Can anyone recommend a sofabed that is comfortable for an extended period of time - say up to a couple of months? My mother coming to stay But as she's in her sixties and would struggle to get off a low surface, the fold out foam sofa that turns into a mattress on the floor isn't really appropriate. Ideally I wouldn't want to spend more than £500 or so, but that's not concrete. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Please let me know which model and why you prefer it.

I'm looking for a sturdy king-size (or close) sofa bed with strong support when unfolded. Most models I've seen have flimsy metal legs or an unsupported section underneath, which feels unstable. I want something solid that can handle movement without risk of breaking.

I considered the IKEA Friheten, but it lacks full support on one side, and reviews mention sagging and discomfort from the wooden frame. Many IKEA sofa beds seem to have durability issues, which is disappointing since I’ve had good experiences with their beds and mattresses.

Ideally, I want a sofa bed that unfolds as one solid piece. Something like a modular design where rectangular sections simply extend into a bed. This would provide even support without empty gaps underneath, and I could add a mattress topper for extra firmness. It also needs to be comfortable in sofa form since I’ll be using it to watch TV and play PS5 in the bedroom.

Murphy beds aren’t an option due to ceiling height, and folding mattresses aren’t practical for storage or aesthetics.

Key requirements:

• Sturdy and well-supported in bed form

• King-size or close when unfolded

• Comfortable and firm (I’m open to adding a mattress topper)

• Works well as a sofa for watching TV and gaming

• Budget: ~£600 new or ~£300 used

This will be a daily use couch (for me) and a 1-2 night a week sleeper for my mother. Love seat size or a little bigger would be ok. Ideally with an actual 'couch' style... padded arms rather than wooden or something.

My parents once had a horribly firm Ikea love seat that converted into an equally firm sleeper... it was almost comical. So I'm weary of ikea, but I'm in a small condo with a tight staircase so I think Ikea might be my only solution.

Does anyone have a couch/sleeper they like and can attest it's comfort? Even if "bed mode" needs a topper, I'd be ok with that.

I have a relatively small/medium size apartment so nothing GINORMOUS but a sectional is fine.

Problem is I see they all have bad reviews, except one which is super expensive and not a sectional (which I prefer, so I can stretch my legs out when using it- otherwise not sure how people use regular sofas- do they just put their legs on their coffee table?)

Anyone have a recommendation and if possible how long you’ve had it?

I’ve been eyeing this one for my office for a few weeks since it seems to be the perfect fit. There was zero reviews and quite a few Reddit threads asking if anyone’s tried it but no one has. I took a chance and overall, I’m happy with it.

• Assembly was about 1.5 hours for someone who would call themselves an IKEA pro. About as hard as any other IKEA couch, but easier than the sectional sleepers. I’ve assembled maybe 30 different pieces and I’d say this was average. I assembled it by myself until the very end I needed help to just slot in the mattress part. It comes mostly assembled, you just need to assemble the wood frame (about 15 pieces).

• The wood cuts were not great, I had to bang some pieces in and they didn’t fit perfectly flush. It was worrisome at first but it worked out in the end.

• It’s all real pine wood. No veneer, no pressed wood. I think if you knew what you were doing you could stain this.

• Boxes were huge, very unwieldy to carry, but fit into my compact SUV. You’ll need 2 people to move the 2 boxes.

• It wasn’t on the showroom and it required special order, so I had to ask for it and wait like 20 min after checkout to pick it up.

• It’s very firm. I like that because it could break in better. As a sofa it’s pretty cozy. I wouldn’t make it my living room sofa (I love my KIVIK). I would say this would suck to sleep on. I’m planning on getting a mattress topper for the few times it’ll be used as a bed, but this is about 2” less wide and 1” less tall than a Full/Double bed. But I’m hoping it’ll work.

• The beige color is nicer in person, I think it helps my walls are painted.

Overall I’m satisfied with it. We’ll see long term how it holds up.

Happy to answer any other questions!

EDIT (2 month update): Was reminded of this thread and just want to update that after over 2 months I’m still satisfied! Still firm and still comfortable to sit or lay on, in my opinion. I haven’t used it in bed mode yet, but in couch mode I’ve napped on it a few times, curled up. The IKEA page now has like around 4.75 stars so it seems I’m not alone. Would recommend this to most people.

