Above: Milner Sofa Bed in Blue

Sofa beds have come a long way in the last few years, particularly compact sofa beds for small spaces and modern living.  I’m pleased to report that you’ll find a wide range of exciting shapes and colours of small sofa beds in lots of contemporary styles.

These modern sofa beds have definitely put the fun back into functional.  BUT – before buying a sofa bed (for any size space), it’s really important to do your homework first in order to invest wisely.

How to choose the best sofa bed for your small living space

Your essential sofa-bed pre-purchase checklist:

– Do you need a sofa bed to go into a spare room? Space may be very tight, particularly if the room has multiple uses, e.g. home office.  So the sofa bed needs to take up as little room as possible.  But it will only be used as a bed when you have visitors, and won’t be your main sofa.

– Are you looking for a  sofa bed for the lounge?  It will only be an occasional guest bed, but it’s your main sofa.  So comfort – along with good looks – are crucial.

– Does your sofa bed need to be both main sofa and your bed every night? Functionality, sturdiness and ease of conversion from sofa to bed are all important, as are looks and comfort.

Not sure where to start?  Take a look – we’ve rounded up our Top 10 contemporary sofa beds for small spaces, with choices for all the above scenarios:

‘Clic-Clac’ / Fold Flat Sofa Beds for Small Spaces

First off, then, are sofa beds where the back folds flat with a ratchet mechanism.  This style of sofa bed is perfect for longer, thinner spaces where you have room for a full width sofa, but not much space into the middle of the room.  Another benefit of this style is that they have fixed seats, so there are no seat cushions to take off and need storage space for come bedtime.

1. The simple lines and uncluttered design of the Yoko sofa bed from MADE make it the ideal sofa bed for a small room.  It has a sprung foam seat and back, and a fabric-covered frame at the front.

The Yoko contemporary sofa bed comes in a range of colours including grey, blue, pale beige, zingy orange and butter yellow.

2. The extremely handsome Recast Sofa Bed, above, is a collaboration between John Lewis and Danish design company Innovation.

Crafted in Denmark with dark wood legs and mid-century styling, this pocket-sprung sofa bed is designed for ease of use.  It has a simple pull out base and drop down back (below) plus there’s useful storage space in the bottom of the sofa back.

3. We love the smart piping and buttoned detailing on the Chou Sofa Bed, also from MADE, shown above in Sherbert Blue fabric.

Also available in other contemporary shades, it easily folds flat with a simple mechanism.  And the arms are removable to accommodate taller guests.

If you’re really tight on storage space there’s also the Chou Sofa Bed with Storage, shown below in Butter Yellow.

4. Last of the fold-flat, ‘click-clack’ contemporary sofa beds for small spaces is the mid-century inspired Fluted Medium Sofa Bed, above and below. The subtly ridged back and brass tipped wooden legs ooze style, whilst the supportive foam upholstery will please those who prefer a memory foam mattress for sleeping. It’s from John Lewis, and gives you lots of wow factor for under £500.

Pull-Out Mattress Sofa Beds for Small Spaces

Moving on now to small sofa beds where the length of the mattress unfolds out into the room.  These are the best style of sofa bed when you don’t have space for a wide sofa.  They’re usually available in very compact sizes, but often with a choice of either 2 or 3 seater options.  Which means you have the option to pick the size that works best for your room.

5.  The Foxcote Sofa Bed, above, is an updated chesterfield design from sofa bed specialists Willow & Hall.  It’s available as a 2, 3, 3.5 or 4 seater and has a choice of 3 seat cushions and 3 mattress types.  Sofa beds don’t come more beautiful or bespoke than these.

6. Next, a great choice for when you need both sofa and bed to perform well.  The Bailey 2-Seater Sofa Bed from John Lewis, above, has a neat silhouette, slim arms and a choice of leg colours.  Suitable for regular use as a bed, the pocket sprung mattress is only slightly less deep than a standard double mattress. When used as a sofa, the seats are supported by webbing as in a tradtional sofa.  A 15-year frame guarantee is included and you can choose from over 250 fabrics so you’re bound to find something to suit your own decor.

7. Another option when you’ll be using both sofa and bed regularly is the Howi 2-seater sofa bed from Habitat, shown above and below.  Its easy to use three-fold mechanism and 12cm foam mattress make it suitable for everyday use.

Petite proportions, slim wooden legs and slender arms make it the ideal contemporary sofa bed for small rooms.  We also love that the neat Howi Sofa Bed is so versatile – it’s available in 2 sizes and various colour options.

8. The contemporary yet timeless Milner Sofa Bed above again has neat proportions.  We particularly like the styling details such as the piping on the arms and additional scatter cushions.

Choose from a foam or memory foam mattress, other stylish colours and even some brilliant corner chaise sofa beds with storage.  We think it’s a brilliant range of contemporary sofa beds with something for everyone.

9. I really like that the Jacob Small Sofa Bed, above, from sofa specialists Darlings has simple lines (perfect for small spaces).  But it also features generous padding for optimum comfort (luxury foam and fibre wrap seat cushions).

Made in the UK with a hardwood frame, it comes in a range of fabric colours, and has a coil-sprung mattress that’s the perfect guest bed.  Also available in medium and large sizes.

10. To round off, the John Lewis Kip sofa bed, above and below, which is rather more basic.  It simply comprises 3 thick foam upholstered slabs that fold out to form a mattress on the floor. And the sofa back then acts as a headboard.

The Kip sofa bed is definitely a neat solution for very small spaces, as long as being at floor level isn’t an issue.  I can see this being a great solution for a space-starved spare room/home office.

This post has been revised and republished to keep content relevant

Enjoyed our Top 10 Sofa Beds for Small Spaces?

Find more contemporary furniture & inspiration for small spaces below and in our new Small Space Living section: