In short: the right guest bed depends on how often it is used and how much room you have. For a few nights a year in a living room, a click clack sofa bed is the simplest answer. For guests who stay a week, or sleep over most weekends, choose a sofa bed with a separate sprung mattress. If you have no space for a second sofa at all, a folding guest bed that stores in a cupboard gives a real bed without giving up a room. This guide compares all three with real sizes from beds we sell, so you can measure once and order with confidence before the Christmas rush.
Every product mentioned here is delivered free to mainland England and Wales, including Anglesey. We do not deliver to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight or the Isles of Scilly. You can spread the cost with Klarna at checkout, subject to status.
Choosing a guest bed for Christmas: start with three questions
Most guest bed mistakes come from buying for the room rather than for the guest. Before you look at fabrics, answer these:
- How many nights a year will someone sleep on it? Under about 20 nights, comfort matters less than convenience. Over that, the mattress matters more than anything else.
- Does the room have another job? A living room or study needs a sofa first and a bed second. A spare room that is mostly storage may not need a sofa at all.
- Who is sleeping on it? One adult, a couple, or children? A couple needs at least a small double width (about 120cm). One adult is fine on a single, as long as it is long enough. Teenagers and tall guests need a bed of 190cm or more.
Then measure three things: the wall the bed will stand against, the floor in front of it when opened, and the narrowest point on the way in (front door, hallway turn and stairs). Measure doorways diagonally as well as straight across.
Option 1: click clack sofa beds, the quickest guest bed
A click clack sofa bed has no separate mattress. You lift the seat until it clicks, lower the backrest flat, and the seat and back become the sleeping surface. It takes a few seconds, there is nothing to unfold, and there is no metal bar under the sleeper.
Best for: occasional guests, a teenager’s room, a study, a flat where the sofa is the only seating. Less suited to: someone sleeping on it every night for weeks, or a couple who want a deep mattress.
Click clacks we sell, with real measurements:
| Model | Sofa size (W x D x H) | Bed size | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lux click clack | 189 x 102 x 90cm | 125 x 189cm, 48cm high | Three Venus chenille colours: Denim, Terracotta, Washed Olive |
| Thea click clack | 221 x 88 x 90cm | 115 x 187cm | 3 seater with natural wood arm detail; Hevre Grey or Natural |
| Cloud click clack | 170.5 x 90 x 88cm | 141 x 187cm | Soft boucle; pop-up pull-out base gives a bed wide enough for two adults |
The Cloud is the one to look at if a couple is staying: at 141cm the bed is wider than a standard 135cm double, while the sofa itself is only 170.5cm wide. The Thea suits a longer wall and seats three on Christmas Day. The Lux is the deepest of the three at 102cm, which gives the most generous seat as an everyday sofa.
Option 2: sofa beds with a proper mattress, for guests who stay longer
If the grandparents come for a week, or a student is home for the whole holiday, a click clack seat cushion is not the same as a mattress. A pull-out sofa bed hides a separate mattress inside the frame, so the sleeper lies on a sprung or fibre mattress rather than on seat foam.
Best for: regular or longer stays, older guests, anyone who struggles on a firm foam surface. Less suited to: very small rooms, because the bed pulls forward and needs clear floor in front.
Pull-out sofa beds for everyday rooms
- Hampton corner sofa bed: a corner settee with a pull-out bed of 123 x 202cm, which is longer than a standard double. Overall it is 236cm wide and 161cm deep at the chaise, the chaise lifts up to store the bedding, and it has a solid wood frame. Choose Jupiter Grey, Natural or Navy.
- Cloud corner sofa bed: deep, rounded boucle seating in a corner footprint of 221 x 150.5cm, 92cm high, with a pull-out, pop-up bed and a click clack back. A good choice for a snug or a smaller living room that has to host the whole family on the day and a guest at night.
- Millie sofa bed: the most compact sofa bed in our range at 145cm wide, 96cm deep and 92cm high. It fits a box room, a study or a flat with a tight hallway, and the bed pulls out forward on a supported frame. Mercury soft chenille in Mocha, Natural or Orange.
British-made sofa beds with a sprung mattress
If the sofa bed will be slept on often, the Jay-Be ranges are built around the mattress rather than the seat. They are made in the UK, the cushions stay in place when the bed opens, and the frames carry a lifetime guarantee.
- Linea 2 seater sofa bed with a wool-topped Deep e-Sprung™ mattress, FSC® certified wood frame and a 5-year mattress guarantee.
- Urban 2 seater sofa bed with a micro e-Pocket sprung mattress topped with a breathable e-Fibre layer.
- Heritage 2 seater sofa bed, the more traditional shape, with the same pocket sprung mattress idea.
