Best Sofa Beds for Your First Flat

A first flat puts every piece of furniture to work. There is rarely a spare room for guests, storage competes with seating for every square centimetre, and you are probably renting — which means spills, moving days, and making the most of what you have. A sofa bed solves the guest problem without sacrificing the living room you actually want to come home to.

The right sofa bed for a first flat looks great as a sofa, folds out to a proper sleep surface in seconds, and arrives in flat-pack boxes you can carry through a standard doorway on your own. It should also come with removable, washable covers — because in a rented flat, being able to clean your furniture without a dry-cleaning bill matters. Koala makes one sofa bed in the UK — and it does all of this. Browse the full sofa bed range or keep reading to find the right size and setup for your space.

What to Look For in a First-Flat Sofa Bed

The right sofa bed for a flat needs to clear seven practical tests before anything else.

• Flat-pack delivery. A sofa bed that ships in flat-pack boxes clears a standard doorway without a removal team, a service lift, or any stressful manoeuvring through a narrow hallway. Always confirm flat-pack delivery before ordering.
• Tool-free assembly. The frame should go together without Allen keys or screwdrivers. Look for a slide-and-click or hand-tightened system you can manage alone on a weeknight. If the sofa bed has removable covers, fitting them will add time — but the payback is a washable sofa that stays looking new.
• A proper sleep surface. Traditional pull-out sofa beds use a thin pad over a metal frame. The result is noticeable and not comfortable. A sofa bed with an integrated foam topper — particularly one using open-cell foam technology — sleeps significantly better and holds up to more regular use. This matters every time someone stays over.
• Removable, washable covers. In a rented flat, the ability to unzip the covers and wash them is worth more than it sounds on a spec sheet. It handles spills cleanly, keeps the sofa looking fresh over multiple tenancies, and removes the need for professional cleaning.
• Certified materials. FSC®-certified timber and independently verified foam standards are a reasonable baseline for any sofa bed you will use daily. Worth confirming before you commit.
• Weight capacity. Sofa bed frames vary in how much they can safely support. If two people will sleep on the open sofa bed, confirm the frame is rated accordingly. Frames that fall short develop noise and structural wear within months of regular use.
• Open footprint vs. room dimensions. A sofa bed extends well beyond its seated depth when fully open — in a studio flat, that can temporarily close off a walkway. Measure for both sofa and bed configurations before ordering. The sizing guide below covers this in detail.

The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen]

The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] is the only sofa bed Koala makes in the UK — and it is built specifically to clear every bar a first flat sets.

Rated 4.9 stars from over 1,600 reviews, with 99% of customers saying they would recommend it, the 4th Gen is the most refined version of a design that has won the ProductReview Award in Australia three years running ('23, '24, '25).

How it converts

The FlipBed™ mechanism is the defining feature. Flip the seat cushions, extend the base — the sofa is a bed. No metal bar through the middle, no wrestling with a pull-out frame, no second person required. Reversing it is equally fast. It is designed for daily use, not just the twice-a-year guest visit.

The sleep surface

The Kloudcell™ integrated topper uses the same open-cell foam technology as Koala's award-winning mattress range. It delivers support, breathability, and a genuine night's sleep rather than something you merely survive until morning. The topper zips off for machine washing — useful for guests and essential over time.

Zero Disturbance™ technology helps isolate motion across the sleep surface, so two people sleeping on it are less likely to disturb each other with every movement.

The seating

Seat depth is 60cm — 11% deeper than the previous generation. The backrest is set at a natural recline angle with built-in zoning: softer where you want to lean back, firmer where you need support. The pillow armrests double as bed pillows when the sofa opens out.

Fabrics and care

Three fabric families are available: Classic (Olive Butter, Cinnamon Sky, Morning Fog), Cord (Sandstone, Coastal Moss), and Luxe (Moonlit Silver, Forest Dawn, Silver Sand). All Classic and Luxe fabrics are water-resistant — spills bead and wipe away rather than soaking in. Cord fabrics (Sandstone and Coastal Moss) are not water-resistant.

All covers are removable. Care instructions vary by fabric — always check the label before washing. The topper can be removed separately and machine washed on a cold cycle.

Materials

The frame is built from FSC®-certified poplar plywood and MDF. Fabrics contain more recycled content than previous generations. Koala is a certified B Corporation and member of 1% for the Planet.

Delivery and returns

Free delivery to England, Scotland, and Wales in under seven days. Koala does not currently deliver to Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and Grampian, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly, Scottish Offshore Islands, or the Isle of Wight. A 120-day free trial is included with every order — if it does not suit your space, Koala will collect it at no charge and issue a full refund. A 5-year warranty covers all structural components. The next step is choosing which of the three sizes suits your room.

Which Sofa Bed Size Is Right for Your Flat?

Three sizes are available. The right one depends on your room width, how often you host guests, and whether you are sleeping on it yourself.

All three sizes fold out to the same depth, so the room length needed is consistent regardless of which size you choose. Only the sleep surface width changes between sizes.

