Should I buy a chair bed or a sofa bed? This is how to work out which is right for your home

A white boucle sofa bed.

If you're looking for ways to host overnight guests without a dedicated guest bedroom, then you may well be weighing up whether a chair bed or a sofa bed is the right choice for you.

If so, you're in the right place. As Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, I've spent the past five years testing out the best sofa beds and best chair beds on the market, so I know all there is to know about the pros, cons, and differences between each design.

Here's everything you need to know to work out whether a chair bed or a sofa bed will suit your needs better.

(Image credit: Heal's)

What's the difference between a chair bed and a sofa bed?

First things first, in order to decide which is the right option for you, it's important to know the difference between a chair bed and a sofa bed, and this all comes down to size.

A chair bed can only seat one person at a time, whereas a sofa bed can seat multiple people at a time.

Just like with normal sofas, sofa beds also come in a variety of widths and configurations. You can get two-seater sofa beds, three-seater sofa beds, and even four-seater sofa beds. You can also get sofa beds that are built into a chaise or corner sofa configuration, although these are less common.

With those size differences in mind, it's perhaps obvious that there are going to be differences in the sleeping space available on a chair bed versus a sofa bed as well.

A chair bed will only sleep one person, whereas a sofa bed can usually sleep two. Most sofa beds are somewhere between a small double and a king-sized bed.

Darlings of Chelsea Canterbury 3.5 Seater Sofabed

A sofa bed can usually seat at least two people at a time.

Swyft Model 08 Chair Bed

Whereas a chair bed is a lot more compact and can only seat one person at a time.

So how does that impact which is the right choice for you? I've weighed up the main pros and cons of each below.

Chair bed benefits

• Takes up less space: If you have a small home, a chair bed is a lot easier to squeeze into a room than a sofa bed
• More affordable: It's not always the case as the quality of the materials and manufacture play a part, but a chair bed will usually be cheaper than a sofa bed of a similar construction.

Chair bed disadvantages

• Can only seat and sleep one guest: As a much smaller piece of furniture, you can only sit or sleep one visitor at a time
• Less options: There are a lot less chair beds on the market than there are sofa beds, and that means less choice

(Image credit: Loaf )

Sofa bed benefits

• More space: You get a lot more seating and sleeping space on a sofa bed compared to a chair bed
• More options: There are also *lots* more sofa beds on the market than there are chair beds, so you have far more styles, designs, and upholstery options to choose from

Sofa bed disadvantages

• Takes up more floor space: Sofa beds are often big and bulky, especially once extended. You're going to need a fairly big room to fit one in
• More expensive: A larger piece of furniture means more cost. A sofa bed is usually more expensive than a chair bed
• Bulky delivery: If you have a home with awkward access, you may need to look for a flatpack sofa bed, as this piece of furniture is a lot harder to get through a narrow hallway or up a staircase than a chair bed

(Image credit: Darlings of Chelsea)

Final verdict: chair bed vs sofa bed

So which is the right choice for you? Ultimately, the decision on whether to opt for a chair bed or a sofa bed all comes down to the space you have available and what your hosting requirements are.

If you tend to only host one guest at a time, then you may only need a chair bed. Opting for a chair bed will save you money when compared to a larger sofa bed, and a chair bed will take up less floor space if you don't have a lot of spare room in your home.

However, if you want to give your guest a little more space to stretch out, they will probably be more comfortable on a sofa bed instead. And if you want to host two guests at the same time, then you'll definitely need a sofa bed.

Three chair bed recommendations

Made your decision? These are three of the top-rated chair beds I've tested, and below are three of my top sofa bed recommendations.

Darlings of Chelsea

Weymouth Loveseat

If you're looking for one of the best chair beds going, then this loveseat option offers a little more space than most, and is comfortable enough as everyday living room seating.

Swyft

Model 08 Chair Bed

If you need to host guests pronto, then it's difficult to beat Swyft's next-day delivery, which does away with long furniture lead times.

Habitat

Roma Chair Bed

Available in two width options (90cm and 108cm), this click-clack chair bed doubles up as a stylish accent chair that's ideal for small spaces. It's also one of the best value chair beds we've tested.

Three sofa bed recommendations

Darlings of Chelsea

Bromley Sofa Bed

It's an investment, but this sofa bed is comfortable enough to use as everyday seating as well as providing a decent night's sleep. It's also available in over 175 upholstery options.

John Lewis

Innovation Living Cubed 140 Sofa Bed

If you want a sofa bed that offers a double sleeping area but doesn't take up too much floor space, this is the most compact option I've come across. Its streamlined design is perfect for the home office.

Habitat

Kota Large Sofa Bed

Whereas if you're looking for one of the best value sofa beds, this is it. For under £400, you get a three-seater sofa that transforms into a small double-sized sleeping area when you drop the backrest.

So, will you be buying a chair bed or a sofa bed for your guests to enjoy?