These cost more than a click clack, and the difference is the mattress. If someone will sleep on it more than a few weeks a year, it is the better buy. Browse every style in our sofa beds range, where each listing gives the sofa size and, where the maker publishes it, the opened bed size.
Option 3: folding guest beds, a real bed with no second sofa
Not every home has space for a sofa bed. A folding bed lives in a cupboard, under a bed or behind a door for 50 weeks a year and comes out when someone stays. Modern folding beds are a long way from the old camp bed: the better ones have a sprung mattress, a headboard and castors.
Best for: spare rooms that double as offices, children’s sleepovers, extra guests on Christmas Eve, homes with no room for a sofa bed. Less suited to: a couple who want a full double every night.
| Model | Open size | Folded | Mattress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay-Be ME70 Mobile | 70 x 190cm (single) | About 70 x 95cm, 11cm deep | Foam-free e-Fibre, fitted; rated for sleepers up to 160kg |
| Jay-Be CE120 Compact | 190 x 120cm (small double) | Folds flat; weighs 12.5kg | e-Fibre, 185 x 113 x 5cm |
| Jay-Be J-Bed Single | 96 x 204cm (wider and longer than a UK single) | 38cm deep, on castors | 10cm foam-free e-Fibre on a sprung slatted base |
| Jay-Be GP120 Grand | 194 x 120cm, 50cm high | 24 x 120 x 118cm (D x W x H) | Pocket sprung e-Pocket™, 10cm deep |
All four are made in the UK by Jay-Be and carry a lifetime frame guarantee. The ME70 is the budget pick and the slimmest when folded, so it slides under most beds. The CE120 is the lightest small double. The J-Bed is the one for a tall adult, because at 204cm it is longer than most standard beds. The GP120 is the closest a folding bed gets to a proper bed, with a pocket sprung mattress and a headboard, so it is the one to choose if it will be used every month. See the full range of folding and travel beds.
Sofa bed vs folding bed: which is better for guests?
| Click clack sofa bed | Pull-out sofa bed with mattress | Folding bed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set-up time | Seconds | About a minute | About a minute |
| Sleep comfort | Good for a few nights | Best of the three | Good to very good, depends on mattress |
| Space when not in use | A sofa | A sofa | A cupboard or under a bed |
| Floor needed when open | Bed depth (115–141cm here) | Bed length in front of the sofa | Bed size plus room to walk round |
| Sleeps two? | Cloud, Lux: yes | Most models | Small double models (CE120, GP120) |
| Best for | Occasional guests, small flats | Regular or longer stays | Rooms with no space for a second sofa |
Planning a kids’ room makeover at the same time?
Christmas is also when a lot of children’s rooms are rearranged, often so a younger child can share or give up a room to a guest. A cabin bed with built-in storage frees floor space for a folding bed or a play area. The Kudl multi drawer cabin bed with bookcase headboard has four full-width drawers, a central cupboard and four cubbies in the headboard, takes a standard UK single mattress (90 x 190cm), and measures 100cm high, 96cm wide and 214cm long. The mattress is sold separately. Browse all cabin beds.
Order before the Christmas rush
Our beds and sofa beds are sent directly from the maker, and lead times vary by product and colour. If you need a guest bed by a particular date, order early and ask us to confirm the lead time before you buy. Sofa beds and corner units are bulky, so allow time to clear the route in and to have the old furniture taken away if needed. If you are unsure whether something will fit your room or your stairs, measure first and ask us before ordering.
Guest bed questions customers ask
What is the most comfortable guest bed for Christmas?
For comfort, choose a sofa bed with a separate sprung mattress, such as the Jay-Be Linea or Urban, or a pocket sprung folding bed such as the GP120 Grand. A click clack is comfortable for a few nights but the bed is the sofa seat itself.
Can two adults sleep on a sofa bed?
Yes, if the bed is wide enough. Look for a sleeping width of 120cm or more. The Cloud click clack opens to 141 x 187cm and the Hampton corner sofa bed to 123 x 202cm.
Is a click clack sofa bed good for everyday sleeping?
It is fine for a teenager’s room or regular short stays. For someone sleeping on it every night, a sofa bed with a sprung mattress gives better support over time.
What is the smallest guest bed I can store?
The Jay-Be ME70 Mobile folds to about 70 x 95cm and only 11cm deep, so it fits under most beds or in the bottom of a wardrobe. It opens to a 70 x 190cm single.
Do you deliver sofa beds and folding beds before Christmas?
Delivery is free to mainland England and Wales, including Anglesey. Lead times vary by product, so order early and ask us to confirm timing if you need it for a set date. We do not deliver to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight or the Isles of Scilly. You can pay in full or spread the cost with Klarna at checkout.