The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
Can you sleep on a floor sofa? Bed size, firmness and sheets
A floor sofa is already most of a bed. You only need to know how it opens, what it measures, and what holds it together at night.
SaveThe quick answer
A modular floor sofa opens into a guest bed of about 79 x 79 in (200 x 200 cm), close to king size, when its two seat mattresses lie side by side. Each mattress is about 79 x 39 x 6 1/2 in, near a twin XL, so twin XL sheets fit. The medium-firm cold foam suits guests for several nights, even weeks.
A bed hiding in plain sight
Every modular floor sofa has a bed folded inside it. On the standard two-layer sofa, two seat mattresses, each about 79 x 39 x 6 1/2 in (200 x 100 x 17 cm), stack to make a seat about 14 in (36 cm) high. Lift one off, lay it beside the other, and you have a floor sofa bed of roughly 79 x 79 in (200 x 200 cm).
That is close to a US king. Each mattress alone is close to a twin XL. The workshop sometimes calls the pair a double. The tape measure says king.
As a floor sofa for guests, it has held visitors for weeks at a time. Who will sleep on yours, and for how many nights? Below is how to open it, dress it and keep it together, and where it stops being the right bed. The modular floor sofas collection shows the shapes.
Floor sofa bed size, piece by piece
| Piece | Flat size | Sleeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two seat mattresses, side by side | About 79 x 79 in (200 x 200 cm) | Two adults | Close to king; a twin XL sheet on each |
| One seat mattress | About 79 x 39 in (200 x 100 cm) | One adult | Close to a twin XL |
| Ottoman, opened | About 79 x 39 in (200 x 100 cm) | Extends the bed | Folds to 39 x 39 in (100 x 100 cm) |
| Corner sofa with ottoman | About 79 x 119 in (200 x 300 cm) | Two adults and two children | Larger than a king |
| Two tufted floor cushions, joined | Twin each, about 38 x 75 in (97 x 191 cm) | Two, as a double | Firm; tufted sizes vary 1 to 2 in |
| Child's sleepover cushion | 24 x 70 or 27 x 70 in (61 x 178 or 69 x 178 cm) | One child | Common under loft beds |
Handmade foam cushions can vary by about 1/2 to 1 in; fully tufted ones by 1 to 2 in.
From sofa to bed, in eight moves
Lift off the backrests
The backrests and armrests are loose cushions resting against the metal bars. Set them aside. They are a little shallower than the seat mattresses, so they stay out of the sleeping surface.
Lift the top mattress
On the two-layer sofa, lift the upper seat mattress off the lower one. Each layer is about 39 in (100 cm) wide and 79 in (200 cm) long.
Lay a rug or grip mat first
On hardwood or tile, put a rug or an anti-slip mat where the bed will go. Lightweight foam on a smooth floor moves when you sit or turn. Leave a hand's width of floor between the bed and the wall, so the bedding has somewhere to fall.
Push the mattresses together
Long sides touching. The undersides carry non-slip fabric and the pieces are heavy, so side by side they mostly stay put. They don't attach to each other and there are no hook-and-loop connectors. If you want them fastened, ask before ordering: ties were offered once, and another reply said this model can't take them.
Dress each mattress on its own
A twin XL fitted sheet fits each 79 x 39 in mattress. Dressed separately, one sleeper turning over doesn't drag the other side's sheet. One wide blanket or duvet across both covers the join.
Set the backrests at the head
Stand the two L-shaped backrests, each about 39 x 39 x 15 in (100 x 100 x 38 cm), against the wall at the head end as a soft headboard, or stack them in a corner. Pillows lean on them instead of sliding off.
Add the ottoman for a longer bed
Unfold the ottoman's two layers into a 39 x 79 in (100 x 200 cm) strip and set it at the foot or the side. With it, the corner sofa lays out to about 79 x 119 in (200 x 300 cm).
Make it a sofa again
In the morning, restack the seat mattresses and set the backrests and armrests back against their bars. If creases show on new corduroy, steam them out now rather than later.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Hana’s workshop make it
Leave your numbers and the height you like to sit at. The rest is a short conversation. — Hana
Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.
Firmness: medium, and honest about it
The seat mattresses are high-density cold foam, most often quoted at 1.75 lb/ft³ (28 kg/m³) with an ILD of 42. Medium-hard. Not very hard. It keeps its shape for years and softens a little with use.
For sitting, that reads as relaxed. For sleeping, it reads as supportive without being squishy. That is what makes a modular floor sofa sleeper work for more than one night.
Fabric matters more at night than by day. Corduroy is the standard. If the bed will be slept on often, the workshop suggests the smooth linen-look performance weave over linen. Covers zip off and wash at 86°F (30°C). Test your preference in the foam firmness finder, or read density versus firmness.
Tufted cushions, and where the floor bed stops
Tufted floor cushions are another way down to a floor bed. They are densely filled and firm enough to sleep on, which is why buyers ask about a floor cushion as mattress so often. A twin is about 38 x 75 in (97 x 191 cm), and two pushed together make a double. At 6 or 8 in (15 or 20 cm) thick they sit higher off the floor. See tufted floor couch sizes and floor cushions.
