apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I bought a sofabed from this company, the SB52, http://www.momentoitalia.com and it is fabulous! Very comfortable to sit and sleep on (orthopaedic mattress) and the bed pulls out without having to take the pillows off. What's more the sofa's fabric can be switched quite easily (hidden velcro fasteners) to completely change the look of your room. I don't work for this company, I just think they have great stuff...! Kind of expensive, but great modern design, and super functionality make it worth it - absolutely!

I know Jennifer has had nothing but legal troubles and well-deserved at that. But after months of consideration, I took a leap on that $299 sofabed (only it was the corduroy for $399) and it has worked out well since last April. It's the right size for a tiny studio, comfy, pretty and my mom was very comfortable sleeping on it. I couldn't find any sensation of a bar or any other poking sensation.

I have a C&B daybed (Simone) that serves double duty as a sofa and guest bed. It's comfortable for both, though not the best when entertaining non-overnight guests.

Where does the sofa in the bottom left photo come from?

These are all lovely, but for folks on a lean budget, the Ikea PS Sofa is actually a great option. It's got a hinged foam mattress and a clean look. Best of all, you can usually find someone selling one on Craigslist for $100-150, much less than the retail price. I just found one that way, and it's working out perfectly -- my first overnight guest said it was very comfortable.

my jennifer convertible is actually really comfortable to sit and lie on, but the fabric pilled almost instantaneously, so i am committed to defaming them.

Something worth noting: Almost all the beds in every brand of pull-out sofa are made by one of two companies: Leggett and Platt or Hickory Springs. L&P make the better models, though even within their lines the quality can vary greatly (take for example my really awful Room and Board sofabed, with a "queen size" L&P bed that is queen-wide but only 5' long!!)

Make sure you ask the sales people to open the showroom bed for you. Look for a frame that folds up on the bottom 1/3, with the top 1/3 sliding up behind the back cusions. Don't ever get one that folds almost in half -- to do this, the mattress has to be pretty thin or shortened (like my R&B piece). Also look for parts made from tubes of metal, not flat L pieces (less injury) and a mattress that can be flipped over.

I have to say, I had a Jennifer for 10 years and guests really liked it. That said, if I were rich I'd go for an Avery Boardman.

I'm thinking of buying the DWR Sliding Sofa - does anyone have one or has anyone slept on one? Any feedback?

who did the red sofa (upper right side)?

I have to say that I spluged, and purchased a sofa from Carlyle. I have slept on it since the beginning of November and it is so comfortable. I have had two sets of house guests and their opinion is the same as mine. I would say this was a good buy. I did buy it while they were having a sale so that did make the cost a bit more reasonable.

I bought a Smala from Lignet Roset a few years ago. It's a great sofa and flattens out to a queen size bed. It is a firm bed and has gotten such rave reviews from my guests I have tried it out myself. It's really comfortable (of course for the price it should be). Bottom line, this sofa bed should be included in more reviews like this. It's a winner for a good nights rest, as a sofa and as an object.

http://www.homeportfolio.com/catalog/Product.jhtml?catId=131&manId=232&selected_anId=&prodId=53634

Someone please convert me!! I've never met yet a comfortable sofa bed. I'd rather sleep on the floor than on a sofa bed. Or just crash on a long sofa.
And, of course, guests who elect to crash on a sofa bed instead of a hotel room isn't going to dis your sofa!?!

please tell where the red sofa on the upper right comes from...

I like the LOUNGE sofa bed from 'apt'
www.apt-ny.com.

It's comfy and original and people that come in always ask where i got it.

Check this site.
We have one . Very good quality and plenty of storage.http://www.wiederusa.com/

WIEDER is a surprise - in spite of its minimalist looks it offers excellent comfort, thanks to high quality filling and wooden slats in the seat. Roomy and comfortable while not taking up too much space. Even more surprising is the ease with which the sofa converts into a double bed. http://www.wiederusa.com/

I know this is late, but I agree with Angel, I want to know where that red sofa in the picture in the upper right came from.

The red sofa in the upright picture is Nomade Express from Ligne Roset.

I bought the Olivia Queen Sleeper sofa from High Fashion Home. It's by far the best sleeper out there.

http://highfashionhome.com/sofa.asp?id=2500

www.highfashionhome.com

It's made by American Upholstery. You don't feel the typical metal bars when you lay down. You can actually get it in a twin, full, queen, or king size, which is very unusual.

I love my Twilight sofa. Roll the bolster all the way back and my feet don't have to touch the floor.

I recently purchased a very comfortable Queen sleeper sofa online from ClubFurniture.com. It sits great and it has a very high quality inner-spring mattress and suspension system. It's the type of sleeper that doesn't have those uncomfortable bars underneath the mattress. My guests love to sleep on it plus I got a great deal. Club Furniture has all types of sleepers (leather, slipcovered, fabric etc.) available in tons of coverings at http://www.clubfurniture.com/allsleepers.html

If you can *EVER* get your hands on a used Castro Convertible, grab it. Even if you have to pay to have it reupholstered.

It's a tremendously comfortable sofa bed to sleep on.

I will be forever grateful that I was able to get mine before the company that owned Castro Convertibles went out of business in 2002.

If I were an entrepreneur, I'd be trying to figure out who owns the patent to the mechanism, now.

I bought the twilight, I would recommend it. I got the one with the black frame though, I've never been a fan of the soft grey powder coat. Always felt "cheap" to me. They should have done it in a polished aluminum or zinc or something...something more natural looking.

