Beds and Bedding

Sofa Beds

Posted on Wed, Sep 8, 2010 by Benny in Beds

Sofa beds are dual-purpose piece of household furniture, which can function as a sofa and as a bed. Also known as hide-a-beds or sleeper sofas, sofa beds are basically sofas or couches with built-in beds. By simply folding out the sofa, one can already transform the sofa bed from its sofa form to its bed form. Transforming it back to its sofa form can be done my simply folding the bed back in. 

Sofa beds are ideal for guest rooms, allowing a living room or family room to automatically transform into an overnight place for guests. By serving their dual purpose, sofa beds also maximize room space, “hiding away” the bed when not needed.

Origin of sofa beds

The concept of a sofa bed was derived from the earliest concepts used in motor homes and recreational vehicles. Because of their “mobile” nature and the need to save as much space as possible, various areas of the vehicle or home are specially designed to serve as many purposes as possible. 

A sofa that turns into a bed and a bed that turns into a sofa is one of the brilliant space-saving ideas that home decorators and designers ever came up with. These pieces of furniture can easily turn a living room into a bedroom and a bedroom and back into a living room in just a few seconds.

Different styles of sofa beds

Like other types of sofas or beds, sofa beds also come in many different styles and designs. Some sofa beds are like futons, which can be folded down or folded out from the back. Other sofa beds reveal a bed frame and a mattress when folded out.

Sofa beds also come in different sizes. Twin (or single) size and full (or double) size sofa beds are the most common. Like other beds, sofa beds can also come in two basic designs or styles, traditional or contemporary, though there are sofa bed designs that turn out to be an artistic blend of the two. Traditional sofa beds usually provide a more formal and classical look to homes, while contemporary sofa beds provide a more modern flavor to households.

One important thing to remember when choosing a sofa bed is the layout and amount of space in the room where it will be placed. Keep in mind that in placing your sofa bed in a room, you must allow space for folding it out and turning it into a bed.

Tags: Sofa Beds