When it comes to buying a sofa bed, it’s easy to get caught up in surface details, the colour, the fabric, or the promise of clever design, and overlook the things that actually determine whether it will stand the test of time.

As a designer/owner founded brand that’s spent years refining one of the most design-led and durable sofa beds on the market, we’ve seen (and fixed) many of the most common pitfalls. Here are five mistakes to avoid, and what to look for instead if you want a sofa bed that’s built to last decades, not years.

1. Choosing Between Style or Comfort

Many sofa beds look beautiful in photos but are uncomfortable to sit or sleep on in real life. The truth is, a sofa bed should perform both roles equally well - as a genuinely comfortable sofa during the day and as a supportive full-size bed at night.

At SLOWE Living, each sofa is built with layered, high-resilience foam cushions and generous proportions you can truly sink into. When folded out, it becomes a full UK double bed - not a makeshift guest solution. Comfort should never be a compromise at home, if you're investing in something for a long time.

Look for:

• Deep seat cushions with balanced support for film marathons

• A bed mattress that holds up to everyday sleeping - not just the odd night
  
  

• A mattress-style foam layer, not a thin pad

• Fabrics that breathe and soften over time - yet durable

• No mass produced cutting of corners on materials or durability
  
  

2. Ignoring Access and Assembly

A common (and costly) mistake: falling in love with a sofa that won’t fit through your front door. City homes, narrow staircases, and awkward corridors are the downfall of many beautiful designs.

Every SLOWE Sofa Bed is delivered flat-pack and fully protected, designed to fit through any doorway, stairwell, or lift. Assembly takes minutes - just two people and two Allen keys, and can be redone as many times as you move.

It’s one of the few handcrafted sofas that’s genuinely made to travel with you.

Look for:

• Flat-pack delivery or modular frame systems

• Simple, tool-free (or minimal-tool) assembly

• Components designed for repeated reassembly

3. Overlooking Materials and Craftsmanship

The biggest difference between a sofa bed that lasts a decade and one that’s replaced within two years? Materials.

Mass-produced sofa beds often use MDF or particle board frames that warp over time.
SLOWE sofas are made from FSC-certified European birch plywood, a structural-grade timber known for strength, flexibility, and repairability.

Each piece is handmade in England in small batches by independent craftspeople.
It’s furniture that honours the value of time, skill, and provenance - built slowly, properly, and designed to age beautifully.

Look for:

• FSC-certified plywood or hardwood frames

• Durable, washable fabrics (100,000+ Martindale rating)

• Replaceable or repairable parts for perpetual circularity and repair
  
  

4. Underestimating Longevity

Many sofa beds are designed to be replaced. We design ours to evolve.
At SLOWE, every element — from the upholstery to the joinery — can be repaired, replaced, or refreshed, ensuring that nothing ends up in landfill.

Buying once and buying well isn’t just a slogan; it’s a structural principle.
Each piece is modular, circular, and made with the long view in mind.

Look for:

• Brands that offer spare parts and repair options

• Long-term warranties (5 years or more)

• Timeless design that outlasts trends

5. Choosing a Complex Mechanism

If you’ve ever battled with a clunky pull-out bed, you’ll know that sofa bed mechanisms can make or break your relationship with a piece. Heavy lifting, awkward hinges, and tangled fabric are all signs of over-engineering.

SLOWE’s design uses a simple slide-and-fold mechanism - no springs, no catches, no metal frames, just solid engineering and intuitive movement.
It’s so easy that one person can convert it from sofa to bed in under 10 seconds.

Look for:

• Simple slide or fold mechanisms already integrated

• No metal frameworks or hidden hinges that wear out

• Lightweight movement that won’t wear out

The Takeaway

A sofa bed should be a piece you love living with - not just a backup for guests.
If it’s comfortable, timeless, and built with integrity, it will earn its place in your home for decades and always find a home throughout life, whether thats a main living space, spare room, work-from-home office or studio.

At SLOWE Living, we like to think we design furniture you only need to buy once.
Handmade in England, modular, repairable, and built for life.