Furl vs Darlings of Chelsea: Which Sofa Bed Is Right for You?

GUIDES · BUYING ADVICE

Two British makers of made-to-order sofa beds at similar prices, compared honestly: the mattress, the bed size, the showrooms, and what happens if you change your mind.

Furl and Darlings of Chelsea are close cousins. Both make sofa beds by hand in the UK, both build to order in your choice of fabric, both will make a bespoke size on request, and the prices sit in the same range. If you are choosing between the two, the differences are in the detail, and most of that detail is about the bed.

Darlings is a sofa maker first. Its range covers sofas, corner sofas, chairs and beds, and its sofa beds share the look and build of its sofas. Furl is a sofa bed maker first. A Furl sofa bed is an amazing bed first, then a sofa, designed to be your main bed and slept on every night if you need it to be. That one decision shapes everything else below.

At a Glance

Checked against both websites in September 2026. Prices and policies change, so please confirm the latest details before you buy.

The Mattress

Darlings fits a 12cm pocket-sprung mattress as standard on its sofa beds, with a memory foam version as an upgrade. That is a good spare-room mattress. Furl sofa beds take a mattress up to 18cm deep, the depth of a proper bed.

We offer four different mattresses, each very different from the other, because a choice of comfort means you sleep longer and better, and your guests are much happier. If the sofa bed is going to be slept on every night, or most nights, those extra centimetres are the difference you will feel. Come and try them.

The Size of the Bed

Open a Darlings Bromley 3-seater, 190cm wide, and you get a 137 x 190cm bed, the size of a standard UK double. Open a Furl Cambio Medium, about the same width, and you get a bed that's 140 x 200cm, almost a king size. And that's just one of our five sizes: there are two smaller, down to a love seat with an 80cm single, and two bigger, with 160cm and 180cm (super king) beds. Every one is 200cm long, and 200cm (6'6") is the length of a king or super king bed, so taller sleepers aren't hanging off the end. Darlings sofa beds go up to king size.

Opening it matters too. Pull the strap on the backrest of a Furl sofa bed and the whole sofa unfurls into a bed in about three seconds flat, so making it up each night is no chore.

Seeing It First

Darlings has four showrooms: Parsons Green in south-west London, Hertford, Ash Vale in Surrey and Solihull near Birmingham. That is more choice if you live outside London. Ours are in Swiss Cottage and on the King's Road in Chelsea, and you don't need an appointment, although you can book one if you'd like.

See what you like on the website, then come and lie on it.

If You Change Your Mind

This is where the two differ most. Darlings treats its sofas as bespoke, so once made they can't be returned unless they are faulty or not as described. Furl gives you a 60-day home trial on made-to-order pieces. Live with it for 60 days from delivery; if it isn't right, we collect it and refund you, less a £195 collection charge.

Buying a sofa bed you haven't slept on is a leap. We would rather you had time to be sure.

Guarantees

Darlings gives a lifetime guarantee on its frames, against warping or breakage. Read the small print, though: it covers the solid wooden frame only, not fabrics, upholstery, cushions "or any other materials", so the sofa bed mechanism and mattress sit outside it, and Darlings doesn’t publish a separate guarantee for the mechanism. It also only applies to the original buyer in mainland UK. A paid 5-year extended warranty is available.

Furl guarantees the mechanism, the part that works hardest in a sofa bed, for 5 years, the upholstery for 2 years and the mattress for 1 year.

Our sofa beds are also modular. Arms and components unclip, so a part can be replaced in minutes at home rather than the whole piece going back to a factory.

Timing

Darlings quotes 8–10 weeks for a made-to-order sofa bed, or around 14 days if you choose something from stock. Furl sofa beds are made to order in 6–8 weeks. If you need one sooner, our express option moves you to the front of the queue for £95, often around 4 weeks. Some models are also in stock and can be with you within 7 days. Our own team delivers it in sections and builds it in the room you choose.

Delivered in Sections

Getting a sofa bed into a London flat is half the battle. Every Furl sofa bed arrives in sections, so winding staircases, narrow doorways and tight passageways aren't a problem. Our own team carries it in, builds it in the room you choose, shows you how it works and takes all the packaging away. And if it really won't go in, you can ask for a refund (terms apply).

Darlings delivers to a room of your choice too, but its terms say that if specialist help is needed to dismantle a sofa or take it through a window, that is charged as a separate, new delivery fee.

Price

The two are close. Darlings lists its Bromley 3-seater sofa bed at £3,390 and often runs sales that bring it down considerably. Furl sofa beds start at around £1,900, with delivery and installation included.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Darlings of Chelsea if you want a traditional sofa that also sleeps guests now and then, you'd like the widest choice of classic shapes and leathers, a showroom outside London suits you better, or a lifetime guarantee on the frame matters most.

Choose Furl if the bed is the point: it needs to be your main bed or will be slept on most nights, you want a mattress as deep as a proper bed and a full-length bed, you need a super king, or you'd like 60 days at home to be sure.

Whichever you choose, lie on it first if you can. Visit a showroom, browse our sofa beds or read how we compare with Willow & Hall.

Questions People Ask

Which has the deeper sofa bed mattress, Furl or Darlings of Chelsea?
Furl. Our sofa beds take a mattress up to 18cm deep; Darlings fits a 12cm pocket-sprung mattress as standard.

Can a Furl sofa bed be used as an everyday bed?
Yes. Furl sofa beds are designed to be slept on every night if needed, with a mattress up to 18cm deep, a 200cm-long bed on Cambio and a mechanism that opens in about three seconds.

Can I return a Darlings of Chelsea sofa bed?
Darlings says its made-to-order sofas can't be returned unless faulty or not as described. Furl offers a 60-day home trial, with a £195 collection charge if you return it.

Where can I see Furl and Darlings of Chelsea sofa beds?
Furl has showrooms in Swiss Cottage and on the King's Road in Chelsea, with no appointment needed. Darlings has showrooms in Parsons Green, Hertford, Ash Vale and Solihull.

Which is faster to deliver?
For made-to-order pieces, Furl: 6–8 weeks, or around 4 weeks with express delivery, against 8–10 weeks at Darlings. For stock pieces, Furl can deliver some models within 7 days, and Darlings stock items arrive within about 14 days.

Is Furl a B Corp?
Yes. Furl is a Certified B Corporation, independently audited on its impact on people and the planet.