French sofa beds: a comfortable and space-saving choice

Sofa bed for tight spaces: the French sofa bed

Are you looking for a sofa bed for small spaces? In the collective imagination, the idea of buying a sofa bed that is not bulky always frightens. And not only that! Many people believe that the sofa bed is not only bulky but also unattractive. In reality, there are narrow sofas on the market that are perfectly suited to small rooms such as one-room or two-room flats and attics.

We suggest some small sofa bed models that can be useful and functional when guests arrive. One of these is definitely the French sofa bed.

What are French sofa beds?

French sofa beds were born as a result of the needs of people who needed more space to sleep: a sofa with a French-style bed, or rather, a sofa with a French-style mattress.

Before talking about the musure and models available on the market, let us recall the origins of this type of sofa bed.

First of all, the French bed has its origins in France and is called ‘grand lit‘. It differs from the standard double bed used in Italy only in that it is smaller in width and does not change in length.

The sofa bed is an invention of recent times. This type of sofa dates back to the 17th century, but it was in the 1930s that, thanks to an Italian of Sicilian origin, Bernardo Castro, the folding sofa became popular. After moving to America, Mr. Castro opened a furniture shop and realising the economic difficulties of families during the Great Depression, who lived in very small flats, he created a new sofa model with an integrated bed that had the advantage of folding quickly.

Over the years, sofa-bed manufacturers have strived to develop models with increasingly innovative opening and closing mechanisms that are easy for the user to handle.

The combination of these two types of furniture gave rise to the French-style sofa bed.

Queen size or French sofa bed? What a confusion!

Queen size sofa beds and French sofa beds are not the same thing! Again, the measurements make the difference.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that the measurements of sofa beds, whether they are single, double, French or queen size sofa beds depend on the mattress! Just like beds, mattress measurements classify bed types and these vary from country to country. In fact, we speak of ‘Europe‘ standard measurements for the European continent.

So, let’s remember how much a queen-size bed and the French model measure:

• queen-size bed mattress: 120 cm wide and 190/200 cm long;
• French-style mattress bed: 140 cm wide and 190/200 cm long.

If you want to have a French-style sofa bed in your home, it is a good idea to ask what the measurements of the bed inside it are. In addition, the sofa frame including armrests must be considered.

French-style sofa bed measurements

Unlike double sofa beds, French sofa beds are smaller in size. In fact, the French sofa bed is smaller than a double sofa bed. A standard double sofa bed measures 160×190 cm, while a French sofa bed measures 140×190 cm.

The French sofa bed is comfortable and functional at the same time. On the one hand, it is perfect for sleeping two persons, on the other hand, the total dimensions are not excessive and it can easily be placed in a small living room or kitchen. The total dimensions, including frame and armrests, usually do not exceed 160/170 cm in length for a French sofa bed. Then it depends on the models and brands.

Models of French-style sofa beds on Arredare Moderno

The ArredareModerno catalogue offers many models of modern sofa beds by companies such as Felis, Spazio Relax, Désirée Divani.

French-style sofa beds can be 2-seater sofa beds and 3-seater sofa beds. It depends on the brands that design wider seats, called large, for a 2-seater sofa that can look like a 3-seater sofa.

Here are some models of French-style sofa beds:

• Désirée Every One sofa bed: this is a 2-seater sofa bed, available in different sizes. For the 140-cm French sofa bed version, you can choose the smallest size from those selectable.

• Spazio Relax Adam sofa bed: also available as an armchair bed, this 2-seater or 3-seater sofa bed has a 140×190 cm French bed in the 3-seater sofa solution.

• Felis Bernie Sofa Bed: a sofa with a French bed in the 3-seater model. Also available is the sofa with a 120×195 cm French bed and armchair ready for bed.