Mid century Sofa beds in modern MCM style

A perfect blend of comfort and functionality, a sleeper sofa (also known as sofa bed, couch bed or simply pullout sofa) is a type of sofa or a couch that hides a metal frame and a thin mattress underneath its seat cushions. The construction can be unfolded to reveal a bed as wide as the sofa. This highly practical solution for comfortable accommodation of unexpected guests became a huge hit immediately after it appeared on the market. Commonly found in guest room and living room, sometimes used even as a primary sleeping place, sleeper sofas are still as popular today as they have been when they first appeared on the market.

The evolution of sofa beds

The first sleeper sofas can be traced back to 1899 and a patent by Leonard Bailey who can be credited with the first rudimentary prototype of a mechanism that will continue to be perfected throughout the ages. This idea took a slight detour with William Lawrence Murphy who scaled it up and decided not to mask the bed by a sofa, but to completely eliminate it from space by folding it upwards against the wall in a wardrobe-type cabinet. However, the sleeper sofas in its modern form was born in 1931 and this invention can be traced to Bernard Castro’s invention. This design was the first one to contain all the elements of a modern sofa bed and it is from here that proliferation of models started.

So, as half century design style started gaining prominence, sleeper sofas were still a relatively new addition to the furniture market. But this has not stopped the new generation of innovative furniture designers to begin exploring the opportunities presented by the sleeper sofas. This piece of furniture caught the attention of half century furniture designers not only because of its cutting-edge mechanism, but also because of its exceptional functionality and pragmatic value. This two-in-one solution presented by sofa bed instantly caught the attention of these creators who quickly begin presenting their own takes on this at the time revolutionary piece of furniture.

Mid century modern sofa

What truly defines the mid century sofa beds are its unique style and elevation of its practicality to even greater heights. With a flair for innovation and unprecedented talent for fusing functionality with style, the generation of half century furniture designers sought for new ways to obscure the hidden bed in a stylish manner and work on a silhouette of the sofa that will bring a subtle elegance to the room. Some of half century style sofa bed is truly statement pieces with imposing size and almost sculptural form (those even larger are often classified as queen full size sleeper sofas), while others play on the minimalist aesthetic with their miniscule footprint and simple, yet aesthetically pleasing expression.

Many of half century style sleeper sofas are so effective with their mechanism such convertible sofa and removable back cushions that you might not even notice that they can be unfolded at first. The mechanism, as well as the mattress of the bed part can be stylishly hidden by smooth and precise lines, organic shapes and timeless elegance so typical of half century furniture design.

Half century bed for sale

If you are looking to buy half century beds, the good news is that they are as popular as they have been when they first appeared on the market and you can easily find them even at your local retailer. While they never attained the popularity and critical acclaim that lounge chairs or dining chairs from the same era did, they have nevertheless presented a perfect answer to the challenges and needs of modern lifestyle. Often unencumbered by the big name of the designer or the manufacturer, half century beds tend to be affordable and not out of the price range usually defined by the generic couches on the modern market.