Now the limits. The modular bed sits about 6 1/2 in off the floor, so getting up is a squat, not a step. Two separate mattresses leave a join down the middle. The modules are loose, so bare floors need grip. For a toddler's everyday bed, the workshop points to its separate kids' foam bed instead.
Nightly use is possible, and floor mattresses are made to any size and thickness. Choose knowing the height, the join and the fabric.
A sofa by day. A bed by night. The same foam, laid flat.
A tiny house that needed a bed on the floor
A parent in the US wrote to the workshop about a tiny house on wheels. They wanted a floor sofa with no frame, about 77 in (196 cm) wide, no taller than 30 in (76 cm), that could open to 60 to 65 in (152 to 165 cm) for sleeping. Cotton, ideally.
The workshop suggested its modular corduroy sofa and sent the numbers first: 78 1/2 in (199 cm) wide, 29 in (74 cm) high, 39 in (99 cm) deep, with a 14 in (36 cm) seat. That is 1 1/2 in wider than the space described, and the family needed to see it on paper, in their own room, before choosing.
In a small space, height and opened length decide. Color comes after. See tiny house and loft floor seating.
- What it taught
- In tiny spaces, check overall height and opened length before choosing a floor sofa.
Where floor beds go wrong
- A bare hardwood floor. Put a rug or grip mat under floor seating, and felt pads or fabric under metal bars so they don't slide or scratch.
- Bars left in the box. Use every connector bar supplied; in sofa mode the backrests and armrests depend on them.
- Add-ons typed into the size box. Ask for ties or a non-slip base in writing, message after ordering to confirm, and check the pre-dispatch photo.
- Making up the bed over fresh creases. Compressed-shipping creases in corduroy set if the sofa sits under a blanket for weeks; steam them out early.
- Ordering to the exact inch of a nook. Leave at least 2 in (5 cm) for handmade tolerance, and mark length and width on a photo of the space.
Two floor sofa seat mattresses laid side by side make a bed of about 79 x 79 in, close to a US king, in medium-firm cold foam.
Hana
Buyer questions
- A common question
What size bed does the floor sofa make? Queen or king?
The workshop's answerEach seat mattress is 39 x 79 in (100 x 200 cm), about a US twin XL. Side by side they make roughly 79 x 79 in (200 x 200 cm), close to king size, and suit a king-size tatami platform. The ottoman opens into a further 39 x 79 in, so the corner version lays out larger than a king, enough for two adults and two children.
- A common question
Is a floor cushion really OK to sleep on, and what size should I get?
The workshop's answerYes. They're solid enough to sit or lie on, and many buyers use them for children's sleepovers. Under a loft bed, 24 x 70 or 27 x 70 in is typical; a twin is about 38 x 75 in; someone 5 ft 9 in was advised the 30 x 73 in tufted set. A 6 or 8 in thickness sits higher off the floor.
- A common question
How big is the ottoman, and does it fold open?
The workshop's answerIt's 39 x 39 in (about 100 x 100 cm), one connected piece in the same foam as the sofa. Its two stacked layers open flat into a longer rectangle, like two pillows side by side. The layers can be made separate on request, and the main seat mattresses can be made as two folding pieces too.
- A common question
Does the floor sofa come with the metal bars, and how many?
The workshop's answerYes. The bars hold the backrests and armrests, even though bed photos don't show them. A single sofa comes with 4, the L-shape with ottoman 6, and a full corner set needs 8 large and 8 small pieces. They may ship in a separate parcel with set-up instructions. If a piece is missing, send photos of what arrived.
- A common question
How close to my ordered size will a handmade cushion be?
The workshop's answerSizes are cut exactly as written, not rounded, but handmade foam cushions can vary by about 1/2 to 1 in, and fully tufted ones by 1 to 2 in. Piping adds a little to the outer size, so say if the finished size must include it. A cushion that came out clearly short was remade.
Before the guests arrive
What sheets fit a floor sofa bed?
Twin XL sheets fit each seat mattress, since each is about 39 x 79 in. Dress the two mattresses separately, then lay one wide blanket or duvet across both to cover the join in the middle.
Will the two mattresses drift apart at night?
Mostly they stay put. Non-slip fabric lines the undersides of the mattresses and the ottoman, and the pieces are heavy. They don't attach to each other and have no hook-and-loop connectors, so on bare floors add a rug or grip mat, and ask about ties before ordering.
How firm is a floor sofa for sleeping?
Medium-hard: high-density cold foam most often quoted at 1.75 lb/ft³ (28 kg/m³) with an ILD of 42. It isn't very hard, keeps its shape without sagging, and softens slightly with use, comfortable for sitting by day and sleeping at night.
Can a floor mattress be made to a custom bed size?
Yes. Floor cushions and floor mattresses are made to any length, width and thickness, including twin or full sizes 4 to 6 in thick, with or without backrest and armrests. On the teddy sofa the length can change, up to about 82 in, but the layer thickness can't.
