The Best Modern Sofa Beds for Small Spaces

City living means being creative with space. Europeans have mastered the combined bathroom-laundry room; the working-from-home crowd treat the kitchen table like a desk; small-space dwellers know that their couch — regardless of transformative ability — is a modern sofa bed for small spaces. 

When hosting guests, the challenge of small living becomes exponentially more difficult. How do you maintain a shared living space while also creating a comfortable place for your friends to hang out, sleep, and generally function?

Are we biased? Yes. Do we have some great reasons to be? Yes. In this post, we’ll cover our best tips for choosing a sofa bed for small spaces, offer some organizational tips for managing a crowded house, and show you how to make your guests feel at home. 

The Modern Sofa Bed: A Multitasking Master

Multitasking is hard. Experts suggest that it might actually be impossible. That makes the sofa bed’s challenge an even greater one: how can one piece of furniture be a stylish, inviting couch, and a comfy, supportive bed? We rolled up our sleeves to find out and took the time to create a sofa bed collection that works for our customers and our own guests, too. 

A sofa bed needs to exist as both a streamlined and stylish sofa, plus a bed you can put your in-laws on guilt-free. Chances are that if you’re seeking a sofa bed you probably don’t have the space for a full-sized guest room (hey, us either) so a compact and versatile design is key. You want a sofa bed that doesn’t necessarily give itself away as a sofa bed at first glance. For example, our Nordby Sofa Bed has a Scandinavian aesthetic that can be accessorized to fit into any design scheme, plus features a simple slide-out mechanism. Oh, you have a really beautiful and modern sofa? Nice. It also turns into a full-sized, comfortable bed? Whoa. 

Quality Matters

We all know how important sleep is. It impacts everything: your gut and digestion, thought clarity, physical wellness, and mood. We’ve all had a rough night of sleep and experienced the consequences the next day. To help your guests put their best foot forward (and to subtly create a more relaxed hosting atmosphere), give them a comfortable place to conk out on. 

However, when you’re working with minimal square footage you’re most likely looking at an oft-deflating air mattress or scrunching onto a small sofa. It’s not a good look. Ditch the half measures. Your guests will thank you — and hopefully repay the hosting favor in the future.

When we thought about how to design a great sofa bed for small spaces, quality came first: great design, beautiful materials, a nice seat, and a nice sleep. The whole package, you could say. 

For example, a sofa bed like the Soma features a memory foam mattress and a Leggett and Platt sleeper-bed mechanism. That’s a big deal: Leggett and Platt is an internationally-recognized hospitality brand that trademarked their awesome fold-out sleeper design. Global innovation right there in your sofa bed? We’ll sleep to that. 

Okay, back to the mattress. Memory foam mattresses are seldom used in sofa beds because they tend to drive up manufacturing prices which usually means a more expensive sofa bed — and a harder sell on the retail floor. At Article, we love and respect sleep. That’s why we offer a memory-foam mattress with our pull-out sofa beds. No pressure points, even weight distribution, and simple to set up? Sounds like… a dream. 

The quality of our sofa beds mean you’ll have time before everyone wakes up to make your famous blueberry ricotta pancakes in the morning — and won’t have to listen to your dad complain about his back for once. We’re all winners here.

Keep it Clean

When you’re bringing more bodies into a tight space, cleanliness is key. And we don’t mean dusting. Any space that appears busy to the eye due to clutter and mess can feel overwhelming and like the last place anyone would be able to relax in. 

A day before your guests arrive, clear some room on tables and shelves and if possible, designate storage space just for your guests. Giving them a place to keep their belongings gives them a sense of privacy and allows your shared space to stay functional throughout their trip. If you don’t have a designated bedroom for your guests, this can be anything from a shelf on a modern bookshelf, to a drawer in a media unit like the Lenia. 

If you’ve got a little more room to spare, consider the sectional version of our Soma Sofa Bed. The chaise hides a covetable storage space that you can either highjack for your own equipment and games or use to house your guests’ suitcases. A sofa bed for small spaces with a third function? Pinch me. 

For daytime, folding up the sofa bed signals the transition from guest to communal space. Unless you’re planning an all-day Netflix marathon, make the bed … and then put it away.

Consider Your Space

When you only have one room, it needs to be flexible. It also offers the opportunity to intimately understand your space. Your couch needs to be a comfortable place to hang out, drink tea, and unwind at the end of the day, but maybe it also serves as a de facto workspace. A sofa bed like the Solna gives you a streamlined and modern style for everyday living, plus folds down into a space-saving spot to snooze. Knowing your space means being able to accommodate every situation it throws at you — and ultimately makes your home feel bigger.

When you’re about to welcome guests, think about shared space first. Add over-the-door hooks to bathroom doors for guest towels and clothes. Leave a small basket of toiletries and other goodies on a mid-century side table near their designated sofa bed to make them feel extra welcome. 

Next, think about how your guests experience your contemporary living space (AKA, their bedroom), and anticipate their needs. Does your window treatment keep the room dark enough for a comfortable rest? Is the room cold at night? Is there a lot of street noise? Offering a small fix such as drapes to block light or earplugs for a quieter evening, tells your guest that they are welcome.

When you live in a small home, “multi-purpose” can take over your aesthetic. We built our sofa beds for small spaces so you can focus on style and trust that we’ve got function covered. Combined with our tips for creating a harmonious space, you’re well on your way to becoming a seriously popular host.

You’re welcome/we’re sorry.