How to Choose a Sleeper Sofa Your Guests Will Actually Sleep On

Most people who have slept on a sleeper sofa remember the bar. So they buy a sofa they like and put the guest on an air mattress, or buy a sleeper they put up with every other day of the year. Neither trade is necessary.

A sleeper sofa is two pieces of furniture sharing one frame. The bed is decided by two things, the mechanism and the mattress. The sofa is decided by how it sits closed, which is how it spends almost every day. Judge each one on its own, then check the two numbers that catch people out at home: how wide the sofa has to be for the bed you want, and how far into the room it reaches open.

Are sleeper sofas comfortable to sleep on?

They can be, when the mattress lies flat on a platform instead of over a bar and springs, and the mattress is real foam rather than a thin folding pad.

The sleeper most people remember is a traditional pull-out. A thin mattress folds into the sofa over a metal frame, and on many models a bar sits under the sleeper, right where a back or a hip lands. A good sleeper fixes both problems at once: a flat, even support under a mattress thick enough to sleep on.

Seville Home carries the American Leather Comfort Sleeper®, which American Leather builds with no bars and no springs, on a high-density foam mattress 4 or 5 inches thick depending on the style, with 80 inches of sleeping length. The company says that is 8 more inches than a traditional sleeper, and the same length as a standard queen bed.

What is the difference between a pull-out and a platform sleeper?

A pull-out unfolds a thin mattress over a metal frame; a platform sleeper unfolds flat supports for the mattress to rest on.

Here is how the two compare:

• Traditional pull-out. The mattress folds in thirds inside the sofa. You lift out the seat cushions, pull the frame forward and it unfolds onto its legs. Comfort depends on what the mattress lies on, and on many models that includes a bar.
• Platform. The mechanism opens into a level surface, so the mattress lies on support across its whole length. American Leather calls its version the Tiffany 24/7 platform sleep system, a patented three-platform mechanism with no bars and no springs. It carries a 10-year mechanism warranty and a limited lifetime warranty on the frame.

Under the sofa, look for anything that keeps the mattress clean between guests. The Comfort Sleeper adds dust covers underneath, so dust and dirt never touch the mattress while it is folded away.

What mattress should a sleeper sofa have?

Choose foam thick enough to sleep on, then choose the feel: firm and simple, cooler, or contouring.

American Leather offers three mattresses for the Comfort Sleeper:

• HiPerform. The standard mattress, high-density foam in a breathable Crypton cover that resists stains.
• Cooling Gel. Three cooling layers with copper-infused beads that draw heat away from the body. Worth it for guests who sleep warm.
• Tempur-Pedic. Memory foam that contours to the body, letting shoulders and hips sink in to ease pressure.

Think about who will sleep on it most. A sleeper in a home office that hosts grandchildren twice a year has a different job from one in a condo where it is the only guest bed. Bedding matters too: American Leather has partnered with bedding makers on fitted sheets cut for its sleeper mattresses.

What size sleeper sofa do you need for a queen bed?

Start from the bed your guests need, then check the sofa width: a queen Comfort Sleeper runs 70 to 78 inches wide, depending on the arm.

The Comfort Sleeper comes in six bed sizes, from a narrow cot to a king, and every mattress is 80 inches long. Within a size, the mattress and the space between the arms are the same in every style. The arm is what changes, so a slim arm gets the same bed into a shorter sofa.

A few rules of thumb:

• Two adults need a queen or larger. The Queen Plus, 66 inches wide, sits between a queen and a king.
• One adult or a child sleeps well on a full or a twin, and a twin keeps the sofa under 5 feet.
• A small office or reading corner can take a cot: a 30 by 80 inch bed from a piece 40 to 48 inches wide.

Fit the sofa to the room first, using our guide to sofa size and seat depth, then choose the largest bed that sofa allows. The Comfort Sleeper also comes as a sleeper sectional, with a chaise if you want one; our guide to choosing a sectional covers shape and size.

How much room does a sleeper sofa need when it is open?

Plan for the open depth plus a walkway at the foot: a Comfort Sleeper reaches 86 inches from the wall open, so allow 116 to 122 inches, about 10 feet.

Every Comfort Sleeper we compared is 40 inches deep closed. Open, it measures 86 inches from the back of the sofa to the foot of the mattress, in every size. The bed reaches 46 inches past the front of the closed sofa.

Three things to check before you choose a spot:

• The wall behind it. American Leather lists zero wall clearance for the Comfort Sleeper, so it can sit flat against the wall and still open. Other sleepers may need space behind them; check the maker's spec.
• The cocktail table. Set 14 to 18 inches from the seat, as our coffee table guide recommends, it sits right where the bed lands. Choose one light enough to move, or an ottoman on casters.
• The walkway. Keep 30 to 36 inches clear at the foot of the open bed, so a guest can get to the door at night. Our guide to laying out a living room explains how to plan paths through the room.

Tape the open footprint on the floor before you buy. It is the fastest way to see whether the room works as a bedroom.

Does a sleeper sofa sit like a regular sofa?

A good one does: judge it closed, the way it will spend almost every day, on seat depth, seat height and cushions.

A sleeper hides a mechanism under the seat, so test it as a sofa as carefully as you test it as a bed. On the Comfort Sleeper styles we compared, the seat is 23 inches deep and 20 or 21 inches high, inside the range our seat depth guide gives for a sofa you can lounge on. The seat cushions are high-density, high-resiliency foam, and American Leather also offers seat cushions wrapped in down, with down back cushions.

Sit on it the way you sit at home before you decide. If you would choose it as a sofa without the bed, it will earn its place in the room every day, and the bed becomes a bonus.

Should a sleeper sofa be leather or fabric?

Either works, but avoid deep-pile fabrics: American Leather does not recommend microfiber or velvet on its sleeper mechanisms.

A higher pile adds friction, which can make the mechanism harder to open and close, so American Leather steers buyers away from microfiber and velvet covers on its sleepers. A guest room sofa that doubles as the family's TV seat should be as durable as any family sofa. Our guides to leather versus fabric and fabric durability ratings go into more detail.

Will a sleeper sofa fit through the door?

Measure the path before you order, and ask whether the sleeper can come apart for delivery.

American Leather says the Comfort Sleeper can be taken apart to fit through narrow hallways and doorways. Even so, measure every doorway, hall and stair on the way in, using our guide to measuring for furniture delivery.

Choose a sleeper sofa with Seville Home

Lie down on any sleeper before you buy, open and close it yourself, and bring your room measurements.

Seville Home is an American Leather dealer, and our sofas and sectionals are a good place to start. A Seville Home designer can walk you through the Comfort Sleeper styles, bed sizes and mattresses, and help you check the open footprint against your room. A sleeper ordered in your own fabric or leather is built to order, so see how long custom furniture takes if you have guests coming on a date.

The showroom is at 5205 W 135th Street in Leawood, open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 5. Plan your visit or book a complimentary design consultation, and a Seville Home designer will help you choose a sleeper sofa your guests will be glad to sleep on.