{"id":85511,"date":"2026-11-03T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/how-to-choose-sofa-beds-for-an-ex-council-flat\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T12:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T12:05:00","slug":"how-to-choose-sofa-beds-for-an-ex-council-flat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/how-to-choose-sofa-beds-for-an-ex-council-flat\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose Sofa Beds for an Ex-Council Flat"},"content":{"rendered":"

To choose a sofa bed for an ex council flat, measure the route in before you measure the room. Communal stairwells, compact lifts and solid fire doors are usually the real constraints, not the living room itself, which in many former council flats is a fair size. Look for a sofa bed that arrives in parts or has removable arms and feet, a mechanism that suits the depth of your room, and a design that sits comfortably against solid walls and around radiators or storage heaters.<\/p>\n

Former council flats have a character of their own: practical layouts, generous windows and sturdy construction, often paired with tight access. Our modern sofa beds UK sale<\/a> include designs that suit these homes well, and they sit within our full range of modern sofas UK<\/a> if you want to coordinate seating. This guide covers how to plan, measure and choose so that delivery day goes smoothly.<\/p>\n

Know Your Building Before You Shop<\/h3>\n

Ex council flats come in many forms. Some are in low rise blocks of three or four storeys with a shared stairwell. Others sit in larger blocks with lifts, or in maisonettes with their own internal staircase. Deck access blocks have external walkways leading to each front door. Each type brings different questions.<\/p>\n

Before looking at any sofa bed, walk the route from the street to your living room and note every point where furniture would need to turn or squeeze. That includes the entrance door to the block, the stair landings, the lift if there is one, your own front door, the hallway inside the flat and the living room door.<\/p>\n

Measuring the Access Route<\/h3>\n

Lifts<\/h3>\n

Lifts in older blocks can be small. Measure the internal width, depth and height, and also the door opening, which is often narrower than the car itself. Then measure the diagonal from the bottom of the door to the top back corner of the lift. A long sofa can sometimes be stood on end inside a lift if the height and diagonal allow, but not every sofa bed should be stored upright, so check with us first.<\/p>\n

Stairwells<\/h3>\n

Communal stairs often have half landings and tight turns. Measure the width of the stairs, the height from the stair edge to the ceiling above, and the space on each landing. Turning a sofa around a landing needs more room than carrying it straight, so the landing size is usually the limiting factor.<\/p>\n

Doors<\/h3>\n

Front doors in many council era flats are fire doors, which are solid and may have closers fitted. Measure the clear opening with the door fully open, and note any closer arm that reduces the space at the top. Internal doors can be standard widths but are sometimes set close to a corner in the hallway, which makes the turn into the room tighter.<\/p>\n

Designs That Make Delivery Easier<\/h3>\n

Some sofa bed designs are better suited to tricky access than others:<\/p>\n