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Sofa beds are perfect for homes with a shortage of space.

Studio apartments are very popular with young people anxious to move into their own home. They may not be able to afford, or indeed need, a house with two or more bedrooms, so an apartment is the ideal solution; that is, until they need to find an extra bed for unexpected guests. Overnight visitors can always sleep on the floor of course, but a good host will be far happier if they can offer the comfort of a bed at short notice. This is where the sofa bed comes into its own.

Sofa beds are perfect for homes with a shortage of space. A sofa bed can be used as the main seating for a room or as part of a suite of furniture. It will look, and act, like a sofa during the day but at the touch of a button, will transform into a bed that will provide extra sleeping space in an emergency.

The sofa bed that is out to impress as well as earn its keep, will need to look stylish when being used for seating, without being too obvious about its other role. It will need to be comfortable, both as a sofa and a bed, be easy to transform from one to the other, be hardwearing and, just as essential be easy to make up with regular bedding.

These days, many people live in homes which are very short of space, and the sofa bed will slip into such a home easily. It can be kept in the sitting room as part of the furniture scheme, or placed in a spare room, study or even a child’s bedroom.

The important points to bear in mind when choosing a sofa bed include, ease of use and comfort. When buying one, try it out in both roles; test the mechanism by transforming it from sofa to bed, and back again. In bed mode, lie on it to test the mattress for comfort, and, as a sofa, make sure that the mechanism cannot be felt under the seat cushions.

The choice of sofa bed design nowadays is quite vast. Some form part of a complete suite of furniture, and it will be very hard to tell the difference between a sofa and a sofa bed in the same suite. Sofa beds are made from many different materials and fabrics, and the mechanisms themselves will vary. Some will need manually unfolding, whilst others will transform at the touch of a button.

There are many different sofa beds available these days; some of them are quite inexpensive, and this can be reflected in the comfort offered. If you intend keeping your sofa bed for a long time, and using it both as a sofa and a bed regularly, then it is best to opt for the best one your budget allows. Take time and effort to test several before you buy, to ensure that you find the one that works perfectly for your own particular situation as you and any guests who spend the night on it, will be glad you did.