The Koala Sofa Bed puts uncomfortable fold-out couches to shame — here's why we love it for small spaces

Business Insider

23-05-2025

Growing up, my parents had a pull-out sofa bed that my friends and I used during sleepovers. It was the kind with a metal bed frame and a super thin foldable mattress that had the thickness of a mattress topper. When I moved into my own house, I was glad to offer a guest bed to visitors, but sometimes my visitors outnumber the guest bedroom availability, and someone has to sleep on the couch. For this reason, I was excited to test out the Koala Sofa Bed, a stylish and compact couch that flips out to turn into a mattress. Unlike the sofa beds of yesteryear, there are no metal bed frames inside the Koala Sofa Bed. Instead, the cushions fold out and lie on the floor, so you can freely stretch out.
I assembled a queen-size version of the Koala Sofa Bed and tested it for two weeks, relaxing on the sofa during the day and in the evenings folding it out into a bed to sleep on overnight. I discovered that this firm and supportive sofa is ideal for those with small living spaces. In fact, I wish I had known about Koala when I lived in an apartment.
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Design and customizations
The Koala Sofa Bed comes in three sizes — a queen, full, or single size — all of which are small-space friendly. The size of the sofa differs depending on the size of the mattress you order. The queen-size Koala Sofa Bed measures 70 inches wide, while the full-size is just a few inches smaller at 64 inches. When folded out, the bed matches the dimensions of a queen or full-size bed. Both the queen and the full-size versions look like loveseats rather than couches. Alternatively, the single size is only 46 inches wide and resembles an armchair.
The Koala Sofa Bed is available in four standard fabric colors and one luxe fabric. I ordered the couch in the standard "figtree" color, an olive green that, in real life, matched what I saw on the website. The standard fabric is a soft jacquard weave made of polyester, while the luxe fabric is a dual-tone Demi-Boucle made of 70% polyester and 30% recycled polyester. Both are stain-resistant.
The frame consists of 100% FSC-certified poplar plywood and medium-density fiberboard. The cushions are filled with CertiPUR-US Certified polyurethane foam, and feature a support layer and a comfort layer, both of which are wrapped in a polyester wadding layer. Two pillows rest against the back cushion and two pillows on either armrest, offering some cushioned comfort. The pillow covers are removable and machine-washable.
Delivery and setup
The Koala Sofa Bed shipped for free via FedEx in four boxes. Delivery can take 2-7 days depending on where you live. I was able to easily move the boxes from my front porch into my living room. One of the boxes was opened at the end, but nothing was damaged or disturbed inside.
As a single woman who lives alone, I hate asking a neighbor or friend to come over to help me assemble furniture. Not only could I move the boxes myself, but I was able to put this sofa together without any assistance. Assembly only took 30 minutes, and no tools were required. Instructions are provided, and it's very clear which piece goes where. Everything slots into place quite easily. For instance, the arms slide into a latch along the sides of the back sofa piece. The bottom two pieces are held together by screwing on the legs. The entire assembly process was smooth and free of any frustration or confusion.
Comfort and durability
I test mattresses quite often and have tested a sleeper sofa in the past, so I am familiar with rating the firmness of a sofa or mattress. Overall, I found the Koala Sofa Bed cushions to be quite comfortable to sit on, though definitely on the firm spectrum.
I enjoyed sitting with my back against the side with my feet outstretched in the evenings while watching TV. I was even able to work with my laptop on this couch more easily because it's so supportive. The pillows provided some plushness and softness against my back, too.
Perhaps most notably, I found the Koala Sofa Bed to be one of the easiest to convert from a couch to a bed, even quicker than assembling an air mattress. After removing the back and side pillows, all I had to do was pull the back cushion forward and the bottom cushions followed. The cushions are connected so they extend out in one swoop onto the ground. It's as easy to close the sofa as it is to open it. There are Velcro strips on the bottom of the sofa and the bottom cushion, so the Velcro essentially catches the cushion in place.
The cushions lie flat on the floor, which means you're only five or six inches off the ground. If your floors are dirty and you order a lighter-tone Koala Sofa Bed, there is a possibility that such grime will appear on the fabric when you convert it back to a couch. I have a rug in my living room, so I didn't have to worry about this, but it might be a good idea to place a sheet on the ground before opening the couch. I can see why many pull-out sofa beds have bed frames or legs to keep the bed off the ground.
For sleeping, I covered the sofa bed with a sheet set and some thin blankets. I could have used the pillows that sit on the sides or back of the couch, but I decided to use my own pillow just because I prefer how it feels. I didn't get hot, warm, or sweaty sleeping on the mattress (no matter what I wore) throughout the testing period.
Sleeping on the Koala Sofa Bed was difficult at first. The firmness of the couch was far more noticeable when I laid down on the sofa bed than when I was sitting on it. I like a firmer mattress, simply because I like to sleep on my back and stomach in addition to my side. A firmer mattress supports my lower back and hips and keeps my spine aligned. However, the Koala Sofa Bed is far firmer than I like. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it an 8.5 or a 9.
