‘You’d never know it was a sofa bed’ – Loaf’s new solution for hosting overnight guests is brilliantly disguised

by Furnishly | Sep 14, 2025 | Design Inspiration

Loaf has launched a new range of sofa beds, and if you’re currently in the market for a living room sofa that can also transform into a bed for guests, you will definitely want this swoon-worthy seating on your radar.

Over the past four years, as Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor I’ve tested numerous sleeper sofas to put together my round-up of the best sofa beds on the market, and in that time, I’ve sat on so many sofa beds that *look* stylish and comfortable, only to find that they’re so uncomfortable to sit and lie on, they’re just a complete waste of money.

Loaf is a completely different experience. The brand is known for its super plump and well-cushioned sofas that are designed with comfortable lounging in mind. And when I went into my nearest Loaf store to test them, I found the brand’s sofa beds to be the same.

What’s more, unless you’re told, I don’t think anyone would ever guess these stylish sofas hide a pull-out mattress inside. So if you want a sofa bed in disguise, this is it.

In recent years, the brand’s sofa bed range seemed to have seriously dwindled. Every time I checked, I found various lines appeared to have sold out and didn’t seem to be getting restocked. Sad news indeed. But, as it turns out, that’s because Loaf was beavering away behind the scenes, creating three brand new sofa bed designs, all of which feature the furniture retailer’s quirky naming conventions.

There’s the Queenie (for sitting pretty on, presumably), the Brioche (with plump cushions that do look a little like freshly risen bread), and the Slow Riser (no explanation required there).

The Queenie Sofa Bed is the most affordable sofa bed in the new range and, perhaps, the most traditional looking, with scroll arms and classic bun feet. It starts from £1995, and comes in two size options, a 178cm and a 238cm width, which offer a double or king-sized pull-out mattress respectively.

The Slow Riser Sofa Bed is a larger and more modern option. Again, there are two size options, a 193cm and a 233cm width, with prices starting from £2295.

The Brioche Flat Packed Sofa Bed is my favourite and (of course) it’s also the most expensive of the bunch. However, it’s also the most versatile, because – as its name will give away – this sofa bed is a flat-packed design.

The dimensions of Loaf’s seating tend to be (very) generous – and with a 208cm or 238cm width, the Brioche sofa bed is no exception – so this is a real bonus if you have awkward delivery access. Loaf’s delivery team will then assemble the sofa bed in your room of your choice.

The Brioche sofa bed also comes with a great range of matching furniture. There’s a standard sofa, an armchair, and a footstool, which means you can turn the Brioche sofa bed into a chaise if you like to put your feet up and really get comfy.

All three designs feature 13cm deep pocket-sprung mattresses tucked away inside the frame, and based on the similar designs I tested in store, they’re some of the closest pull-out mattresses I’ve found to the ‘real thing’.

That 13cm depth is far deeper than most pull-out sofa beds offer, and that makes a real difference in terms of sleep comfort.

The other massive bonus that comes with buying a Loaf sofa bed is the incredible fabric choice that’s on offer. More affordable sofa beds usually offer five or six colourways, but buy any of these Loaf options and you have 150 colourways to choose from.

The fabric samples ‘bar’ in a Loaf store is like a sweet shop with a whole host of sumptious shades and textures available to peruse. My favourites are always the velvets which add a sculptural quality to Loaf furniture’s signature curves, but there are plenty more upholstery options to choose from.

Personally, I’m super excited to see Loaf back in the sofa bed game. I think this collection offers a genuine solution for those of us seeking a sofa bed that looks and feels nice enough to use as our primary sofa in the living room.

However, we can’t ignore the fact that Loaf furniture isn’t cheap. I do think you get what you pay for – when I tested the range in store, I definitely felt Loaf sofas and sofa beds were worth their price tag. But if the budget won’t stretch, it won’t stretch.

So if you have your heart set on a Loaf sofa bed but the maths isn’t mathing, these are the three budget-friendly alternatives I’d suggest instead. They can’t quite compete in terms of comfort or quality, but they will help you to host guests without breaking the bank.

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?