If you've been hunting the high street for a sofa bed worthy of floor space in your home recently, then you'll definitely want John Lewis' most recent launch on your radar.
Available online and in-store, the Innovation Living Cane Sofa Bed scores some serious style points, and, based on my testing of other sofa beds in the Innovation Living range, it promises to be comfortable too – something of a miracle in the world of sleeper sofas.
Incorporating French cane side panels, this sofa bed is a statement piece you won't want to hide away.
Designed by Danish furniture company Innovation Living, the Cane Sofa Bed is a riff on the brand's bestselling Cubed 140 Sofa Bed.
As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I first tested Innovation Living's sofa bed range four years ago, and I still rate the Cubed 140 as one of the best sofa beds you can buy.
My only gripe with the Cubed 140 – other than its price – is that it looks a little... functional. Perfect for a home office, but would I want it in prime position in my living room? Personally, not.
In comparison, the new Cane Sofa Bed has a similar seating set-up to the Cubed 140, but with oh-so-stylish cane side panels that elevate it into a sofa bed I'd be more than happy giving centrestage in my main living space.
I haven't yet tested the Cane Sofa Bed in person, but because that seating arrangement looks almost identical to the Cubed 140, I'm confident it's going to be equally comfortable.
It also mirrors another of the Cubed 140's great selling points; despite only taking up a modest H73 x W153 x D92cm of floor space, it transforms into a double bed-sized sleeping area. That's a rarity in the world of sofa beds, which tend to offer sleeping areas much smaller than standard bed sizes.
No wonder the Cane Sofa Bed is already scoring highly with John Lewis reviewers, with full marks given by all of its owners so far.
'We just assembled the sofa bed and are excited to actually use it. It's comfortable both as a sofa and a bed, which is rare,' says one 5-star reviewer. 'The bamboo detailing looks great and fits well with our interior.'
'Easy to assemble, excellent quality, looks and functions well as a sofa, and very easy to convert into a comfortable sofa bed,' shares another 5-star reviewer.
As someone who's spent four years testing out sofa beds, I can assure you that finding a stylish *and* comfortable sofa bed is no mean feat. I've tested numerous promising-looking sofa beds that felt as hard as bricks when I sat or lay down. So, although this sofa bed doesn't come cheap, if you're looking for a sofa bed that can double up as actual everyday seating, that price tag could well be worth it.
You might just need to move fast to bag one. As one reviewer says, 'when it comes into stock you have to be quick,' because whilst the 'Natural' colourway is available to shop, the Cane Sofa Bed in Avella Pine is currently sold out.
However, if your budget doesn't stretch to investing in the Cane Sofa Bed, all is not lost. I haven't found a sofa bed that offers quite such trend-setting design as those webbed side panels, but there are other options.
Looks-wise, the Dunelm Mila Rattan Sofa Bed is the closest alternative I've found, and at £449 it's considerably cheaper. But I can't vouch for its comfort as I haven't tested it, and it doesn't have great reviews online. (If you've sat or lain down on it, let me know how it fares in the comment section!).
Instead, although these options might lack that cane detailing, these are my top three alternative recommendations for combining style, comfort, *and* affordability.
If you're looking for a stylish sofa bed on a budget, this is always my top recommendation. In my opinion, it's too firm to use as everyday seating, but it makes a great accent chair and offers a sleeping area for one. It also has a small footprint ideal for small spaces, which is why I think it's one of the best chair beds you can buy.
It doesn't have quite the same wow-factor as the Cane Sofa Bed, but if you tend towards Scandi minimalism, this new IKEA TORNSBORG Sofa Bed launch is the one I'd opt for as a compromise between style and affordability. It offers a double sleeping space, and I found it as comfortable as Innovation Living's range during testing.
If you prefer a sofa bed that looks more like a classic sofa, then Habitat has just launched the Julien 4-Seater Sofa Bed, which more than fits the bill. At 238cm wide it won't fit into a small living room the way the 154cm width Cane Sofa Bed can, but if you're looking for plenty of seating space, that may be a plus point.
