomnia-causing and back painful, to a functional, stylish and comfortable piece of furniture. Today, many modern sofa beds are just as comfortable as full sleeping beds. Transformation mechanisms have become more reliable and easier to use.
The sofa bed has incorporated the key advantages of two types of furniture at once and has become a real hit for small spaces. But the rules for buying it are slightly different from buying a regular sofa or bed. Let’s figure out the main characteristics of a sofa bed and learn how to choose it correctly.
In this article, we will answer the questions: Where to start choosing a sofa bed? What types of sofa beds are there? What are the pros and cons of different types of material and upholstery? Which manufacturers are trustworthy? How much do sofa beds cost? How to properly care for this furniture?
WHERE TO START THE CHOICE?
In order not to get confused in a huge assortment of goods, it is important to determine exactly what you are looking for. This not only guarantees the right investment, but also saves time and effort in searching. We recommend starting by looking at general questions:
What is a sofa bed for?
If you need it for regular, daily use, then you should make sure of its maximum comfort and high quality materials and folding mechanisms. If the sofa bed will mainly play the role of a sofa and only from time to time – a bed, then you need to pay special attention to the comfort of the seat and back.
What is the size of the sofa bed room?
This will help determine the required size and shape of the furniture. If the sofa bed is planned to be placed in a room with limited space (small guest room, study, nursery), small single models and futon sofas (with a rigid frame and a separate mattress) will do. For spacious living rooms or bedrooms, you can take more massive double or corner models. In this case, the size of the furniture, both folded and unfolded, should be taken into account.
Who will use the sofa bed?
Not only the volume of the room is important, but also the physical characteristics of the users of the furniture: their height, weight, age, state of health. The size of the bed depends on the number of people who will sleep on it. It must be at least 5 cm taller than the person’s height.
If a sofa bed is needed for a child, then you should pay attention to special children’s models with a lower fit and short length. This type of seat will be comfortable for short people and the elderly. The presence of armrests is most comfortable for older people.
The amount of seating is important when the sofa bed serves as the main piece of furniture in the living room. It is desirable that all the inhabitants of the dwelling fit freely on it. If there are more than three people, then long corner models are worth considering. A special approach is required for furniture for people prone to allergies. It is important that all materials are safe and non-irritating.
What style do you need a sofa bed in?
It directly depends on the interior style of the room in which the future furniture will be located. For modern trends (hi-tech, loft, cotemporari, constructivism), they choose models with straight lines, metal details and a smooth upholstery surface. For eco, scandi, Japanese and country styles, it is better to prefer models with natural materials and simple shapes. For classic and historical styles, models with soft curves, curly legs and expensive fabric upholstery are suitable.
Having decided on the purpose, dimensions and users of the furniture, you can proceed to more specific characteristics: types of folding mechanisms, filler, upholstery and frame materials, styles and design.
TYPES OF FOLDING MECHANISMS
“What do you prefer – a book, a click-gag or a dolphin?”: Hearing this from a furniture seller, many are lost. All these funny words are the names of the types of folding mechanisms on the sofa bed. There are quite a few of them. Let’s dwell on the most popular ones.
Dolphin Gear or Dolphin
Often found in double and corner sofa beds. An additional berth is hidden under the seat in the lower block. It must be pushed out or rolled out, and then raised (most often by a special loop) to the desired level. And lower the back of the sofa onto the seat. To get a sofa out of the bed, all steps are done in reverse order. Dolphin is a fairly common and practical mechanism for sofa beds. Sometimes they have a box for storing bedding.
Eurobook
Unlike the previous mechanism, not the lower, but the upper part of the seat is extended, and the back of the sofa is lowered to the remaining space. Despite the simplicity of the folding process and the reliability of the mechanism, in massive models the seat can be quite heavy, which will require some effort. It is better not to consider such cumbersome options for small children and the elderly.
Accordion
The process of unfolding it resembles the expanding bellows of an accordion or accordion. The lower block under the seat slides out and the entire soft part of the sofa extends onto it. In some models, the frame is closely connected to the mattress, and you just need to pull on the bottom of the seat to make the sofa unfold.
Click-Klyak
It is more commonly found on compact two-seater sofas and is considered the simplest mechanism. Its name is consonant with two characteristic clicks that are heard after lifting the seat up. Then it is lowered with the backrest, and the sofa turns into a bed.
Eurosophus
Typical for massive and angular models. Its main feature is that the backrest remains untouched during the layout, which allows you to comfortably sit on the reclining sofa bed. The mechanism involves the lower part of the seat, which is pushed forward, and the upper part of the seat (mattress) that folds out onto it.
French clamshell
Another popular mechanism for modern sofa beds. First, you need to remove the cushions from the back and armrests, then pull on the special handle at the bottom to unfold the mattress on metal legs. The clamshell mechanism is compact and convenient. It is only important to control the correct (vertical) position of the legs – the stability of the bed depends on it.
CRITERIA FOR QUALITY SOFA BEDS
For a successful furniture purchase, you need to find the right balance between functionality, quality, comfort and price. What should you look for in order to purchase a quality sofa bed?
Frame
It is the base that provides key support for both the seating and the bed. A high-quality frame will correctly support all the necessary moving parts of the sofa bed, ensuring its long-term service. Cheap material for the frame (for example, chipboard) is typical for economy class furniture. Its durability and reliability are questionable. If a sofa bed is a long-term purchase, then it is better to prefer models made of metal and hard wood (birch, oak, walnut), which ensure the strength of the entire structure and staunchly withstand the regular operation of the folding mechanism.
The way the wireframe is created is equally important. A quality sofa bed base is usually handcrafted using strong joints, while cheap models are assembled on production lines with metal braces that form a weaker frame.
Folding mechanism
It doesn’t matter what type it is, how much it works properly with minimal effort. As a rule, the more expensive and better the furniture, the easier it is to unfold, without any clues, sticking, strong crunch and squeak.
Take the time to take the time to inspect the internal parts of the mechanism for sharp edges so that later they do not tear the sheets or injure a person. Finally, the furniture should be securely fixed in the position of the bed or sofa, without bulges or unevenness.
Filler
It comes in two main types: spring-loaded and springless. The former are usually found in antique or inexpensive models. The best of this type of filler is an independent spring block of vertical cylindrical springs. It is durable and quiet. It is lined with soft materials (polyurethane, felt, batting, etc.). The spring block is recommended for overweight people to properly support the spine during sleep.
Among the springless fillers, polyurethane foam is popular. With it, the seats of the sofa bed are resilient and hold their shape well. In economical models, there is a softer, but unreliable foam rubber. Environmental and hypoallergenic option – latex. With it, the furniture will last at least 10 years. But the prices for such sofa beds are higher.
Economical alternative fillers: synthetic winterizer (for the backrest), blue fluff and holofiber (for the seat and armrests). It is difficult to determine the properties of the filler at first glance, so you should pay attention to the seams: the better and smoother they are, the better.
Upholstery material
The main requirements for the sofa bed cover are quality, aesthetics, practicality and ease of maintenance. The upholstery made of leather (artificial, eco-leather, natural) looks luxurious and is easy to clean. This material is strong and durable. Among its disadvantages: high price, sensitivity to temperature extremes, sunlight and the ability to absorb odors.
Fabric upholstery is no less in demand: wool, linen, tweed, matting, jacquard, chenille, tapestry, cotton, velvet, etc. It should not be too thin and brand. Long-lasting, practical in care and hypoallergenic material – jacquard chenille. But it is not cheap. Among the leaders in the modern market is a fabric with an antibacterial coating, which prevents the development of bacteria and fungi on the surface of furniture. For pet owners, fabric with an anti-claw effect can come in handy: flock, scotchguard, microfiber and faux suede.
PRICE QUESTION AND MANUFACTURERS
On average, the price for a small fabric sofa bed varies from 20,000-40,000 rubles. This price point is the most optimal in terms of price-quality ratio. There are more budget models – from 7,000-15,000 rubles, expensive ones – 70,000-100,000 rubles. and luxury class – from 150,000 rubles and above.
If a sofa bed is cheaper than its counterparts from well-known manufacturers, it is likely that it is not of high quality. It is better to contact trusted companies that are responsible for the established warranty and can promptly respond to claims. Among the reputable brands in Russia: Mebel-Holding, Rival, Laguna, Shatura, Anderssen, Allergo-Classic, Avangard, Ikea, Andrea.
CARE TIPS
Even the highest quality and most expensive sofa bed can fail faster than expected if not looked after. Details should be obtained from the seller when purchasing or in the product passport. Here are some tips: the sofa bed should be cleaned regularly both outside and inside, periodically it is useful to steam it to destroy bacteria and germs, a leather sofa bed requires aeration and polishing to maintain its luster, the velvet surface needs proper cleaning so that it does not lose its original aesthetics, indoors, it is advisable to maintain a temperature no higher than 28 C and a humidity of 30-80%, a removable mattress should be ventilated every 2 weeks and turned over at least twice a year.
