Making Small Sofa Beds Work in Rooms with Low Ceilings

A small sofa bed can work very well in a room with a low ceiling, provided you choose a compact frame in proportion to the space, check the headroom above the open mattress and keep everything around it light and low. Compact rooms with modest ceilings are common in UK homes: box rooms in post war semis, loft conversions under the eaves, basement flats and cottage bedrooms with exposed beams. These rooms are often where a guest bed is most needed and where it is hardest to fit one. In this article we look at how to measure for a small sofa bed when both floor area and height are limited, which sizes and mechanisms tend to suit, how to position the bed under sloping or beamed ceilings, and how to light, colour and furnish the room so it feels comfortable rather than cramped. We also cover storage and the details that help a guest settle in....