I don't know about comfort or function, but that sofa just looks odd to me. Given your space constraints, you might do better to find a sofa that fits your space and has nice lines, and let an air mattress solve your sleeping needs. Another option might be a backless sofa, which can often get through tight stairwells more easily a than backed sofa. Some examples: Simone from crate and barrel, http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=931&f=11133, Jasper from room and board, http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=586533&coll=377651&cat=27.

Please don't buy that. It's just a hot mess.

OK. Clearly one vote against Lofasofa- are there any others? Another alternative I had been thinking of is modular furniture that allows the back and arms to come off as made by www.divon.com . Of course what worries me is the frame is plywood- which I understand isnt a good thing. I checked out the sofa at a place in Queens and it seems sturdy. If I go the Divon route I would need to buy an Aerobed for guests. Any thoughts and opinions you wise ATers could provide are welcome. Fidelia

I'd vote no on the lofasofa too. Sorry. Maybe Ikea Fagelbo sofa http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15585&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11029&langId=-1&chosenPartNumber=00058878
I stayed at a friends who had one, he put a 1 inch memory foam topper on it when it was made out, and I slept like a baby.

Your guests will be happiest on an Aerobed, regardless of what sofa you buy. But please don't let it be the Lofa! That is some kind of weird Frankensofa.

Go look at the lofasofa site. some of the styles are funny, but not awful, but the bed/engineering look good. Thumbs way down for aerobeds...not confortable.

http://www.lofasofa.com/

hshppy - The hot mess above is what it looks like when the bed is the primary function, go look at the site and see that it's normal looking sofa when it's a assembled.

The Jasper from R&B is quite beautiful, but if you're looking for something you can lounge on while watching TV, that's not going to cut it for you.

Although I've never tried the lofasofa, nor heard of anyone who has, it seems like a good option in your case. Also, although I've never slept on an aerobed specifically, I really really really dislike air mattresses, so if I were your houseguest, I'd be thrilled to find convertible furniture like the lofasofa as the option.

Good luck!

Oh, and Divon sectionals look nice, at least from a looks perspective....do you have enough room to be able to move around the room when the arms and backs are removed??? That would seem to take up a lot of extra space. I know they'll be sleeping most of the time when it's that way, but you still need to be able to move around...

Just yesterday I saw a very cool mod-looking sofa bed at Door Store. It's the only sofa bed I've seen that converts into a double bed *or* two twin beds -- sort of. Which would be very convenient if you have two guests who aren't a couple. And it's only $500.
http://www.doorstorefurniture.com/lounge.html

It also comes in a half-size "chair" version, if you couldn't get the full-size up your stairway (I've been there.)

I had a similar problem last july when i moved to my current place. There was a very tight turn that nothing could get through. It was a nightmare trying to find a sofa that would fit. In the end, I was lucky enough to find this company http://www.homereserve.com/index.cfm?snav=HR
all their furniture comes in boxes via UPS and you assemble it. I was a little hesitant but I had no other options, so I tried them. I love me sofa. It's a company with a brilliant idea, and I was happy and relieved to see they implemented it so well. The shipping will cost you less than having a sofa delivered to you from a store as well as the sofa being so much more affordable.

I don't know if you've looked into this but there are movers who specialize in bringing furniture into apartments via unusual means and techniques like through windows. I've also heard of people removing doors and disassembling door frames to get pieces of furniture into a home.

I am actually not getting a sectional. I just need a couch.

BrooklynRob, I actually tried the couch you are talking about at the DoorStore- it looks cool but is really painful to sit/lie on. I think I have been on thousands of couches in my metroNY search for something that would work.

Cathay, I was interested in the HomeReserve idea. But I checked the AT links here and it seems like they got some bad reviews. I had this really great cherry wood futon that I gave up because I wanted an upgrade from the futon. I am actually afraid that HomeReserve is just more college or post college furniture. I could be wrong but thats the sense I get. But if you think your sofa is comfortable maybe thats an option I need to reconsider.

Fidelia, did you ever get the lofabed? If so, I'm curious to know what you think, as I'm considering buying one. In particular, how well has the mattress held up (and how often have you used it as a bed)? Any other issues?

Perplex,

I had a Lofasofa when I was in grad school a few years ago. Unfortunately, the sofa was destroyed in an apartment fire, but I can tell you it was very nice and I really enjoyed sleeping on it. The fabric swatches have been updated since then, which was my biggest complaint at the time. I lived in a small studio and slept on the sofa every night. It held up very well for the short 9 months I was able to use it. I would recommend a quality mattress pad when sleeping on it. I used a very cheap, very thin one and had some problems with the
couch buttons sticking into me at night. I would love to get a new one, though! It's very comfortable. My sister, who hates futons (believes they're all uncomfortable) loved it. I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a sturdy sofabed that will last.

As far as the tight corners go, the sofa is pretty compact when it is shipped. The mattress and the arms are not attached when it first comes. We were able to maneuver it into a tiny elevator in an old building. The sofabed can be adjusted into the upright/sitting position which makes it easy to fit around tight corners. The mattress is also more flexible than a standard spring mattress and there should be no problem squeezing it into tight spaces.

If you are concerned about colors, I recommend asking for fabric swatches.

I hope this helps!

I realize this conversation happened awhile ago but was looking for comments on the lofabed. What I'm really interested in is how comfortable it is as a couch. It looks a bit like a futon-type frame and I find most futons to be uncomfortable to sit upon due to the angle of the knees being higher than the hips and the seat being very deep. Any feedback from folks who have used the lofabed?