These are pretty cool and affordable: sofa beds

ok, hands down, i am a designer and i have now found the best sofa bed ever, EVER. I spent all of two days shopping for sofa beds for a client of mine who is as usual: demanding i.e. quality, color, style, confort, blah blah. It was easy to find lowend options, but high end was tough. Well surprise, Natrona has a new line called sofaglide, this bed does everything for a lazy a--. I went to Room and Board, B&B, ABC, DWR-- all good options, but it was either bed or sofa, with no flexibility. SofaGlide was def. the best. Not cheap, but they did offer it in very high end leathers :to the trade: Edelman Leather. I didn't order it in fabric, but there were piles of choices. --- FYI to my fellow trade you must check it out. i am getting one for my clients office and his home.

Those are wonderful designs. Great colors! Check out this site for some good sofa's and House hold Furnitures

I posted for a different article a while back about some sofas I had purchased online from a company in North Carolina for less than $700 to fit in a small spaces. I love them. I have since purchased the additional sleep sofa convertible for $200. It's not the normal pull-out bed that is so uncomfortable it probably wouldn't pass our Consumer Product Safety Commission codes were the foam mattress allows the bars underneath to bruise your shoulders while you sleep? It is an air sleep system that is a double mattress that expands in minutes to twenty inches. It's amazing. Check it out at http://www.simplicitysofas.com if you are looking for a truly comfortable sleeper sofa at an incredible price. You might have trouble selecting from the fabric though. I think they have 50 fabrics!

I like my American Upholstery sofa, but beware. I've had it for two years and have been sleeping daily on it. The foam in the bed part does get pushed through a bit and you do start feeling some of the hardware underneath. I am now considering getting a featherbed or some such to put on top of it. However, all in all, it's not too bad. As a couch, however, it's quite comfortable and relatively attractive. For the two years when it did work well, it was quite comfortable to sleep on it.

We just ordered the American Upholstery sofa. They've increased the mattress padding to 5 inches and redesigned the folding mechanism.

I own an American Upholstery/Leather (Room and Board sells their sofas under the name "Comfort Sleeper", and in NYC, go to Scott Jordan) Comfort Sleeper and use it as my regular bed for every night. For the first year or so, it was fantastic. Amazingly comfortable and no bars that I could feel. Afterwards, however, the high density foam got pushed through the slats underneath that make up the bed fold-up mechanism and the bed became unbearable to sleep on. Having said that, there is a 5 year warranty and Scott Jordan (the licensed reseller) has agreed to replace the bed portion of it for me free of charge, under the warranty. I would say buy, but be careful. Buy only from a licensed reseller (Scott Jordan is great) and keep all receipts.

Also, one important point. I live in a small NYC studio with small door frames. The sofa arrives from the store disassembled into pieces and it is super-easy to put it together, which the nice people from Scott Jordan did for me. No need to saw the sofa in half, break off the arms, etc. which is the common trick used to get the sofas from Room and Board, etc. into NYC apartments. These techniques often invalidate the warranties, whereas in this case, it does not as I believe the sofa already arrives from the manufacturer, disassembled. Just thought useful for people to know.

Really, the American Leather sleeper sofas are the best. I got the Connor Queen Sleeper at High Fashion Home, and it sleeps as well as you can expect a 5" mattress to feel.

http://www.highfashionhome.com/furniture-sofas-sleepers.html

So I'm in the market for a smallish and narrow profile sofabed (to fit up Philadelphia rowhouse Sears kit staircase) or chaise...something to stick an extra person if I need to in my office or to sit on comfortably as someone is on the computer.

I want to spend less than $1K but I've come across this at cb2.com that seems to be a winner but has limited reviews and I don't live near a cb2 to test it out...does anyone have any experience with this sofabed?: http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=102&f=4682

Actually, about 95% of the sleeper sofas in the US(!) include the identical mechanism(that bar and canvas system we all know)! I work for a company that deals with sleeper sofas, and only sleeper sofas, Sleepers In Seattle: http://www.sleepersinseattle.com/ There are actually several advantages to this system. First, the bar has been moved, and is no longer beneath your back. Also, there are several mattress options specially made for this system. And last but not least, the sheer number of choices and configurations available with this system!

To expound on what I wrote above; regardless of who makes the couch(Sealy, Ashley, Klaussner, Stanton, etc...), the mechanism within is the same, purchased from a third party(Actually a steal company!-Legget and Platt). The simple change of moving the bar, in fact so simple they should have done it ages ago, really makes a significant improvement. Now, 'the bar', is around the area of one's knee-caps, where nobody has as much weight as they do in their middle. A major advantage to the uniform system is the fact that regardless of style, a wide range of mattress options(PosturePedic, Air-Coil, Memory Foam, Latex) can be used for any sleeper!
That said, there are other routes available, including the less expensive, yet still convertible, futon style. Or, the luxurious American Leather Comfort Sleeper, which places a premium, high-density foam mattress atop a solid wood platform, rivaling a premium mattress and boxspring set you may find in a bedroom.

hi, i am desperate to find a sofa bed that fits in my apartment. the problem is, it can only go in one spot, it must be 72" or less wide, and limited to a total length of 82" when pulled out. (that's 82" from the back of the sofa, which is at the wall, to the end of the mattress/frame, which almost meets the other wall!)

a few years ago, there was an interesting sofa bed store on Lafayette Street in Manhattan, but it has disappeared. their designs were very innovative and took up somewhat less length, when pulled out, than regular sofa beds do.

does anyone have any suggestions? when i have company, i have to sleep on the floor. thanks!

sherry