Six decisions determine whether a sofa bed works in your space: how it converts, how much room it needs open and closed, what the arms do to its footprint, whether it stores bedding, whether the covers come off, and which comfort system sits underneath. Get those right and the styling choice takes care of itself. This guide works through each one, using the Innovation Living range as the worked example.
1. The conversion mechanism
The mechanism is the decision you live with daily. A sofa bed you dread opening becomes a sofa, and your guests sleep somewhere else.
Innovation Living uses several distinct approaches across the range, and they suit different rooms.
Fold-out into the room. Cubed is the most compact model in the range and unfolds forward rather than requiring wall clearance behind it. In a room where the sofa backs onto a wall — which is most small apartments — that’s the difference between a piece that fits and one that doesn’t.
One-motion conversion with auto-fold legs. Neah, Vilander, and Carnell all convert in a single movement, with support legs that fold down automatically as the bed extends. No separate step, no lifting a leg into place while holding the frame.
Carnell adds a detail worth knowing about: the design stores the seat and back cushions for you when it’s in bed mode. On most sofa beds you have to find somewhere to put four cushions every night, which in a small apartment means the floor. Carnell absorbs them into the conversion.
Lift-out conversion. Newilla uses a lift-out action and is built around everyday use rather than occasional guest duty.
Multi-position backs. Unfurl has three back positions — sit, lounge, or lie flat. It’s less a sofa that becomes a bed than a piece with three equally intended states, which suits a room where you want to recline without committing to a full conversion.
Independently adjustable ends. Zeal is a daybed with ends that raise separately. One end up to read, both up for a loveseat, both flat for sleeping. Walis applies a daybed format with storage built in.
Split-back. Splitback lets each half of the back move independently, so one person can sit upright while the other reclines.
If you’re buying for a room where the sofa bed opens most nights, prioritize the one-motion and auto-fold designs. If it opens a few times a year, any mechanism here will do, and you should weight the other five decisions higher.
2. Size — open and closed
Two measurements matter, and most people only check one.
Closed footprint determines whether the piece fits your room. Open footprint determines whether you can actually use the bed once it’s extended — including the clearance you need to walk around it, and whether it blocks a door or a radiator.
Before ordering, measure the wall you’re placing it against, then measure the floor space in front of it. Mark the open depth on the floor with tape and live with it for a day. A bed that technically fits but blocks the bathroom door at 2am is a bed that gets folded away and never opened again.
Size availability varies more than you’d expect across the range. Neah is the only family we carry in three sizes — full, queen, and king. Vilander, Newilla, and Recast Plus are full-size. Cassius, Ran, Supremax, Cone, and Carnell are queen. Cubed comes in full and queen. Check the specific collection page for what’s currently available in the configuration you want.
Delivery measurements are the third dimension people forget. Doorways, stairwell turns, and elevator depth all constrain what can physically reach your apartment, and in older buildings the stairwell is usually the binding constraint. Our shipping information covers what we need to know in advance.
3. Arms — the footprint decision disguised as a style decision
Arm style reads as aesthetics. It’s mostly about width.
Several families offer multiple arm options on the same frame:
| Collection | Arm options |
|---|---|
| Neah | Slim, standard, curved |
| Newilla | Slim, standard, wide |
| Vilander | Cushion, roll, wide |
| Carnell | Standard, slope |
| Recast Plus | Armless or slim arms |
| Cubed | Armless or with arms |
Slim and slope arms exist specifically to reduce overall width without changing the sleeping surface. If you’re working with a tight wall measurement, changing the arm style on the model you like is usually more productive than abandoning it for a different collection.
Armless designs go furthest in that direction, and they also let a piece float in the middle of a room without a bulky profile breaking the sightline — useful for zoning an open studio.
One thing worth knowing before you commit: on Cubed and Supremax, arms can be added later by ordering a new frame and armrests. Most models can’t be converted after the fact, so if you’re undecided, those two give you a second chance. Bear in mind that fabric from a later order may not match the original exactly.
4. Storage
If the sofa bed is your guest bed, the bedding has to live somewhere. In a small apartment, “somewhere” is usually a closet you don’t have.
