Furniture
Types of sofa bed and which one to choose
There are currently many types of sofa on the market, each with a different function and style, such as corner sofas, two, three or four-seater sofas, Chaise Longues and sofa beds. The latter, over the years, has become an ally of many homes that do not have enough space and thanks to the sofa bed can expand the number of places to sleep in a house, without the need to always have beds available.
Buying a sofa bed is not a simple choice, as you have to take into account some key aspects that will help you decide which one is the best according to your needs and those of your home. At Pau, a pioneering company in sustainable furniture, we want to help you with your choice of sofa bed, so in this post we tell you what types of sofa bed exist and which ones you can choose for your home. Don’t miss it!
What is a sofa bed
A sofa bed is a very versatile and polyvalent piece of furniture that combines the function of a seat during the day and a bed at night, making it easy to make the most of the space in a home. This type of sofa is perfect for homes that do not have much space to occupy with beds as well as to place in small rooms or as auxiliary furniture to welcome guests at certain times.
These sofas have a metal frame that holds the mattress and folds down to store it under the seat cushions, which are very easy to remove. The size of the mattress included in these sofas is somewhat smaller than that of a conventional bed, although you can find sofa beds of one, one and a half or two seats.
[Find out what types of sofa bed mechanisms you can choose for your sustainable sofa]
Advantages of using sofa beds
Opting for a sofa bed for your home has a number of advantages over a conventional sofa, for example:
Saves space
Perhaps the main advantage of sofa beds is space saving: whether you live in a small flat or the rooms in your house do not have enough square metres, or if you have ample space but do not want to sacrifice it with normal beds. In both cases the sofa bed is a great solution, because after it has been tidied up the room will be tidy.
Comfort first and foremost
The fact that it is not a real bed does not mean that the sofa bed is not comfortable, quite the contrary. Nowadays, thanks to advances in the furniture sector, a sofa bed can be just as comfortable as a bed, you just have to know how to choose the right one.
Perfect for your guests
The sofa bed is perfect for hosting family members or guests at home without the need for a large number of beds. So, if at any given moment you need someone to stay at your home, you only have to unfold the sofa and turn it into a bed.
It is very versatile
Sofa beds are very versatile products as they can be used in different ways in the same room thanks to the different sizes available on the market. Moreover, nowadays, they have modern and attractive designs, which have nothing to do with the old sofa beds of a few years ago.
Easy to open and close
Thanks to the development of furniture technology, opening and closing a sofa bed is nowadays something very simple and quick to do, allowing us to move from the sofa to the bed in a very short time. Moreover, they are light products that can be moved around the room without any problem and can even be moved from one room to another.
Types of sofa beds
When we talk about the types of sofa beds, we refer to the type of opening mechanism of the sofas, as the quality, durability and functionality of the sofa will depend on it. Thus, the wide variety of types of sofa beds gives us the possibility to always choose the one that best suits our needs, being able to choose between:
Single opening or book mode
The sofa bed with a book-style opening is one of the most popular because of the ease with which it can be unfolded. It consists of two mattresses arranged like the covers of an open book joined by a seam or zip, one mattress being the backrest and the other the seat.
Accordion opening
The accordion opening is one of the simplest and most functional. The sofa opens directly on the floor and extends to become a bed. It is the most economical type of opening.
Dolphin style opening
It is called a dolphin style opening because the movement it makes is similar to that of dolphins when they come out of the water. These sofa beds have a chest for storage and are very easy and simple to transform. It has a removable part that allows a practical and precise grip turning it into a double bed.
Italian opening
The name comes from the fact that the mechanism incorporated in these sofa beds was developed in Italy. The Italian opening uses a double folding of its seats which allows you to store the bed already made, saving not only space but also time. This model pulls out from the inside out, expanding its metal base to transform it into a bed.
Chaise Longue sofa bed
In the case of the Chaise Longue, the longest part of the sofa is usually reserved for storage, but the rest of the sofa can be moved to form a large family bed in no time at all. 
How to choose your ideal sofa bed
Before you start buying a sofa bed, you should analyse what your needs are. This way you will be able to define the basic aspects you should look for when choosing the perfect sofa bed.
Some of those points to pay attention to when buying a sofa bed are:
Frequency of use
Before choosing one type of sofa bed or another, it is essential to know what to use and how often we are going to use it. If it is for occasional use, a thin mattress and a bed base will be enough. On the other hand, if the idea is to be used continuously, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality and comfort of the mattress and the slatted base as well as the consistency of the structure.
Which type of opening is the most suitable
If it is going to be used on a daily basis, the best option is an Italian opening type that allows it to be dismantled every morning with the bed made and ready for the night. The book-opening sofa is also a good option because it can be opened and closed in an instant.
Location of the sofa bed
If the sofa bed is always going to be in the same place, we can choose any type of sofa, always taking into account the space in the room. On the other hand, if we want to move it from one room to another, it is best to opt for a sofa bed with wheels, which will allow us to move it around more comfortably.
On the other hand, it is also necessary to take into account the place where it is going to be placed, since it is necessary to leave enough space to be able to open and close it comfortably and without obstructing the passage.
Measurements of the sofa bed
Depending on the space we have available, we will have to choose a sofa bed with different measurements. This will also determine the number of people who can sit and sleep on it. You can choose between single, double or triple sofa beds, for example.
Pau, sustainable sofa beds
At Pau we adapt to the news of our customers, which is why we have incorporated bed mechanisms in several of the models in our catalogue.
So, some of the sofas that can be converted into a bed include: Baltic, Uppsala, Archie, Dress, Harry, Pierce, Urban, Stetson or Shaheen, for example. It is important to emphasise that the aesthetics of the sofa can change when incorporating the bed mechanism, as the entire base must be raised and the thickness of the seat cushion reduced in order to hide everything.
If you want to know more about the Pau sofa beds or any other product, do not hesitate to consult our specialists, they will be delighted to help you.
