A pull out sofa bed stores a separate mattress on a folding metal frame inside the base, which is why it gives the closest thing to a real bed. If you want the short version: choose a pull out frame when guests stay regularly, when comfort matters more than compactness, and when you have at least a metre of clear floor in front of the sofa. Below are ten pull out styles worth considering, grouped by the situation each one suits.
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We have focused on formats rather than individual product names, because the format is what determines whether the piece works in your room. Once you know which of these ten suits you, filtering the range becomes quick.
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Lift the front seat edge and a hinged steel frame unfolds forwards, carrying a thin mattress that sits on either sprung slats or a mesh deck. The seat cushions come off first and go to one side, then the frame extends in two or three sections.
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The benefit is that you are sleeping on a dedicated mattress rather than on the seat cushions, so there are no joins running across the sleeping surface. The cost is floor space and weight. That trade is the whole decision.
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Across our modern sofa beds UK sale range, pull out models are the ones we recommend to anyone hosting guests more than once a month.
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The default choice and the one most households end up with. A three seater opens to a full double, seats three comfortably during the day and suits a main living room. Look for a sprung slat base rather than a mesh deck, since slats flex under load and give noticeably better support.
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Opens to a small double while keeping a closed footprint suitable for a flat or a box room. This is the format that makes pull out mechanisms viable in smaller homes. Check the open length rather than just the width, because compact frames sometimes shorten the mattress as well as narrowing it.
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Combines the seating efficiency of a corner layout with a full sized sleeping surface. The mattress is usually housed in the longer run rather than the chaise. These suit family rooms where the sofa is the main seating for several people every evening. Our modern corner fabric sofas UK pages show the left and right hand configurations, which matters when doors or radiators restrict the layout.
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Some pull out models include a shallow compartment behind or beneath the mechanism for pillows and a duvet. In a home without an airing cupboard this is genuinely valuable, because it keeps bedding in the same room as the bed. Capacity is usually enough for one duvet and two pillows.
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Leather and leather look finishes wipe clean, which suits households with children or pets. The considerations are different from fabric: leather is cooler to sit on in winter, it creases along the fold lines over time, and it benefits from conditioning once or twice a year. Our modern leather sofas UK range shows the tones that hide wear best, with tan and mid brown being more forgiving than black.
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Velvet adds depth to a room and works particularly well in deeper colours such as teal, ink and forest green. The pile hides the seams of a folding frame better than a flat weave does. The trade off is weekly brushing to keep the pile even.
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A lower back and slimmer arms keep sight lines open in an open plan space. These suit knocked through reception rooms and modern apartments where the sofa sits in the middle of the floor rather than against a wall. Because the back is lower, check that the mechanism still houses a mattress of reasonable depth.
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A single chaise on one end gives daytime lounging without the footprint of a full corner. The pull out mechanism sits in the main body. This format works well in long narrow rooms, which are common in terraced houses, because the chaise fills a corner that would otherwise be dead space.
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Ships in separate sections, which solves the access problem in flats with narrow stairwells and small lifts. The sections bolt together on site and can often be reconfigured later if you move. If you have ever had furniture fail to get up the stairs, this is the format to look at first.
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Built for frequent sleeping rather than daily sitting. The mattress is thicker, often pocket sprung or high grade memory foam, and the seat is firmer as a result. If the room is used more as a guest bedroom than as a lounge, this is the one to choose, and it competes directly with buying a compact bed frame from our modern beds UK sale range.
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Clearance comes first. Measure the open depth and add sixty centimetres for access. In most rooms this rules in or out half the shortlist immediately.
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The base type comes second. Sprung wooden slats outperform a flat mesh deck by a clear margin, because they flex under weight and reduce pressure points.
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Mattress depth is third. Anything under about ten centimetres is fine for occasional use but tiring over several consecutive nights.
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Weight and operation is fourth. Test whether one person can open and close the frame comfortably. Mechanisms with gas assistance are easier but add cost and complexity.
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Floor protection is the last one, and the most commonly overlooked. Pull out frames often have small feet at the front that bear real load on a hard floor. Felt pads prevent marking.
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It helps to be clear about when a pull out is not the right answer.
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If the sofa bed will be slept on fewer than a dozen nights a year, a click clack frame does the job at less cost and in less space. The firmer surface matters little for a single night, and the simpler mechanism has fewer parts to maintain.
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If the room is genuinely small, under about three and a half metres across with furniture already in place, the open depth of a pull out may make the room unusable while the bed is out. Measure before ruling it in.
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If the piece is mainly for daytime lounging and the bed is close to a formality, prioritise seat comfort instead. Pull out frames sometimes give a slightly firmer seat because the mechanism sits beneath the cushions.
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Where guests stay regularly, though, nothing else comes close. The separate mattress is what makes the difference, and people notice it in the morning.
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Getting the bedding right makes a pull out feel like a proper guest bed rather than an improvisation.
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Measure the mattress depth and buy fitted sheets to match. Standard deep fitted sheets bunch underneath a shallow folding mattress and are uncomfortable to sleep on.
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Use a thin quilted protector rather than a padded topper, since anything bulky prevents the frame folding cleanly back into the base.
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Leave a surface within reach of the open bed and make sure a socket is accessible. Both are easy to forget until someone is actually staying.
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A few habits make the difference between a pull out that gets used and one that does not.
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Air the mattress before closing it. Folding a warm mattress into an enclosed base traps moisture and is the usual cause of a musty smell.
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Keep the sheets on between guests if the mattress is used often. It saves time and the bedding stays clean inside the base.
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Rotate the mattress every few months, as you would with any bed, so the pressure points move.
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Check the mechanism bolts annually. They loosen gradually with repeated use, and tightening them takes a few minutes with a spanner.
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You can browse the full selection at Furniture in Fashion, where we offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
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Yes, more so than click clack alternatives, because you sleep on a dedicated mattress rather than on the seat cushions. Comfort depends mainly on mattress depth and whether the base uses sprung slats.
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Allow the closed depth plus roughly a metre for the open frame, then another sixty centimetres for access along one edge. Mark it out with tape before ordering.
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Most modern frames are designed for single handed operation, though larger three seater models are heavier. Test the halfway point of the motion, which is where poorly built frames feel awkward.
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They use a purpose made folding mattress sized for the frame. You cannot substitute a standard mattress, but replacement folding mattresses are available if the original wears out.
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A pull out stores a separate mattress inside the base and extends forwards. A click clack reclines the backrest flat so the seat cushions form the bed. Pull outs sleep better, click clacks need less floor space.
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