Several collections include storage under the seat. Osvald and Cone are both designed around generous storage compartments — that’s the central idea of those designs rather than an add-on. Newilla has built-in storage, and the Neah sectional configuration puts storage under the chaise. Walis builds it into a daybed format.
Measure what you actually need to store before assuming a compartment solves it. A duvet, two pillows, and a set of sheets is more volume than most people estimate.
If your chosen model doesn’t have storage, an ottoman can cover it. Cornila is a storage ottoman on casters that also works as a chaise extension for select sofas, and the Deluxe Excess ottoman pairs with Cassius and Supremax to form a chaise or corner arrangement.
5. Covers — this one is narrower than most buyers assume
Removable, machine-washable covers are widely assumed to be standard on modern sofa beds. Across the Innovation Living range they are not.
Detachable covers are available for Newilla and the Newilla Lounger only. On other collections, replacement covers can’t be purchased separately.
That single fact should reorder your shortlist if you have young kids, pets, or you’re buying for a rental you’ll furnish and re-let. It’s the strongest practical argument for Newilla over anything else in the range, and it has nothing to do with how the piece looks.
If you’re set on a different collection, look at fabric durability instead — performance textiles with high abrasion ratings and stain-repellent finishes are the alternative route to a piece that survives real use. Fabric options are listed on each collection page.
6. The comfort system underneath
Every Innovation Living collection is built on a specific comfort system, and the system determines how the piece feels to sit on and sleep on far more than the upholstery does.
The short version: some systems are engineered for everyday sleeping, others are built to be excellent sofas that also host guests well. Both are legitimate — but buying the second when you needed the first is the most expensive mistake in this category.
Carnell is the outlier in the range. It uses a reversible Dual Memory mattress rather than a spring system — one side high-density foam, the other memory foam, so a single piece offers two firmness options. If you’re buying for guests with different preferences, or you’re not sure what you like, that reversibility is a real advantage.
The full breakdown of every system, which collections use it, and which suits nightly sleeping is in our guide to sofa bed comfort systems and on the comfort page.
Putting it together
Work in this order:
- Decide how often it opens. Nightly, monthly, or twice a year. Everything else follows from this.
- Measure open and closed, plus the delivery path. This eliminates more options than any other step, so do it before you fall in love with a model.
- Pick the comfort system that matches your answer to step 1.
- Filter by covers and storage if kids, pets, or bedding storage apply to you.
- Adjust arms to fit the width you measured.
- Choose fabric last. It’s the only decision on this list you can make purely on preference.
Most people run this backwards — fabric and silhouette first, mechanism and measurements last — and end up with a piece that looks right and doesn’t work.
Frequently asked questions
How much clearance do I need in front of a sofa bed? Enough for the open depth plus walking room, and enough that the extended bed doesn’t block a door, radiator, or walkway. Measure the open depth from the collection page, mark it on your floor with tape, and check the room still functions before ordering.
Which sofa beds have removable washable covers? Newilla and the Newilla Lounger. Replacement covers aren’t available for other collections, so if washable covers are a requirement, that’s where to look.
Can I add arms to a sofa bed later? On Cubed and Supremax, yes — by ordering a new frame and armrests. Most other models can’t be converted after purchase. Fabric from a later order may not match the original exactly.
What size sofa beds are available? It varies by collection. Neah is the only family available in full, queen, and king. Cubed comes in full and queen. Vilander, Newilla, and Recast Plus are full. Cassius, Ran, Supremax, Cone, and Carnell are queen. Check the collection page for current configurations.
Which mechanism is easiest to operate? The one-motion designs with auto-fold legs — Neah, Vilander, and Carnell — need the fewest steps. Carnell also stows the seat and back cushions during conversion, which removes the nightly problem of where to put them.
Does fabric choice affect comfort? Not the mattress construction, which is fixed by the collection. Fabric affects surface texture, durability, and cleanability.
The decisions above narrow the range faster than browsing does. Start from how often the bed gets used and what your room measures, then look at all collections with those constraints in hand — or get in touch and we’ll work through it with you.