The festive season is rolling in fast, and if you need a budget-friendly way to host overnight guests this Christmas, I recommend getting John Lewis’s most affordable sofa bed on your radar pronto.
As Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor, I’ve tested numerous sleeper sofas for our guide to the best sofa beds money can buy, and one thing I can tell you is this multifunctional furniture is *expensive*. It isn’t uncommon for a top-of-the-range sofa bed to cost well over £2000.
In contrast, the John Lewis Clapton sofa bed costs a very welcome £349, and the even better news is it’s currently on sale, so you can snap up the sofa bed that 5-star reviewers have dubbed ‘exceptional value for money’, for just £299 right now.
John Lewis
Clapton Fixed Back Small Sofa Bed
The Clapton sofa bed is a part of John Lewis’s more affordable ANYDAY range, and having tested it in store, whilst it does look and feel a little basic compared to the brand’s more expensive designs, it still feels like a solidly built option.
If you’re looking for hosting solutions for a small guest bedroom or bijou home office, its compact footprint and armless design also make it a brilliant space-saver.
Another bonus is its angled backrest, which has two back positions so that it can be adjusted to suit upright sitting or lounging.
It comes in three colourways – including steel grey and a natural cream upholstery – but, like many of the sofa bed’s 5-star reviewers, I loved the teal upholstered option. In person, this colourway is a far richer and deeper jewel tone than it looks online, and makes this look a much more expensive piece of furniture than its £299 price tag might suggest.
(Image credit: John Lewis)
‘Great quality product,’ says one 5-star reviewer on the John Lewis website. ‘Really like the fabric and sturdiness of the sofa bed. It’s comfortable as a sofa, looks more expensive than it is, and converts easily into an almost double-sized bed.’
‘Looks more expensive than the price tag,’ agrees another happy owner. ‘Perfect for me and for when my family stays over at Christmas.’ ‘Well-made and attractive,’ shares a third owner, ‘exceptional value for money.’
As a fellow 5-star reviewer sums up, ‘I had researched sofa beds for ages, but so many had bad reviews. This one is good quality and a fair price. It’s firm with a slight bounce to sit on and quite firm to lie on.’
In my testing experience, that firmness is standard for a sofa bed under £1000, and it’s nothing some of our top tips for how to make a sofa bed more comfortable can’t sort out.
(Image credit: John Lewis)
As with any sofa bed, I recommend snapping up one of the best mattress toppers on the market in the upcoming Black Friday sales to use on top of it. That will also help to mask the join between the seat and backrest when this click-clack sofa bed is folded flat.
‘The seat is lovely and firm, and conversion to a sofa bed is very easy,’ says one final happy owner. ‘The sofa is light enough for me to pull it away from the wall to convert. It will need a topper… for sleeping, as you can feel the join, but I expected this. It’s a great size for a single occupant. I love the colour. This is exactly what I wanted, at a great price.’
However, if you’re not convinced the Clapton sofa bed is the option for you, fear not, this isn’t the only affordable sofa bed on the market. I’ve included two more of my tried-and-tested recommendations below for comparison.
Shop alternatives
Habitat
Habitat Roma Double Fabric Chairbed
Sofa width: 121cm
Sleeping area: 121 x 190cm
Upholstery options: 2
In my opinion, the Habitat Roma Chairbed is the John Lewis Clapton’s closest competition. There’s a reason it’s one of the best chair beds I’ve tested, and that’s because it’s stylish, super compact, and great value for money. It also offers a little more sleeping space than the Clapton, with just shy of a small double bed’s worth of reclining room.
John Lewis
Clapton Fixed Back Small Sofa Bed
Sofa width: 182cm
Sleeping area: 110 x 182cm
Upholstery options: 3
As many of the Clapton sofa bed’s reviewers mention, this sofa bed is a tight squeeze for two sleepers. It’s 110cm wide, which is roughly midway between a standard 90cm width single bed and a standard 135cm double bed, coming in just below a 120cm small double bed. However, it’s a generous option for one overnight guest.
Habitat
Kota Large Sofa Bed
Sofa width: 189cm
Sleeping area: 123 x 189cm
Upholstery options: 6
Another alternative is the Habitat Kota sofa bed. This sleeper sofa is larger still, with enough seating for three and a 123cm width sleeping area. I also found its Chesterfield-style padded seating had a little more give when I tested in store. However, just like the Clapton, you’ll want to add a good mattress topper to increase its cushioning and protect the upholstery.