Updated : March 26, 2025
Published : March 26, 2025
Guides

The traditional sofa bed has long been the guest room solution we apologise for. We've all been there - offering a sofa bed to guests with that knowing grimace and the inevitable "It's not the most comfortable, but..." disclaimer. The low-slung frame, paper-thin mattress, and that dreaded metal bar that somehow always finds your spine perfectly illustrate why sofa beds earned their reputation as sleep instruments of torture disguised as furniture.

David Norman, founder of Furl, experienced this frustration firsthand. When furnishing his UK home, he couldn't find a sofa bed that matched what he'd purchased for his Spanish holiday home. The disconnect between what was possible and what was available became the catalyst for a complete reimagining of the sofa bed concept.

"Traditionally, sofa beds are seen as a very poor substitute for a bed," Norman explains. "They sit low to the ground, have thin, short mattresses, their frames wobble and creak, and the opening and closing process is cumbersome - removing cushions, finding somewhere to place them, then pulling out a bed which isn't really fit for purpose."

Norman's approach flipped conventional design thinking. Instead of creating a sofa that could reluctantly transform into a mediocre bed, he designed a genuine bed that also functions beautifully as a sofa.

Engineering Real Comfort

The Furl difference begins with a fundamental principle: design for the primary function that causes the most dissatisfaction. For sofa beds, that's sleep quality.

"A Furl sofa bed is designed first and foremost as a real comfortable bed," Norman says. This philosophy manifests in several critical engineering decisions: positioning the sleeping surface at normal bed height for easier access, using standard bed sizes for both width and length, and incorporating a patented system that eliminates the need to remove cushions during transformation.

This patented mechanism represents a fascinating blend of vintage innovation and modern refinement. Developed by Furl's Italian partners in the 1960s, the core technology addressed a fundamental user need - the ability to open and close a sofa bed daily without the hassle of cushion removal.

"The mechanism was developed to allow, with one simple movement, opening and closing while the cushions stay on, making it practical to use every morning and every night," Norman notes.

While the basic mechanism has proven so effective that it remains largely unchanged, Furl has focused its innovation on comfort improvements. They've increased both width and length dimensions to accommodate "real people" and transitioned to lightweight steel construction, enhancing both sustainability and transportability.

The Anatomy of Better Sleep

The mattress represents perhaps the most significant leap forward in Furl's design. Where traditional sofa beds feature thin, compromised sleeping surfaces, Furl employs actual bed mattress technology, modified specifically for folding functionality.

"We've increased the depth of a folded mattress from 12cm to 18cm, which is the thickest mattress you can now buy in a sofa bed of this type," Norman points out. This 50% improvement in thickness translates directly to sleep quality.

But thickness alone doesn't solve the infamous "bar in the back" problem that plagues conventional sofa beds. Here, Furl's engineering team made a crucial observation about pressure points and structural requirements.

"One of the complaints about sofa beds is feeling the steel parts of the folding mechanism under the mattress," Norman explains. "The FURL sofa bed range has moved those bars which are essential for the mechanism to work into places where you're less likely to feel them. We've created an area under the mattress without any steel bars you can feel because we've repositioned them to less significant locations."

This thoughtful redistribution of structural elements demonstrates how slight modifications to existing technology can dramatically improve user experience. It's engineering that focuses not just on what works mechanically, but on what feels right physiologically.

British Craftsmanship as An Innovation Driver

Manufacturing in the UK provides Furl with a distinct advantage in quality control and continuous improvement. The Nottingham workshop serves as both production facility and innovation laboratory.

"Manufacturing in the UK allows us to fine-tune every detail of our product," Norman says. "We can respond to customer feedback almost instantly, implementing improvements immediately so all new customers benefit from innovations that happen regularly."

This responsive design approach led to one of Furl's most distinctive features - unprecedented customisation options. "Very early in our development process, customer feedback revealed that people wanted sizes made especially to fit their spaces," Norman recalls. "That's how we developed five sizes with four choices of arm thickness and other customisable features, giving customers exactly what they want for the space they have."

Rethinking Space in Urban Living

For urban dwellers, space optimisation isn't just a preference - it's a necessity. Furl recognised this reality and engineered adaptability into every aspect of their sofa beds.

The modular delivery system allows Furl sofa beds to be assembled in the room rather than requiring wide doorways or hallways for delivery. "This is especially important in smaller apartments where access is limited, particularly when delivering to a basement or loft," Norman points out.

The customisable arm options further enhance space efficiency. "You can have a sofa bed without arms, with slim arms, or wide arms, depending on your priorities," Norman explains. "If you want a big bed but don't have much space, slimmer arms allow it to fit without compromising the sleeping experience."

This balance of form and function extends to material choices as well. "There is nothing better than a robust steel frame for a sofa bed," Norman asserts. "It will last a lifetime and gives many choices and sustainable options for upholstery." The modular design allows upholstered components to be replaced without removing the entire sofa from the room, extending both aesthetic flexibility and product lifespan.

Sustainability Through Functionality

In a culture increasingly focused on sustainable consumption, Furl's approach offers a compelling alternative to disposable furniture trends. "A sofa bed is inherently a sustainable product," Norman points out. "You're buying two products in one, which saves the materials and manufacturing of that second product."

This two-in-one efficiency is just the beginning of Furl's sustainability story. The lightweight steel construction reduces both material usage and transportation impact. More significantly, the robust construction and modular design enable repairs rather than replacement.

"If something breaks on a traditional sofa bed, sadly you have to throw it away," Norman observes. "On a FURL sofa bed, every part is replaceable and repairable to extend the life into other generations."

This repairability philosophy aligns with shifting consumer values. "In today's throwaway society, the mood is changing toward products which last longer and can be repaired," Norman notes. "This is a huge selling point for us."

The Future of Functional Furniture

The evolution of Furl's sofa beds reflects a broader trend in furniture design - the growing consumer demand for pieces that excel at multiple functions without compromising on either. As urban living spaces continue to shrink and sustainability concerns increase, the market for thoughtfully engineered multifunctional furniture will likely expand.

Furl's approach demonstrates that solving longstanding design problems often doesn't require completely new technology. Sometimes, it simply requires looking at existing mechanisms through a different lens, asking better questions, and prioritising user experience over manufacturing convenience.

The next time you unfold a sofa bed and brace yourself for that familiar bar in your back, remember there's an alternative. Somewhere in a Nottingham workshop, a team of British craftspeople are building sofa beds designed to make you forget they're sofa beds at all.