Because of the firmness, I was quite uncomfortable the first few nights of sleeping on the Koala Sofa Bed. Though the discomfort didn't keep me up at night, I had difficulty falling asleep. My body finally became used to the firmness by the fifth day. That said, I was unable to sleep on my side. There wasn't any give around my hip area. For reference, I weigh 170 lbs. Anyone who weighs less than me is likely going to have the same experience that I had unless they prefer super firm mattresses. Those who weigh over 250 lbs. might find the Koala Sofa Bed to be less firm than I did.
I also felt a slight divot between the cushions when lying on the sofa bed. It wasn't that uncomfortable for me because I could adjust my body further down or up so that the divot landed at my waist. If you're a taller person, like six feet or more, this might not work.
As for the edge support, it was far better than I expected. Rather than fold the mattress into a couch every day, sometimes I left it open, taking Zoom calls while sitting on the edge of the mattress. I felt decently supported, which was no surprise since the mattress is on the firmer side. Lying near the edge of the mattress didn't cause any issues either. The edge didn't dip, and I never felt concerned that I'd roll or slip off.
The firmness level shouldn't deter you from the Koala Sofa Bed. For one, your guests will manage just fine sleeping on it for a few days during their visit, though a soft mattress topper or pad wouldn't hurt to add. In my two weeks of testing, I haven't noticed any softening of the cushions as of yet. However, the cushions will become softer the more you use the couch or the sofa bed. In fact, I think the initial firmness of the couch is a benefit, as it indicates that the foam is more supportive and will take longer to break down, which means you don't have to buy a new couch anytime soon.
Cons to consider
I wouldn't necessarily say that the Koala Sofa Bed has "cons." It's more accurate to say that there are some preference drawbacks. The first is how low this sofa is to the ground. I like that gap between my couch and the floor, and if you do too, this is not the couch for you. When my father, who was visiting, sat on the sofa, he also noted that the back of the couch was not very high. Again, this is a preference thing. It didn't bother me, but it might not be as comfortable for you.
I should also add that the queen-sized Koala Sofa Bed is compact. You can only fit one large person or two medium-sized or smaller persons on it. In fact, it looks more like a loveseat than a couch, which makes it a great choice for a small living room or apartment. It's probably not big enough for a large home or living area. Remember, the full-size version is even smaller, and the single-size Koala Sofa Bed is basically an armchair.
Lastly, this couch is firm — which means the sofa bed is too. It took my body about five days to get comfortable with the firmness of the mattress, and that's coming from someone who prefers medium to firm mattresses. Day to day, you'll probably be fine with the firmness of the couch, but your first few overnight guests may not like the firmness of the pull-out bed. At least the cushions are supportive, which is important for lower back health. Over time, they'll likely soften up.
What are your alternatives?
Where the Koala Sofa Bed is better suited to apartments or small living rooms, Koala's Byron Sofa Bed is a good option for those looking for something larger and more chic. It comes in one size — queen — but is considerably wider at 92 inches. As a couch, it has an elegant, round-edge design with deep seating and plush arms. It has a similar fold-out design but differs thanks to concealed storage and a nifty slide-out platform base that the cushions sit on so they don't touch the ground. The Bryon Sofa Bed is about $400 more than the queen-sized version of the Koala Sofa Bed. The mattress sits horizontally, following the length of the sofa.
Cozey offers the Neptune Sofa Bed 2 Seater, which is 64 inches wide, making it the same dimensions as the full-size version of the Koala Sofa Bed. However, the Neptune 2-Seater is modular and can be built out with other pieces in the future. Rather than a fold-out design, the back cushions of the Neptune appear to shift down while the bottom cushions pull out, creating a full-size bed. The Neptune cushions are a bit more prominent (they stick out in the middle) than the Koala Sofa Bed, so you're going to feel the dips between the cushions, which might not be comfortable. The cushions of the Neptune don't touch the ground.
A third alternative is the brand-new Eclipse Sofa by Sabai. It just launched in March 2025, and is available in many different colors in hemp, recycled velvet, and up-cycled poly. The fold-out design is exactly the same as the queen-sized version of the Koala Sofa Bed. (Sabai offers an Eclipse Chair that converts to a single-size sofa bed.) The Eclipse Sofa is a bit more expensive than the Koala, but that's likely due to the more stylish fabric and the sustainable materials used in this sofa bed. For instance, the fabrics are free of PFAs and the brand uses rubberized coconut fiber in the cushions.
The bottom line
The Koala Sofa Bed is available in three different sizes (queen, full, and single), all of which are great for small spaces. In addition to being a stylish and cozy couch, the Koala Sofa Bed converts into a bed thanks to a simple fold-out design. Sure, the cushions are quite firm, but the more you sit on the couch or have guests sleep on the fold-out mattress, the softer the cushions will get over time (though I expect they'll remain supportive). If I'd known a sofa bed like the Koala Sofa Bed was around when I lived in an apartment, I would have absolutely invested in one. Koala also offers a 120-night night trial and a five-year warranty, giving you the opportunity to try it out for yourself.