5 Best Chair Beds for Sudden Overnight Guests
Our top 5 chair beds
Now, for the main event – top 5 best chair beds on the market.
We put in quite a few hours into researching these products and let us tell you – it was no picnic. There are so many good chair beds from various reputable brands on the UK market, but that number can't possibly compare to the number of mediocre chair beds we've come across.
However, these five met our criteria. They were all from reputable brands. They were all comfy, affordable, good-looking, and most importantly – ready to become a bed in mere seconds.
Let's check them out!
Chair Beds
1
Best Overall
Chair Beds
2
Best Value
Chair Beds
3
Best Compact
Chair Beds
4
Best for All Rooms
Chair Beds
5
Best Contemporary Design
Best Overall: Happy Beds Jay-Be Retro Mink Chair Sofa Bed
The top pick when it comes to chair beds – don't look elsewhere!
Best Overall
If you don’t care much about the price and just want the best possible chair bed on the market, this is the ideal option for you. Although it comes with quite a hefty price, the Jay-Be Retro also sports unparalleled comfort.
That’s because it actually has a built-in mattress that easily folds and unfolds with the bed. Not only is this not something you’d see every day but it also means you’re getting the sleeping experience of a premium bed while also keeping the compact design chair beds are made for.
With a wool cover that wicks away moisture, a spring system that offers support without sacrificing comfort, and a simple but elegant design, this chair bed truly is in a league of its own. So, if you want the best of the best, this is the chair bed for you!
KEY FEATURES:
- Type: Foldable/Roll out
- Material: Polyester fibres, wool, recyclable steel, wood, e-Fibre
- Sizes: Small double
- Assembly: Assembled
- Trial: N/A
- Warranty: 5 years
- Delivery: N/A
Advantages
Built-in mattress
This sofa bed comes with a built-in spring mattress that is foldable.
Wool cover
High quality wool cover wicks away water.
5-year warranty
You get 5-year warranty for this sofa.
Disadvantages
A bit expensive
Though expensive, the quality justifies the price.
Best Value: Dunelm Mito Single Futon
The most comfortable sofa bed on a budget!
Best Value
This neat little chair/futon is an essential piece for any modern home owners. It's a timeless piece, designed to fit any decor and with nine available colours to choose from – that statement holds very true.
The Mito sofa chair easily unravels its solid pine body to form a single-sized low-profile sofa bed, big enough to fit a grown person. Out of all the sofa chair beds on our list – this one resembles an actual bed the most. When in “bed mode”, obviously.
It's sleek, it's contemporary and most importantly – it's rather comfortable.
KEY FEATURES:
- Type: oldable
- Material: Pine, cotton, fibre blend
- Sizes: Single
- Assembly: Half-assembly
- Trial: N/A
- Warranty: 28 days
- Delivery: 5-7 working days, free
Advantages
Excellent price-to-quality
Considering everything, this is a fantastic price-to-quality ratio.
Contemporary design
You can match any decor or interior design, thanks to the timeless design.
Sturdy & durable
The product is sturdy and highly durable.
Disadvantages
28 days warranty
We would love to see warranty period more extended.
Not for heavy people
Heavy people reported durability problems as well as a lot of sinkage.
Best Compact: Happy Beds Farrow Grey Fabric Sofa Bed
If you really want a chair bed but simply don’t have the room for an extravagant, big model, this is the ideal choice for you.
Best Compact
First off, we have to point out just how good this sofa bed looks. Although the design is fairly simple, the upholstered gray fabric fits just about any room and gives off that modern vibe. And it doesn’t lose any of those aesthetic points even when it’s unfolded.
The bed is definitely on the smaller side and fitting an adult might require getting a chair for their feet or for them to curl up quite a bit – but that’s what you should expect with a bed this compact.
KEY FEATURES:
- Type: Foldable
- Material: Wood, upholstered material
- Sizes: 115 x 154 cm
- Assembly: Self-assembly
- Trial: N/A
- Warranty: 5 years
- Delivery: N/A
Advantages
High quality
High quality materials & manufacturing.
Modern design
It's perfect for all rooms, especially for the modern designs.
Easily foldable
The backrest folds easily and turns into a chair bed.
Disadvantages
Not a great fit for adults
Adults may require another chair to get their feet on.
Best for All Rooms: Homcom Sofa Bed
Fully adjustable to adjust to your needs!
Best for All Rooms
If you really want to make the most out of your chair bed – get the one that can do it all. Homcom single sofa bed has a backrest that reclines to five different levels. So, when your guests aren't around, you can just kick back and relax in it. Neat, right?
