Emma sofa bed review 2024 UK; I had better sleep on this sofa than on my bed
EMMA is popular for its mattresses offering premium comfort, so I wanted to test whether its sofa bed would be as comfortable.
Last year, I moved into an unfurnished flat, which was an opportunity to finally pick out my own sofa.
Perfect for having friends or family stay over without compromising on space, a sofa bed is a great solution for smaller homes.
While I’m lucky enough to have a bit more space, I still have a living room that doubles up as my home office so I prioritise multi-functional furniture whenever I can.
I love the versatility a sofa bed provides as it can be pulled out into a bed for sleeping and then used as a couch to lounge on after a long day.
Traditionally, most sofa beds are better at either being beds or sofas and not many are good at being both, so I tested Emma’s sofa bed to see if it was worth its high price.
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
Pros:
- Supremely comfortable
- Large sleeping surface
- Can fit two people sleeping
- Easy to convert into a bed
- Spacious size for sitting
- Cooling mattresses
- Minimal design
- Free trial and warranty
Cons:
- Expensive price tag
- Only one size is available
- Instructions not clear
- Buttons came undone
Rating: 4.5/5
Emma sofa bed review: delivery
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
Dispatch took only two days and the delivery also included a hired mover which was especially helpful as the entire three-seater sofa was packaged in one heavy box, weighing 63kg, and the mattresses in another.
It is quite a big box so if you live in a building with a lift or narrow hallway, you may struggle to find space to squeeze it through.
It took the delivery man, my partner, the hired mover and me to move the sofa bed into our flat as it was so heavy, so do be sure to call on another person to help with the delivery.
Luckily for me, the sofa bed only needed to travel up one flight of stairs, so after a brief sweaty push, both boxes were safely in my flat.
Assembly
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
The biggest mistake we made was letting the mattresses breathe out and expand before putting the covers on.
It said on the instructions it would take around five hours for the sofa bed mattresses to expand, so when we went to slip the protector over it, they had expanded to become bigger than the cover size.
This resulted in a lot of sweat and hard work trying to squeeze the mattresses inside the covers, with my partner and I tucking the mattress inside and unfortunately, one of the cover zippers broke in the process.
Emma doesn’t sell the covers separately which is frustrating so the solution was to get the zipped fixed by an alteration company.
That was the hardest part of the whole process and if we had known to put the mattresses inside first, it would have been much simpler. The biggest problem is that the instructions, while easy once understood, never indicate that you should insert the mattresses inside the covers first.
However, once we finally got it set up, it was relatively smooth sailing and I could fit the sofa inside my living room.
While I don’t have a guest room, the sofa bed would also work well in it.
READ MORE:
- Emma premium mattress review
- Emma kid’s single mattress review
- Emma sleep divan bed review
- Emma pillow review
- Emma bed review
Design
Emma’s sofa is a convertible pull-out sofa bed instead of a click-clack design that folds out, offering much more space as the mattress is hidden in an underbed drawer.
It’s a good design and is easy to convert from sofa to bed as the frame of the hidden mattress can be wheeled out from underneath.
And when you unfold the legs to lift it to the same height as the sofa, the wheels are concealed so it doesn’t move about.
The structure of the sofa bed is very sturdy and the frame consists of 14 birch slats that hold the mattresses, and prevent any sagging.
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
To connect the two mattresses and make it into a double bed, you loop around two straps that are positioned on the left and right sides to button them together.
Annoyingly, one of the buttons came off after a few uses, which was disappointing as it meant only one strap connected it, and we had to use a tie fastening to secure the other end.
But regardless, the legs are quite secure and the wheeled design makes it super easy to use.
There is also an option to turn it into two single beds, which can be useful for some guests and while I’ve yet to try it out, I like the variety that it provides.
The only other downside to this is that it means there’s no floor space under the sofa as that’s where the mattress is stored, so it does occupy quite a bit of space.
At the moment, the sofa only comes in two colours; cream or dark grey. I picked grey as it matched my home better and it’s also easier to maintain.
Despite accidentally spilling a dollop of ketchup onto the sofa, the material was easy to clean as I could wipe it off with a cloth and sanitise it with a stain remover, but the fabric is also machine washable.
In addition, the sofa bed comes with three large seat cushions that make up the backrest, and two armrests that are thickly padded.
I added a couple of extra cushions on the sofa to spruce up its design and a bed pillow when it was converted into a bed.