Here's the deal, with the cost of living being what it is right now, I went from a 1bd apt to renting a room until I can save money enough to pay off some some debts and consider moving elsewhere. I simply don't have space for living, so I want to get rid of the king mattress I've had for the past 6 years and downsize to something that's more space friendly.

Right now, to have room in my room do anything, I have to pick up my mattress every day and lean it against the wall. I had a used Balkarp years ago, and liked it well enough, but I'm hoping to find reasonably priced suggestions since this purchase would be a daily sleeper for at least the next year.

Do you own it? If so how do you like it? Is it a good couch and sleeper? How is the quality? Is it too firm?

Hello!

I have been wondering what would be the best sofa-bed from Ikea, most of the ones I tried seem to be a bit hard. Any opinions on Vimle?

Hi everyone!

I'm in the market for a new couch and would love to hear your experiences and recommendations when it comes to IKEA's sofa lineup. I’m especially interested in models that hold up well over time — ones that don’t lose their shape or become uncomfortable after just a couple of years.

Comfort is really important to me, as the main use will be lounging and watching TV/movies. I want something that’s great for sitting, lying down, and just casually slouching. Bonus points if it has open space underneath for a robot vacuum to easily clean.

It’s also important to me that the couch looks good — clean lines, nice design, something that feels cozy but still aesthetically pleasing in the living room. I’d prefer something in a greenish or blueish tone to add some color and life to my otherwise all-white rental apartment.

I’ve seen some mixed reviews saying certain models feel great in the store but quickly become too firm or lose support. Has that been your experience too? Or do you have a couch that still feels great after years of use and also looks nice in your space?
Or should I look elsewhere?

Really appreciate any insights you can share!

Hey all.

Looking at getting a sofa bed from Ikea, either:

BÅRSLÖV 3-seat sofa-bed

FRIHETEN 3-seat sofa-bed

I'm a bigger guy (130kg) Looking at getting one of those designs specifically because of how they convert to a bed, I've got limited space and this looks like it will take up less space as a bed than a traditional sofa bed.

Anyone else that's a bit on the bigger side got any advice? I'm not working, and this would be my everyday couch, would be sitting on it for multiple hours a day, it wouldn't be used as a sofa bed much.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

I live alone but sometimes get visitors, and I’ve always had sofa-beds in my entire life. I’m currently renting and the sofa-bed is so good I actually haven’t put it away since first expanding it, because I like to stretch my legs when sitting. (This particular model is unfortunately discontinued in my area).

As I’m looking for a new couch it seems that there aren’t many options that fit both use cases, that is, is a good daily sofa and also comfortable for sleeping.

Should I give up on the sofa-bed in favour of a chaise lounge or corner sofa or footstools, and just invest in a trifold mattress instead? Should I consider the daybeds, which I like the look of but keep in mind that this would be the main couch for watching television and playing video games? I’m mainly looking at Ikea as a budget option and the fact that I can see reviews online. (I would still go in person to check before purchasing but it’d be nice to have some pointers).

I’ve been looking mainly at Vimle, Ektorp, Gronlid and Kivik. I also really like the looks of Esseboda and Viskafors.

Hi! My crib is too small currently for any sort of pull out bed, fold out sleeper ect. I have a pretty old and really comfortable couch (likely from the 90s or older) that I sleep on, but it's falling apart. Guests sit on it and sink all the way down.

Does Ikea have anything like ridiculously plushy and soft that would be good for sleeping on? Most of what I see on there seems pretty stiff and with fabric that would feel horrible on the skin.

Thanks!

Just moved to a new apartment and can't decide which couch to buy. I'm looking for something you can sit for a long time and even nap for a few hours. (Not a sleepover couch just a napping one haha) I don't want to buy really expensive models like the Jättebo which is super pretty, because we rent our place but I want something that isn't flimsy and goes flat after a year. These are the options in my budget, we tried them in the showrooms but I'm interested about your options like which one is easy to move, clean but doesn't scream cheap play furniture 😸.

Stockholm 2025 options on top and leather Morabo options on bottom.

We're moving into a small apartment with a larger open plan living room and are looking into these options. Comfort is priority 1, followed by longevity, and value. What would you pick?

If you have experience with any of the above (especially Stockholms as they lack reviews at the moment) let me know!

Around April 2019 I moved into a small apartment and couldn't afford a "real" bed and definitely couldn't afford a bed and a sofa (neither in financial terms nor in spacial resources) so I ended up buying an Ikea sofa bed and using it as my primary sleeping surface.

