Sofa and sofa bed are very similar types of furniture. But each of them is characterized by a certain specificity, both in terms of design and appearance, and in terms of use. What are the features of these types of furniture?
What is a sofa?
The sofa is obviously one of the most common pieces of furniture. It is a soft product with a back (often also with armrests), designed for several people to sit on it. Often included in the same set of furniture with chairs of similar design, color and cover material.
The main parts of the sofa:
- frame (usually wooden), which carries the main part of the load;
- panel board elements (most often they are made of plywood or chipboard);
- padding (foam rubber, down, other material with similar properties);
- coating (most often fabric, leather).
Sofas are available in a wide range of modifications. Among the most popular are sofa beds. What are their features?
What is a sofa bed?
This type of furniture in general has all the properties that characterize sofas, both in terms of design and use. But it has a peculiarity: it is designed to accommodate several people not only sitting, but also lying down - in particular, in positions that are comfortable for sleeping.
Sofa beds can thus be classified according to principles similar to those that apply to classic beds:
- for single beds;
- to one and a half (quite rare, but these modifications are still found);
- for double rooms.
The sofa bed can be folded in a certain way - so that during periods when it does not need to be used as a sleeping bed itself, its dimensions do not greatly reduce the space in the room.
In turn, sofa beds can be classified according to the "sofa" principles:
- into roll-out;
- for corners;
- on "Eurobooks".
Of course, there are other types of beds, sofas, and, accordingly, sofa beds.
Comparison
The main difference between a sofa and a sofa-bed is that the first type of furniture is designed mainly for seating people, while the second can be transformed (or initially look appropriately) so that people could also lie and sleep on it.
A sofa bed combines the hallmarks of a sofa in terms of design, a bed in terms of size and purpose. That is, when folded, it can be comparable in size to a bed of the same category (for example, a single bed), when unfolded, it will almost certainly correspond to this category of furniture or even exceed it in size. An ordinary sofa, as a rule, is smaller than an average bed, even when unfolded (or in a standard one, if it is not folding).
Having determined what is the difference between a sofa and a sofa bed, let us fix the conclusions in the table.
Table
| Sofa | Sofa bed |
| What do they have in common? | |
| The design of a sofa bed generally corresponds to a conventional sofa | |
| Sofa beds can be classified in the same categories as sofas | |
| What is the difference between them? | |
| Designed primarily to accommodate people sitting | Can be used to place people lying down in a comfortable sleeping position |
| Usually smaller than the average bed even when unfolded (if it is foldable) | Can be comparable to a bed in size when folded and, as a rule, equal to it when unfolded (if we consider them within the same category - for example, single or double) |
