John Lewis has launched what I think is the most stylish sofa bed on the market – *and* it promises to be comfortable

by Furnishly | Aug 26, 2025 | Design Inspiration

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.

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.

Are you tempted by the Cane Sofa Bed? Or would you opt for one of these more affordable choices instead? Let me know in the comments!

This £12 Amazon buy made my sofa bed so much more comfortable for guests – I just wish I’d bought them sooner

by Furnishly | Aug 16, 2025 | Design Inspiration

I wish I had the space for a proper guest room where I can treat my guests to Meghan Markle-style hospitality. Unfortunately, I only have space for a small slimline sofa bed in a multi-purpose spare room, but two sets of £13 bed risers from Amazon has gone a long way in making my sofa bed feel more comfortable and welcoming for guests.

In my spare room, I have one of the best sofa beds for a small space, the Made.com Haru sofa bed. Like most of the more affordable, small space sofa beds on the market, when folded out into its bed form, it is essentially a futon that almost rests on the floor.

When people talk about making a sofa bed more comfortable, they often only think about the bedding on top of it. While that is important for a good night’s sleep, it doesn’t solve the discomfort that goes along with getting in and out of bed.

This was an issue I was very aware of when my almost 70-year-old Mother was due to stay. I invested in two packs of four bed risers from Amazon to help lift the sofa bed up to a more acceptable height.

My partner and I had previously bought a set for our bedroom to give us more storage space under the bed, so we were already converts to how effective they were.

They are sturdy, hollow black cubes with a spongy top that lift the furniture leg up. Both the versions I’ve tried from Amazon included a lip around the top to keep the leg safe and stable.

I bought a pack of 8 for my sofa bed (the ones I bought come in 4 and 8 sets). Depending on the size of the room, they can be a little faffy to position the first time, but once you’ve done it a couple of times, they’re easy to slot into place. My top tip is to do one side and then the other.

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They lift the sofa bed up to the height of a normal bed, so there is now no crawling down onto it. I had the ultimate seal of approval from my Mum, who was able to easily sit on the bed during her visit.

However, one benefit I hadn’t expected was how much better it made the spare room look when the bed was pulled out. Previously, the low-rise bed made the room feel small, filling the floor with nowhere to store an overnight bag. Adding the raisers opened up the room, offering space under the sofa bed for bags, and gave the impression of more space to walk around the bed.

While the risers are not pretty to look at, they are usually hidden by the duvet and a throw to give the illusion of a proper bed. To complete the effect, I’ve left my old rattan headboard behind the sofa bed so it looks like a proper guest room when it’s all folded out for friends and family to come stay.

These raisers work for any large piece of furniture, whether it’s on a similar style sofa bed or you want to lift your bed to increase the amount of storage underneath.

Increase the comfort levels

Have you given them a try?

‘It’s an icon in the making!’ – John Lewis’ new showstopping sofa is one of the best designs from the brand to date

by Furnishly | Aug 12, 2025 | Design Inspiration

As we find ourselves on the cusp of a new season, transitioning from hot summer to cosy autumn, this is the time when the new collections start to drop. Every brand has its stars and hero pieces – when previewing the John Lewis autumn/winter 2025 offering last month, it was the John Lewis Pleat sofa that shone the brightest for me. And it’s finally available to buy!

Having tried and tested around 250 sofas at this point, including some of the best sofas on the market, I feel comfortable saying that it’s an icon in the making. It’s super comfortable, with deep seats made with foam crafted from recycled post-consumer mattresses, and incredibly stylish and unique.

The Pleat sofa has a timeless look, referencing art deco-style shapes and aesthetic, but it also manages to hit more than one of the biggest sofa trends of the moment.

It hits the curved sofa trend box with the curved shape of both the seat and armrests. Then there is the warm brown default shade, one of the biggest sofa colour trends this year and likely beyond.

The lovely tactile texture of the on-trend chenille material is just the cherry on top, plus it will be delivered within 7 days.

What makes the Pleat sofa special

But the part that really sets this sofa apart from the rest is the pleated base, after which it was named. ‘The Pleat sofa blends low-slung comfort with retro-inspired texture and shaping,’ says Mia Larden, homeware designer at John Lewis, who’s responsible for the design of the Pleat sofa. ‘Soft curves invite you in, while the velvet upholstery and pleated plinth add a refined richness that makes it an instant classic. The pleating was a detail I was set on from the start.’

She continues, ‘Initially, I pictured it running along the seat back, but as the shape evolved, it became clear that it wouldn’t work as I’d imagined. Moving it to the plinth proved to be the perfect solution – it kept the detail I loved, broke up what could have been a solid block of fabric, and allowed us to explore fabric manipulation in a fresh, unexpected way. It’s a feature that truly elevates the design.’

If you want your Pleat sofa delivered within a week, it’s only available as a four-seater with a chaise in the brown ‘Ginger’ chenille upholstery, selling for £3299. I’m a big fan of modular sofas so I appreciated that this design can be broken up into two parts, separating the chaise section from the rest of the sofa.

But if you can wait 12 weeks – which is not an uncommon length of time for a new sofa to arrive – there is also the made-to-measure option where you can choose from over 90 different fabrics, as well as a three-seater size starting at £1849.

The Pleat sofa is part of the John Lewis’ Modern Luxe trend of the season, defined by curved and sculptural silhouettes, luxurious materials and textures and a colour palette of earthy browns and greens.

‘I picture the Pleat in a space that’s warm, inviting, and layered with texture. In Soft Chenille Ginger, it pairs effortlessly with earthy tones, natural woods, and sculptural silhouettes – striking that balance between luxury and ease. It’s a natural fit for a Modern Luxe interior, complete with statement furniture, plush rugs, and soft lighting, yet it works just as beautifully in a more eclectic setting, surrounded by bold patterns and tactile layers,’ Mia at John Lewis says.

The Modern Luxe trend was my favourite aesthetic when visiting the John Lewis autumn/winter 2025 press showcase. Here are some more of my top picks from the look.

Which one of these is your favourite?