Oliver Sofa Bed

Description

The Oliver is a made-to-order sofa bed with a proper pocket sprung or foam mattress, a choice of three arm shapes and a choice of light or dark wooden legs. It is the most configurable piece in our Kyoto range: fourteen fabrics, three arms, two frames and two mattresses, which is 168 possible specifications and no two rooms needing the same one.

Choosing the arm

• French Seam — the softest of the three, seamed so the arm reads as one rolled form. Suits a traditional or transitional room.
• Modern Seam — a cleaner, flatter arm with the seam run to emphasise the line. The middle option and the safest choice if you are unsure.
• Square — a straight-sided block arm, the sharpest of the three, for a contemporary room.

All three cost the same. Choose by the room.

Foam or pocket sprung

Foam or pocket sprung

This is the choice that matters most and the one people get wrong.

Foam is firmer, lighter, folds away more easily and costs less. It is the right answer for occasional use — a spare bed for visitors a few times a year.

Pocket sprung costs more and adds weight to the folding action, but it sleeps considerably better because the springs move independently under you. If anyone is going to sleep on this regularly — a lodger, a student home for the holidays, a partner who snores — pay the difference.

On the Oliver the pocket sprung option is roughly £33 more than foam across the range, which is a small premium for a noticeably better bed if anyone is going to sleep on it more than occasionally.

Legs

Light wood or dark wood. Match the legs to your flooring rather than to the upholstery — legs sit in your eyeline against the floor, and matching them there is what makes a sofa look settled in a room rather than placed in it.

Fabric

Fourteen colourways across four ranges. Fergus (Boulder, Hawk, Moon) is a soft flat weave in muted neutrals. Piero (Spring, Thunderstorm, Zinc) is a textured two-tone weave; Thunderstorm is a deep slate blue. Seoul (Aspen, Monsoon, Olivine, Tangelo) carries the stronger colours. Sunningdale (Granite, Midnight, Olive, Saffron) is the densest and hardest-wearing — Granite a mid-grey, Midnight a deep navy, Olive a deep green, Saffron a warm gold.

Ask us for swatches before you order. We would rather send three swatches than take back a sofa.

Dimensions

Kyoto do not publish measurements for the Oliver. We will not print a number we cannot stand behind, so contact us before you order and we will get the sofa and bed dimensions confirmed by the manufacturer in writing. It takes us a day and it removes the only real risk in buying made to order.

Measuring up

Measure before you order

A sofa bed has two footprints — folded and open — and the second one is the one people forget. Measure the space it will occupy as a sofa, then measure again allowing for the bed extending forward into the room. Check there is nothing in the way at floor level: a coffee table, a rug edge, a radiator.

Then measure your narrowest doorway, diagonally as well as straight across, and the turn at the top of the stairs, which is usually the real obstacle rather than the door itself.

Specification

Delivery

Made to order — 4 to 6 weeks

This sofa bed is made to order and is delivered within 4 to 6 weeks from the date you place your order. It is built to your choice of fabric, size, mattress and frame after you order, rather than picked off a shelf. That is why the wait exists and it is also why you get the exact combination you want rather than the one that happened to be in stock.

If you need a sofa bed sooner than six weeks, tell us before ordering and we will point you at what we hold in stock instead.

Delivery

Delivered free to mainland England and Wales. We do not currently deliver to the Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland or the offshore islands.

Questions we are asked most

Is the Oliver suitable as an everyday bed?

With the pocket sprung mattress, yes. That is the main reason to pay the small premium over foam — pocket springs keep their support where foam eventually settles into a hollow where the weight goes.

Which arm shape should I choose?

Match what is already in the room. French Seam beside traditional or upholstered furniture, Square beside straight-lined modern pieces, Modern Seam when you are not sure. Same price, same size, so there is no penalty for choosing on looks alone.

Why are the dimensions not listed?

Because the manufacturer has not published them for this model. Ask us and we will get them confirmed in writing before you order rather than guess.

Can I see the fabric before I commit?

Yes. Tell us which colourways you are weighing up and we will arrange swatches. On a made-to-order piece this is the single most useful thing you can do before ordering.

Why does it take 4 to 6 weeks?

Nothing is built until the order is placed. The frame is made, the arm is built to your chosen shape, the mattress is filled and the cover is upholstered in your fabric, then it is delivered direct to you.