1.5-Seater (Single) — the studio flat pick. At 121.9cm open, the 1.5-Seater gives a full-length single sleep surface without dominating a small room. The right choice for single sofa beds in studios or rooms under three metres wide, or wherever the sofa needs to sit against a wall without interrupting a traffic route. Also the easiest size to move between properties.

2.5-Seater (Double) — the most popular. The 2.5-Seater opens to 162.5cm — wide enough for two people to sleep comfortably, compact enough for most first-flat living rooms. The most versatile size for a combination of daily sofa use and guest sleeping.

3-Seater (King) — for regular hosts. The 3-Seater opens to 178cm and seats three as a sofa. The right choice if you host guests regularly or if the living room is large enough to justify the extra width.

A note on sheets: Koala's size names — Single, Double, King — refer to the product variant, not standard UK mattress dimensions. The fold-out widths (121.9cm, 162.5cm, 178cm) are wider than their UK mattress equivalents. When buying fitted sheets, match to the fold-out width rather than the product name.

From £1,196 — see uk.koala.com for full pricing by size.

The Koala Sofa Bed Ottoman

The Ottoman is the natural companion to the Koala Sofa Bed — it adds hidden storage and an impromptu side table in a single piece that matches the sofa exactly.

Priced at £256, the Ottoman is sold separately and comes in the same fabric options as the sofa bed (Classic, Cord, and Luxe), so it can be matched precisely.

What it does

Storage. Lift the lid, and there is a hidden storage compartment underneath — useful in a flat where every available space counts. Keep extra bedding, spare pillows, or throws out of sight but within reach for when guests arrive.

Side table. The lid is flippable. Turned over, it reveals a hard flat surface that works as a side table — for a drink, a book, or a phone charger — without needing to buy an additional piece of furniture.

Footrest. The primary function: somewhere comfortable to put your feet up. The same removable, washable covers as the sofa bed keep it easy to maintain over time.

Should you buy it?

For a first flat with limited storage, the Ottoman earns its place. Hidden storage, a side table function, and a matching footrest in one compact piece are difficult to replicate with separate purchases at the same price. If your living room already has adequate storage and a side table, you can always add the Ottoman later — it is available independently at any point. Either way, confirming the dimensions for your room comes before ordering anything.

From £256 · Delivery within 14 days · 120-day free returns

How to Size a Sofa Bed for Your Flat

Measure for both configurations — sofa and open bed — before ordering.

As a sofa, measure the wall the sofa will sit against. Allow at least 45cm between the back of the sofa and any adjacent walkway. The Ottoman, if you are buying it, adds roughly 45–50cm to the footprint in front of the sofa.

As a bed, the Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] extends to 222.5cm deep when open. In a studio flat or small living room, this will temporarily block access to the kitchen, bathroom, or hallway. Plan for it.

On doorways: the largest flat-pack box for the 3-Seater is 162cm long by 40cm deep. Standard UK interior doors are 76cm wide and around 198cm tall. The boxes are designed to be carried flat — length does not block the door opening; depth does. At 40cm deep, all boxes clear a standard interior doorway without removal of the door frame.

For renters moving between properties, the Koala sofa beds for renters range covers the most practical configurations for typical UK flat layouts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most comfortable sofa bed for a flat?

A sofa bed with an integrated foam topper rather than a pull-out metal frame and thin pad will sleep significantly better. The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] uses the Kloudcell™ integrated topper — the same open-cell foam technology as Koala's mattress range, which has earned over 50,000 five-star reviews. It is rated 4.9 stars from over 1,600 UK reviews, with 99% of customers saying they would recommend it.

How does the Koala Sofa Bed convert to a bed?

The FlipBed™ mechanism converts the sofa in one motion: flip the seat cushions, extend the base. No tools, no lifting, no pull-out frame. It takes seconds in both directions. The same motion works to convert back to sofa configuration.

Will it fit through a standard UK interior door?

Yes. The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] ships in flat-pack boxes. The deepest box across all three sizes is 40cm. Standard UK interior doors are typically 76cm wide — the boxes clear this without removing the door frame.

Which size sofa bed fits in a studio flat?

The 1.5-Seater (Single) is the standard recommendation for studio flats. It opens to 121.9cm wide — enough for a single sleep surface — while taking up the least floor space in sofa configuration. For most studios, it also leaves enough room beside or behind the sofa bed for a small side table or storage unit.

What is covered by the warranty and returns policy?

The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] includes a 5-year warranty covering manufacturing defects and structural components. Every purchase also includes a 120-day free trial — if it does not suit your space, Koala will collect it at no charge and issue a full refund, including on sale items. Full warranty terms are available at uk.koala.com/pages/warranty.

Final Word

The Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] is designed for exactly the constraints a first flat creates: limited floor space, a need for proper guest sleeping, and a preference for furniture that looks considered rather than provisional. The three sizes cover everything from a studio under 25 square metres to a living room that sees regular guests, and the Ottoman adds practical storage in a matching piece.

Free delivery across England, Scotland, and Wales. 120-day free returns on everything. A 5-year structural warranty as standard.

Shop the Koala Sofa Bed [4th Gen] → Shop the Koala Sofa Bed Ottoman →