I got the Lycksele and bought the most expensive mattress that comes with that model, figuring it would be more comfortable and hold up for longer. (They no longer offer the mattress I bought, but the Håvet is basically the equivalent.)

I used this for a little over a year (18 months) and then in Oct 2020 I had to travel for an extended period so everything got packed and put into storage for several months.

When I returned home and got another tiny flat, I went to retrieve the sofa bed, only to find I couldn't find the fixtures/screws etc. This was around April 2022.

After a call to Ikea revealed that for some reason (having to do with some small alterations to the product/product code) they couldn't send me just the fittings, and so Ikea sent me an entirely new frame, fittings included! I was of course extremely grateful, and can't say enough good about the customer service agent who helped me. (Cheers Jake D!)

So for the last year (15 months really) I have been using this new frame (and slightly old mattress) as my main place of rest.

And I have been pretty happy with it. Would I recommend it to others? Maybe, maybe not. I am well travelled and well used to sleeping on a number of less-than-luxurious surfaces. I like a thin, hard mattress. On the other hand, I have chronic back and shoulder problems (bursitis in both shoulders) and I would say that this bed was neither good nor bad in terms of aggravating those problems. Anytime my shoulders play up a pillow change is usually adequate to alleviate it.

After 33 months of consistent use, the mattress has a definite divot in the middle where my body tends to lie; I actually started trying to sleep more on the sides and found it very comfortable! But around the 2 year mark I placed an extra piece of memory foam under the divot and that seems to have done the job and extended the life of my bed a bit longer.

The bed doesn't take up too much room, and has no "corners" catch on if you're squeezing past it in a tight space, although if you are too close and move too fast you can bark your shins on the frame. But that's only happened to me maybe twice. At the same time, it's wonderfully roomy for one person to sleep on; I move a lot in my sleep, and have never had trouble waking myself up because I've crashed into a wall or nearly fallen off the edge. As for sleeping two people, I haven't had the opportunity to test this very much; I wouldn't recommend it for two people all the time, but for the occasional cozy visitor, I find I have just the right amount of space to sleep when I get tired of cuddling.

Note: I am a pretty small person though, at 5'2". The guys I date are taller than me, probably average height, and they haven't complained about the bed, but I suspect two people larger than me would struggle to sleep comfortably on this.

As a sofa it's great! It easily seats 3 people comfortably; 4 is a stretch as it doesn't have arms to "hold you in" and squish people together, but I've only had four guests in need of a seat once in the last four years. I think the appearance is quite stylish. I purchased the plain white cover and easily dyed it a nice forest green to match my taste. (But I hardly ever use the cover, since I'm folding the thing up and down every day!)

It is very easy to pull out, and quite easy to put away again, once you get the knack. It's actually much easier than standard sofa beds, which often need a good hard push at juuuuust the right angle to get them to fold away. With the Lycksele you just pick up the end, and let it drop gently until you hear the mechanism catch, then push straight forward; a strong spring under the larger part pulls it together so it folds over.

HOWEVER, after 15 months of daily use, this mechanism is, as you can imagine, the most likely part to wear out and fail.

Here I am in July 2023, getting ready to pack up my flat and go travelling again, and this week said mechanism has failed completely. When I pick up the end and drop it I can hear it try to catch... and then a loud clang as it releases. In order to fold the frame up I have to take off the mattress completely, and pull at the centre over the spring. (It still folds down just fine though.)

I would say I've pretty thoroughly stress tested the Lycksele frame, and I can say with confidence that it will reliably last and stand up to daily use for at least 12 months, potentially up to 18 months with gentle care and slightly less than daily use. I think that's pretty good for an Ikea product!

What is more, I've been on the phone to Ikea customer service, knowing full well that once again I am three months outside of the Returns policy, AND my initial purchase was a good four years ago. Nevertheless, Ikea have agreed to once more send me another replacement frame. (And take away the old frame.) For free. I continue to be impressed with Ikea's great service. (Cheers Claire H!)

So I think I will continue using this as my main bed for awhile yet. But I'll definitely be getting a new mattress soon!

(This post was prompted in part by my experiences today, but also, while searching for solutions for the mechanical failure - which no one else seems to have ever experienced, probably because I'm the only nutcase who would use this as their main bed for so long! - I came across This Post and thought I'd tell my story.)