Updated : November 28, 2025
Published : December 1, 2023
Guides

In this Furl Sofa Beds Buyer’s Guide, we’ve made it easier for you to choose the right sofa bed. In our sofa bed comparison article, we compared Furl sofa beds with others on the market.

Picking the right sofa bed can make a positive difference to your life and home, or be a nuisance to deal with anytime anyone wants to sleep on it.

Now, we are looking at what makes a fantastic sofa bed, the type of sofa bed worth investing in with this Furl sofa bed buyer’s guide.

How to choose the right Furl sofa bed: Sofa beds buyer’s guide

Sofa beds are amazing and when made properly are an invaluable addition to your home. The create space, they are an invitation to guests to spend time with you, they give you the freedom to use your room as you need to.

We’ve put together a little guide get you thinking and to help you choose the right sofa bed. After all, you’ll want it to meet the following basic criteria – look lovely, be right for the room and – perhaps above all – be comfortable.

Sofa beds are a great way of really maximizing the use of space. But sadly, they’re not all the same. So here are a few things to consider when choosing yours: How big is it?

Does it look and feel like a sofa bed?

Sofa beds have a certain look, which may be all good and well for your spare room where its never seen, but if you want to make your sofa bed a central part of your home (even in a spare room) then you’ll want it to look lovely – Sofa Beds can look and feel as good as any quality sofa.

Frequently asked sofa beds buyer’s guides question: What size sofa bed should I get?

That depends on how you intend to use it and who’s going to be sleeping on it. If its going to be for couples, then choose something with a minimum size of a double bed, depending on how much space you have you may be able to go even larger.

Chair and Small sofa beds are a perfect size for one. High street sofa beds are usually offered in one size only, find a company that offers a range of sizes that will fit your space perfectly.

The great thing about Furl sofa beds is they come in a range of 12 models, 5 sizes, and 5 arm designs, including arms with storage for bedding or anything else you need to store.

Can I get the fabric and colour I want?

We believe you should choose the colour and fabric that you love and will work in your home. Don’t let the retailer dictate what colour you can have. Spend time looking at all the fabric options and if you’ve still not found the perfect one ask if you can source your own for a truly bespoke option.

We’ve got 100s of fabrics to choose from: order a free sample, or if you’ve got a particular fabric in mind contact us and we can advise how much is needed for the size of the sofa bed, and it can be custom-made with that fabric in our Nottinghamshire workshops.

Are sofa beds good enough for everyday use as a bed?

hoose your sofa bed based on how it’s going to be used. If your sofa bed is going to be used very occasionally on the days your mate misses the train home then you may not need the quality of a sofa bed that can bed used more frequently.

If this is a sofa bed for everyday use, or if you just want your guest to have the best sleep experience possible choose sofa beds that are specifically designed to bed used every day – they are of a very different build quality to a regular sofa bed and often have a greater choice of mattress and sizes.

Frequently asked sofa beds buyer’s guides question: How much room does a sofa bed take up?

The footprint of a sofa bed is determined by 4 factors:

1) the width of the sofa

2) the design of the arms

3) the open length of the bed

4) And the width of the mattress.

Depending on the space you have, you may want to prioritise the use of the sofa bed as a sofa rather than it’s use as a bed; providing it’s got enough space to open as a bed. It’s one of the reasons Furl sofa beds are great for tight spaces.

If you’re looking to get the biggest bed into the smallest space, choose a model that has very slim arms or no arms. Furl sofa beds are designed so the cushions stay on when pulled-out as a bed, and this will offer you the smallest open bed footprint.

Sofa bed buyer’s guide: Do I get a choice of mattress?

Like any decent bed, you should be offered a range of mattresses. Always look for the deepest sofa bed mattress for greater comfort. Our mattresses are 12, 14, and 18cm thick, depending on the model. The most popular have an 18cm mattress.

Like any bed purchase, try them first, and you can at our 3 London showrooms.

How easy can I turn a sofa bed into a bed and back again?

Sofa Beds should be easy to operate by people of all ages and strengths. It should be a quick simple action without additional unnecessary steps.

Choose a sofa bed where the cushions stay on the mechanism so that you don’t have to remove them and find somewhere to put them. Some sofa beds allow you to store bedding in the bed when not in use. Furl sofa beds do that.

The beauty of Furl’s sofa bed mechanisms is our sofa beds turn into beds and back to sofa beds in under 3 seconds. It’s one of the reasons our sofa beds rate so highly in reviews and sofa beds buyer’s guides.

Why do some cost more then others?

As other sofa beds buyer’s guides explain, sofa beds may look similar, but they are far from it underneath! The quality of the materials and workmanship varies hugely. sofa beds made in China are often mass-produced to a cost, whereas others produced here are carefully hand made with enormous attention to detail.

If you choose an independent, British company the chances are you’ll be carefully guided through the buying process and the after-sales care will be good too. As with many things in life, you get what you pay for.

There’s lots to think about. But get it right and it will be money very well spent, sofa beds truly do offer the best possible way to host friends and family.

Searching for the perfect sofa bed?

We hope this sofa beds buyer’s guides has been helpful. If you’re searching for a new sofa bed, look no further than a Furl sofa bed.

We’ve designed our sofa beds with one thing in mind: your comfort and sleep , and we’re pretty obsessed about it!

It’s a bold claim, we know, but we make the best sofa beds you can buy. Furl’s sofa beds are so comfortable they can be used every night. In this sofa beds buyer’s guides, we’ve outlined how it can be used every day and every night. Sofa by day, bed by night.

Take a look at our sofa beds in our 3 London showrooms. And, if you’re in a hurry, we’ve got sofa beds in stock for quick delivery.

We go above and beyond with delivery and installation. It’s one of the reasons for our 1300+ 4.9/5 star reviews. We deliver and install sofa beds in your room – removing all the stress, including whether it’s going to fit or how to put it together.

Our white-glove team takes care of everything, including packaging and even recycling your old furniture.

All of our sofa beds come with a no-quibble guarantee, including the mechanism, spare parts, and fabric.