Its solid metal frame is far sturdier than you'd usually find in a chair bed, and despite being single sized – this one could probably hold two people in terms of weight.
Also, we can't help but mention the faux suede upholstery covering the softest high-density foam that's just as comfy as you'd want it to be.
KEY FEATURES:
- Type: Foldable, click-clack
- Material: Alloy, steel, metal, faux suede
- Sizes: Single
- Assembly: Half-assembly
- Trial: N/A
- Warranty: N/A
- Delivery: 5-7 working days, free
Advantages
High-quality
The product sturdy and high quality, meaning it will last long.
Modern design
It is a great fit for any modern room so it can easily fit in.
5-level reclining design
You can choose 5 different settings for your backrest.
Disadvantages
No warranty
There is no warranty available for this product.
Stability issues
Customers reported a lack of stability in legs once the bed is fully reclined.
Best Contemporary Design: Vonanda Sofa Bed
Feel the luxury with this faux leather 4-in-1 sofa bed!
Best Contemporary Design
Wouldn't it be nice to have an ottoman that can turn into a chair, that could turn into a lounger, that could turn into a bed? Sounds impossible, right? Wrong. This Vonanda sofa bed does exactly that. It's a 4-in-1 package!
Not only is it unbelievably good looking, but it's also very versatile. This faux leather with jacquard detailing contemporary-design package is all a living room needs. You could virtually buy this same product four times and have four different pieces of furniture that would last you a long time. Bonkers, isn't it?
KEY FEATURES:
- Type: Foldable, click-clack
- Material: Metal, faux leather
- Sizes: Single
- Assembly: Half-assembly
- Trial: 180 days
- Warranty: 3 years
- Delivery: 5-7 working days, free
Advantages
Heavy duty
The product is sturdy and highly durable for the price you pay.
Excellent price-to-quality
The quality you get, as well as the craftmanship, is of the highest quality.
Adjustable backrest
Fully adjustable backrest, with 5 reclining angles to choose from.
Disadvantages
Not for tall people
Due to its dimensions, this is not an ideal pick for tall people.
Slight mechanism issues
Some customers have reported problems with reclining mechanism.
What to look for when buying best chair bed
As we have just learned, not every chair bed is the same. They differ quite a lot one from another, and the only way to make an informed decision when shopping is to know what to look for.
In this section, we'll outline all the important features you should be on the lookout for when searching for the best chair beds. If you manage to keep these in mind while shopping, there's no doubt in our minds you'll end up with the best chair bed possible.
Types of chair beds
What's interesting about chair beds is that you could basically consider them sofa beds, only in smaller form factor. So, just like a sofa bed, the chair bed also has similar types.
The three types we're going to discuss today are foldable, pull-out and click-clack chair beds.
Foldable
Foldable chair beds are probably the most popular type out of all. As you can tell by the name, a foldable chair bed or a sofa bed is the one that folds open and becomes a bed.
They also often come with separate mattresses, folded in strategic places to form a cushion to sit on, and later on a mattress to lay on. However, that's not always the case. As you'll see with our top picks, foldable sofa beds come in all kinds of shapes, forms, and sizes, and are sometimes even merged together with other types of chair beds.
Pull-out
A pull-out chair bed is a simple to open bed with a pull-out mechanism. As such, it has become an industry standard.
It is incredibly easy to use and operate. All you have to do is remove the cushion, pull out the “pull-out” portion of the chair that will fall into place, place the cushion back on, and you're all set.
The same mechanism will work with a sofa bed with a pull-out mattress, as well as a chair with a cushion because as we've said – pull-out chair beds and sofas are essentially the same things, only one of them is more compact.
Click-clack
The click-clack sofa bed or a chair bed has gotten its name over a click-clack mechanism that makes a distinct sound when it locks into place. Just like the pull-out mechanism, click-clack is extremely easy to operate and set up.
To convert this kind of chair into a single bed for your guests, you simply have to open up the mechanism and fold out the mattress or a cushion, and you're all set. The mattress will settle in a few minutes, and your guests should be snoozing shortly after.
Frame quality & material
Frame quality and material are some of the most important things to look for in a chair bed. As a general rule of thumb, if you want your chair bed to act as a durable, good-looking, long-lasting and comfortable bed – you need to find one with a high-quality frame.
Usually, your safest bet would be to go with a hardwood frame or any combination of kiln-dried hardwood and furniture-grade plywood. Those materials should be the best option for a long-lasting, high-quality piece of furniture.
High-quality opening mechanism
High-quality opening mechanisms will be the difference between a janky chair bed and a high-quality one. Not only will you not have to worry about durability if you pay a little extra for a better opening mechanism, but you also won't have to worry about the bed breaking on your guests in the middle of the night.
