Sofa Beds
The humble sofa bed is probably one of the most popular forms of space saving bed around.vIt provides a simple means of making a spare bed available at short notice.
What is a Sofa Bed?
It's actually surprisingly difficult to define the term sofa bed (or "sofabed"). Partly this is because of the difficulty in defining the word "sofa" itself.
Etymologically the word sofa comes from the Arabic suffa which was a long stuffed couch or a dias with cushions. Some people define a sofa as being any seat for two or more people. Others insist that a sofa is larger than a settee which seats two people. There is also disagreement about whether or not a sofa needs sides arms.
The definition of "sofa bed" is even more complex. Nowadays you can buy sofa beds in all sizes, including single seat versions. These should, stricly speaking, be called "chair beds". However for simplicity they are often also called "sofa beds".
And what about the Western futon? It sometimes seems as if marketing departments use this term interchangably with "sofa bed".
This variety of interpretations underlines how important it is to know exactly what you are getting before you buy, be it online or in a store.
The simplest thing is probably to define a sofa bed as a convertible multi-functional piece of furniture that can be used as a seat during the day and reconfigured as a bed at night.
Next: Choosing a Sofa Bed >>>