Most sofa beds ask you to commit to one feel — firm or soft, decided at the factory. Carnell doesn’t. Its mattress is reversible: flip it one way for firmer support, flip it the other for a softer memory foam surface. One purchase, two mattresses.
How the Dual Memory mattress works
The mattress has two distinct sides. One is high density foam, roughly 3¼” thick — supportive and structured, closer to the firmer end of what a sofa bed offers. The other is memory foam, roughly 1⅝” thick and OEKO-TEX certified — softer, with more give and contouring.
Both sides sit inside the same quilted fiberfill fabric shell, so switching between them means physically flipping the mattress rather than adding or removing anything. It’s a real construction difference, not a marketing description of a single foam layer.
This matters most in two situations: when you’re not sure which firmness you’ll prefer and don’t want to guess at purchase time, or when the piece serves more than one person over time — a couple with different preferences, or a guest room that hosts different people from month to month.
The mattress cover — a separate detail worth knowing
Carnell’s mattress cover is removable on its own and machine washable at 140°F / 60°C. This is specifically the mattress cover, distinct from the sofa’s fabric upholstery. Across the wider range, detachable fabric upholstery covers are available on Newilla only — but Carnell’s washable mattress cover is a separate feature on top of that, unrelated to whether the outer upholstery comes off. Worth knowing the distinction if wash-ability is a priority for you: Carnell gives you a washable mattress layer even though its fabric upholstery isn’t sold as a separate replaceable part the way Newilla’s is.
What else Carnell does
Two more details make this collection distinct beyond the mattress:
It stows its own cushions. Most sofa beds leave you to find somewhere for the seat and back cushions every time you convert. Carnell’s design stores them as part of the conversion — a small detail that removes a genuinely annoying nightly problem in a small apartment.
It converts in one motion with auto-fold legs, opening to a 63″ x 77″ queen bed. No separate step for the legs, no lifting a frame into place while holding cushions.
Carnell is offered with Standard or Slope arms — Standard for a more traditional profile, Slope as the space-saving option — in two fabrics, Taura Slate Gray and Adario Taupe, the narrowest fabric range of any collection in the catalog. Adario is a commercial-grade performance fabric, worth knowing if the piece will see heavy use.
Who this suits
Anyone who can’t decide on firmness before buying. The reversible mattress removes the guesswork — try one side, flip if it isn’t right.
A guest room or rental serving different people over time. Rather than committing one household’s preference permanently, the mattress adapts each time it’s used.
Couples with different firmness preferences. One partner gets high-density support, the other gets memory foam softness, on the same piece.
It’s less of a fit if you already know exactly what you want and would rather have a single mattress optimized for that one feel — in that case, matching a comfort system to your preference directly may serve you better than a reversible compromise.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Carnell mattress switch between firm and soft? You physically flip it. One side is high-density foam for a firmer feel, the other is memory foam for a softer one, both inside the same quilted cover.
Is Carnell’s mattress cover washable? Yes — it’s removable and machine washable at 140°F / 60°C. This is the mattress cover specifically, separate from the fabric upholstery on the sofa itself.
What size bed does Carnell convert to? A 63″ x 77″ queen.
What fabrics is Carnell available in? Two: Taura Slate Gray and Adario Taupe. Adario is a commercial-grade performance fabric suited to heavier use.
Does Carnell’s conversion require moving the cushions myself? No — the design stores the seat and back cushions as part of the conversion, unlike most sofa beds where you have to find somewhere to put them.
If firmness preference is the one thing holding you back from choosing a sofa bed, Carnell removes that decision rather than forcing it upfront. See our full buying guide for how it compares on other factors, or get in touch with questions.