Emma sofa bed review: how comfortable is it to sleep on?
The Emma sofa bed wins hands down as one of the most comfortable sofa beds to both sit and sleep on. When you’re sitting on it, you immediately notice that it’s a lot thicker than a typical sofa and feels firmer, without being too hard.
Emma’s mattress is 18cm deep, which is thicker than other sofa beds I’ve used.
Plus, Emma’s own high-quality mattresses start from about 25cm deep, so the sofa offers very similar comfort to that of sleeping on a bed.
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
It’s made from polyurethane foam with an open-cell structure, which allows for ventilation to flow so that it cools hot sleepers and it’s also designed with point-to-point depression technology so that it can adapt to different bodies and weights.
What’s unique about this sofa bed mattress is that it has a double-sided feature; the green side is better for side sleepers, while the blue side, the firm side, is better for back sleepers, so you can accommodate different sleeping styles. There aren’t any other sofa beds that offer this at the moment.
Two testers of varying heights slept on the sofa bed, one was 5’5 and the other was 6’1 and both reported feeling extremely cosy on the bed while sitting and sleeping.
While the taller tester first bent their legs a bit to fit, they ended up finding that the spacious size allowed them to spread diagonally across the sofa.
Both testers reported having an amazing sleep on the sofa bed, sleeping for about eight hours or so, with one even saying that it was better than their double bed.
And the thick mattress is also suitable for guests who are sleeping for more than a couple of nights as its supportive design ensures they have a comfortable sleep without any aches.
Emma sofa bed review: size
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
Unlike most sofa beds in the UK, Emma’s one is a different size to your typical double or single beds.
The mattresses measure 80 x 200cm each, which doesn’t quite match up to the standard UK size for a single mattress, which is 90 x 190cm.
This does make it a bit annoying to find fitted sheets for it, and I had to use deep-fitting single sheets to cover the mattresses.
It would also be difficult to find mattress toppers for the beds, but I do think that it’s so comfortable that you wouldn’t need to use any on them.
However, the size of it as a sofa is pretty spacious and can comfortably fit three people, perhaps even four if you squeeze.
As a sofa, it measures 90 x 222 x 92 cm, with the seat height and depth measuring 55 x 92cm.
There’s plenty of room to lean back into the sofa and it’s one of my favourite features as you can position yourself comfortably.
Emma sofa bed: final verdict
I’ve owned the sofa bed for about five months now and I can confirm that it’s one of the best additions to my home.
The sofa bed is the ideal solution for having friends and family stay over without needing to fish out a folding bed, and the sheer comfort will make them want to keep staying over.
It does take up quite a bit of space and only two colours are available at the moment, which isn’t going to suit everyone’s preferences.
But the design is pretty faultless, it feels exactly like a bed, can fit two people sleeping comfortably on it and it’s probably where you’ll find me relaxing in front of the TV.
Plus all Emma products, including this sofa bed, have a 200-night trial period so you can properly assess if it works for you and if you don’t get along with it, you can return it risk-free.
It’s truly one of the best sofas I’ve sat on and I will definitely take it with me from flat to flat.
Emma sofa bed, £1,999
Where can I buy the Emma sofa bed?
At the moment, you can only buy the Emma sofa bed directly on its website here.
It’s priced at just under £2,000, making it one of the most expensive sofas, but it comes with free delivery and we think that its comfort alone, justifies its high cost.
You can also buy it with a monthly payment plan to lower costs and there are plans from 3 – 12 months available with DivideBuy.
Does the Emma sofa bed include a guarantee or a free trial?
Yes, the Emma sofa bed has a two-year manufacturer guarantee in case any parts break or need fixing.
The sofa bed also comes with a 200-night free trial period, which is a great length to figure out whether the sofa is comfortable for you when sitting or sleeping on it.
If for some reason it doesn’t work with you, you are free to return it without any costs during this time and receive your money back.
To return it, make sure you submit a request form on its website and Emma will arrange a courier and pick it up for you.
Is there an alternative to the Emma sofa bed?
There are plenty of alternatives to Emma’s sofa bed if you want to explore other options.
While no other specific mattress brand currently offers a sofa bed, making Emma pretty unique in this department, you can find sofa beds from furniture retailers.
Although they might not offer the same level of comfort as Emma’s, there are more budget-friendly options available from furniture brands.
Here is a list of the most popular shops online for sofa beds.