What is the difference between a futon and a sleeper sofa

Convertible sofas are higher priced because they take a lot more skill and time to put together. At its most basic, a futon is just a big cushion tossed onto a convertible frame. That does not take as much effort. If you think about it, you are getting two pieces of furniture with a convertible sofa. If you are looking for something small, a futon is almost certainly the best choice for you.

Because even the smallest convertible sofa will not fit into a dorm room or small space once it is opened, and even if it did fit, you would not be able to get out of bed because there would be no room to walk.

Futons do not take up much room. This was one of the main benefits advertised when futons first hit the market. They were boasted to be perfect for dorm rooms lacking space for seating and bedding.

Laying out the futon hardly takes up any more space than when it is closed. Even the newer and larger futons barely take up more room than when they are folded into a couch position. The convertible sofa pulls out into a full bed with the sofa behind it, more or less.

So, it is like having a full-sized bed in front of a sofa. That is how much room it takes. A convertible sofa takes up a lot of space no matter how you make it.

There is just no way for a queen- or king-sized bed to pull out of a couch without taking up the same amount of room as a queen- or king-sized bed. Add that to the couch, and you need a lot of room.

Some of the newer models are better at how they fit the mattress into the couch. However, no matter what you do, you will need enough room to hold a big bed with a couch as well. If you have a tiny space, this may not be an option. Even if you are not one of those people who want their home to look like it could be on the cover of a magazine, you still do not want your home to look like a dorm room.

Of course, if you are buying for a dorm room, you can do just as well with a futon because you will not care if you cannot find a loveseat and chair to match. Futons typically do not match with the rest of the furniture. Although you can probably get a set that looks good together, they still will not look as stylish as a convertible sofa set no matter what you do. You can find convertible sofas in thousands of designs as well as shapes and styles. The color range is infinite, and you can get a loveseat and chair to match.

You can even get a sectional that converts into a queen- or king-sized bed. When they are closed, convertible sofas look like a regular couch because that is what they are. They are versatile and last a lot longer than any futon you can buy. A king sleeper can fit a small family who visits from out of town, but nobody could even tell that it is a convertible sofa bed.

As previously mentioned, convertible sofas come in thousands of sizes and styles. You can get a small loveseat that turns into a twin bed or even a huge sectional that can have as much space as a king-sized bed. They can be matched with a loveseat and chair as well as end tables and a coffee table. Most sofa beds are heavy, weighing between and pounds depending on the style and size. The choices are lengthy, depending on what you want.

Some of the most common fabrics include:. However, you should also consider the usage your furniture is going to get. For example, if you have kids or pets, a velvet or chenille fabric is probably not a great idea. Microfiber and polyester are good for kids and dogs.

If you want a good deal on a convertible sofa, Amazon has some great prices. Pat was very informative and let us choose. The delivery guys were friendly. All of the support personnel were very helpful. There has been much debate about the pros and cons of sleeper sofas and futons, one over the other — but how alike are they, really? Do they serve the same purpose? Does one do so better than the other? For those looking to solve the need for both a couch and a bed in one go, consider the following differences and determine for yourself which furniture set wins the day in Sleeper Sofa vs.

First things first: it would be most beneficial to begin by making some marked definitions for each furniture piece. A sleeper sofa looks and behaves exactly like a couch in every way — it is a couch after all.

The difference here is that beneath the cushions lies a folded-up metal frame that houses a mattress for a bed. There are several benefits to going with a sleeper sofa:. Extremely comfortable for sitting Options available for color, shape, and size Much more durable and long-lasting No assembly is required No perceivable difference in appearance to regular couches Hides bed away, completely out-of-sight Bed is available as needed Bed is more comfortable than a typical futon especially with the memory foam mattress options.

There are, however, some distinct disadvantages and drawbacks to these sleepers. Most notably, converting from the sofa to the bed although now there are even powered options to circumvent this and the overall weight of the piece of furniture in general. They are also a great way to save on money as one does not have to spend separate money for a couch and a bed. And since they are basically similar in function, sleeper sofas and futons today have very little difference in appearance, especially with modern innovation.

Although modern day sleeper sofas and futons are practically the same in their dual function, the two still differ from each other. Aside from their origins, the two differ mainly in materials used and their construction. Their dimensions are also usually different.

More about these dual purpose furniture and their differences are discussed further in the succeeding sections. A sleeper sofa, also called a sofa bed — although the terms are sometimes subtly differentiated, is furniture that is designed primarily as a couch but can be converted into a bed by some mechanism such as hinges or springs.

The cushions of sleeper sofas are typically made of foam, while the frame is mostly metal. Foam is a soft but stiff material, so the cushions are made of separate pieces. Some of the cushions are attached directly to the metal frame while the other pieces are detachable, to be placed side by side once the frame has been converted to a bed. While some sleeper sofa frames have a hinged mechanism that allows the backrest to be lowered, most frames have a pullout mechanism under the seat.

This overall design makes the sleeping mattress only half as thick as when it is in couch mode and does not give optimum comfort for sleeping. A futon is either the traditional Japanese style of bedding, or the futon sofa bed adapted by western culture — the two being very different.

The traditional futon, used by the Japanese since ancient times, is only for sleeping and at its simplest is actually a set composed of mattress, duvet and pillow but without a bedframe.

When not in use, traditional futons are first aired out in the open, and then stored in closets. The futon mattress, whether the traditional or the western futon, is typically made of cotton and is all of one piece that can easily be folded or rolled.

The frame is usually made of wood, with a backrest that can be lowered, and a footrest or a hidden deck under the seat that can be raised. The mattress is usually thinner than the cushions of a sleeper sofa in couch mode but thicker when converted into a bed, making the futon more comfortable for sleeping.

A sleeper sofa is any type of sofa that can be converted into a bed. A futon is either the traditional Japanese style of bedding composed of mattress, duvet and pillow, with no bedframe, or the adapted western futon which is basically a variant of the sofa bed.

A sleeper is mainly sitting furniture, with the bed as its second function. The futon is primarily a type of bedding with the mattress serving secondarily as a seat cushion for a sofa. A sleeper sofa cushion is typically made of foam; it is soft but stiff.