A good mechanism should lift up, pull out, or click into place in a single, smooth motion without any squeaking or getting stuck. Whether it is a pull-out or a click-clack, find the one that's been tested and designed to stand the test of time. Otherwise, you might have to do your shopping more frequently than you'd ideally want to.
Quality of a mattress
A quality foam mattress is probably the most important thing to look for when shopping for a chair bed. You may not have to sleep on it, but your guests will have to. And, unless you're willing to spend additional money on a mattress topper, we suggest you take your time to find a chair bed that comes with a comfy mattress.
To be fair, a chair bed mattress will never be as comfortable or supportive as a single or a double bed mattress you'd get in a store separately, but it'll have to do. Some of the best sofa beds do come with some pretty comfy mattresses, so try and look for those.
Size
Finally, depending on how much space you have and how many guests usually come over – you might have to consider getting something bigger than just an armchair bed.
To be fair, a single sofa bed or a chair bed should be more than enough if you never have more than one guest at a time, but if you'd really like to make the most out of your spare room, consider getting something other than a single.
As far as size options go, these guest sofa beds and chairs are available in:
- Single
- Two-seater
- Three-seater
Now, as you can see, some of it can't really pass as a chair, seeing how it sits more than a single person, but the line between a chair bed and a sofa bed is pretty much blurred, so just roll with it.
Tips for buying and using best chair bed
Before we go out and meet our top five best chair beds, we wanted to give you a few helpful tips for buying and using a chair bed.
- Take accurate measures – The last thing you'd want is to spend your hard-earned money on a chair sofa bed, only to realise it doesn't fit in the room once you pull it out. So, instead of winging it – measure your room and the floor space, and buy a chair bed that fits.
- Read the reviews – Every company will tell you that their product is the best one out there – they have to. It's called marketing. Well, just like they have to advertise their products, you have to make sure to do your part. Instead of trusting them completely, read the reviews, impressions, and go through user reviews to see what other people think of them. Only then make your purchase.
- Get a stylish sofa bed – When not in use, your chair bed will be your accent chair, you might as well get something that looks really good. Try and make sure you get a sofa cushion that looks great. There are many options out there, all the way from a leather sofa bed, to a regular pull-out chair with microfibre-filled cushions, and it is up to you to get the most stylish one.
The advantages of owning best chair bed
Now that you've seen our picks, we wanted to show you some of the advantages you'd get to enjoy if you get yourself one of the best chair beds we've found for you.
Naturally, we won't talk about the most obvious advantage that's allowing your guests to get a comfy, good night's sleep when they come over.
- It's great for movie night – Wouldn't it just be great if you could lie comfortably in front of the TV instead of having to raise your feet on the coffee table or lie down sideways while watching a movie? Of course, it would. And, that's what a chair bed can bring to your living room. You don't have to wait for your guests to come over to use this one. You can use it any time you watch a film!
- You can easily move it around – Another benefit of owning a chair bed is that you can easily move it around. Unlike your regular bed with memory foam or pocket sprung mattress, a chair bed is pretty lightweight and can be moved from one room to another in a matter of minutes. For example, if your kid has a friend coming for a sleepover, you can move the chair bed to your kid's room, instead of having their guest sleep in the living or the guest room.
- Quick and easy setup – Unlike some other bed frames that come disassembled, a chair bed will usually come delivered in one piece, alongside detached legs. So, the setup will actually last about as long as unpacking, plus a few mintues, which is pretty much unheard of when it comes to beds and sleeping surfaces. So, that's another thing to be joyous about.
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FAQs about your chair bed
Should you get a comfortable sofa bed or a chair bed? Are they worth the money? How often should you clean them? These are just some of the FAQs we've come across, so we thought to ourselves – why not answer some of them?
Is it recommended to sleep on a chair bed every night?
We certainly wouldn't recommend it. Think of a chair bed as your backup parachute. You know it's there, you're glad it's there – but you certainly wouldn't mind not using it.
How long do chair beds last on average?
It all depends on the usage, but we don't see why you couldn't comfortably use a chair bed for five, possibly even ten years.
How do I clean my chair beds?
It all depends on the seat cushions. Some come with removable covers and some you'll have to spot-clean and wipe.
How thick should a chair bed mattress be?
Around 5 inches (12 cm) should be fine.
Where should I place my chair bed?
Wherever you want. They usually work best with sofa beds, or just your regular living room ensemble. As long as there's room for the chair bed to turn into a guest bed – you're good.
Do all chair beds come with mattresses?
No. Some come with regular chair-bed cushions.
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