Review: Versatile Contemporary Globe Corner Sofa Bed From SLF24

AD – The sofa featured in this post was sent to me as a PR sample from SLF24, in return for an honest review on the Tidylife blog.

Grey velvet sofa — Globe Corner Sofa Bed from SLF24

I’ve seen plenty of corner sofas and sofa beds, but not sure I’ve ever come across one that was combined before – and certainly not in a beautiful contemporary style like the Globe Corner Sofa from SLF24. When I was recently introduced to the extensive range of sofas available online at SLF24, who specialise in Scandinavian, Modern and Retro sofas and chairs, I was impressed by the stylish designs, colours and the competitive prices. I’m a huge fan of multi-functional furniture and think it is an essential element for modern living. Not only do today’s newer homes tend to be more compact, we also place extra demands on our living spaces. Now more than ever, with increased home-working, we need that multi-functionality, so a piece of furniture that gives extra options can be really invaluable.

Why I Normally Hate Sofa Beds!

We have been on the lookout for a sofa bed for a long time but simply haven’t seen anything suitable before now. Having stayed at holiday places over the years where there have been traditional sofa beds, our experience of them has generally been negative. Normally a metal frame pulls out from the base of the sofa and features a wafer thin mattress on top of uncomfortable metal springs – hardly luxurious! I know they are intended for occasional use, but I still like to sleep well even during a weekend away! Children can often get away sleeping on these sorts of beds, but for adults I just find them pretty low on the comfort factor. So we definitely did not want one of those designs.

The only alternative I could see was a ‘day bed’ with a proper mattress, but they do tend to look more like beds than sofas and I didn’t want to compromise on style in our conservatory. If only there was a luxurious sofa bed that looked like a normal sofa, upholstered in a gorgeous velvet fabric… Well I think we can agree the Globe design meets the spec!

Style AND Substance

I particularly love the fact that SLF24 offers cool looking contemporary sofa beds alongside their regular sofas and you really can’t tell them apart! I never really thought there would be an option to combine both elements, but with the Globe design that’s exactly what you get. It’s quite refreshing to see how the sofa beds at SLF24 are designed completely differently from the norm. As a forward thinking company that places importance on good design, you don’t end up sacrificing good looks over functionality or vice versa; their designs feature the best of both worlds.

When set up in normal sofa mode, the corner design of the Globe works really well for families like ours needing a little extra seating. The L shape of the design can either sit in a corner, or be used more centrally and help to partially divide an open plan space. A rug and coffee table nestles in really well with a cosy arrangement like this, making it an ideal coffee corner.

Room Details

In our conservatory I have gone with a ‘Scandi-Boho’ style. The Globe Corner Sofa Bed fits perfectly into the room and the colour scheme. There are 11 colours to choose from and we went for the Graphite – Velluto 19. The sofa is very tactile with its velvety upholstery. The room is relaxed and neutral, with a few tribal patterns in the rug and cushions, which serve to add extra texture. My cushions are from Habitat, Next and Lara Nish and the wall art is from Desenio. The wall colour is Chapel Stone by Johnstone’s Paint. A side table with a lamp on doubles up as a handy nightstand.

No Guest Bedroom? No Problem

We don’t have a spare bedroom which is one thing I would love as they are so handy as a guest room, workspace or spare bedroom when needed. But getting a sofa bed means you can still put guests up overnight. Having a sofa bed is also a bonus when someone in the family is ill; perhaps they have a bad cough and don’t want to disturb the rest of the family. Or, as I have found lately during the recent UK heatwave, sleeping downstairs is so much cooler on a hot night than upstairs in a stuffy bedroom!

Let’s also be honest about the fact that plenty of people snore! Yes everyone loves their partner, but not so much their snoring… On a particularly sleep starved night, imagine being able to quickly and quietly convert the sofa to a large comfortable bed for one, in peace – bliss!

It is also a great perk for when the kids want to have sleepovers. Coronavirus may have put a halt on friends coming over for sleepovers for now, but hopefully not in the longer term and besides, siblings generally love a good sleepover – making a camp or den and raiding the fridge for midnight snacks. A Globe corner sofa bed would easily accommodate two or even three kids at bedtime.

Creating an ‘extra bedroom’ without going to the expense of an extension, loft conversion or addition of a garden building is possible with a sofa bed and can be set up in hardly any time at all, so it is definitely an option to think about. Just make sure to measure your room and take into account the size of the sofa when in sofa bed mode as well as it’s regular seating size. (The Globe Corner Sofa dimensions are 233cm W x 90cm H x 145cm D and sleeping area is 197cm w x 128cm D).

Activating Sleep Mode!

The great thing about a corner sofa is having the ‘chaise’ section where you can rest your legs and enjoy a coffee or read a book in full relaxation mode. But usually only one person at a time gets to stretch out on this part, however with the Globe everyone can get a piece of the action!

We love putting the bed in it’s ‘sleep mode’ to watch TV as everyone can raise their legs, so we don’t only use this feature for sleeping! It’s so easy to convert the sofa to the bed option, one person can do it. The unfolding mechanism is simple and efficient. The backrest cushions are loose and therefore removable, while the seat is fixed. You simply pull out the front section of the sofa, which is raised on legs and comes forward parallel to the ‘chaise’ part. Then you fold down the sofa back to lay it down flat. This creates a generous sleeping area and you lie on the actual upholstery of the sofa, rather than springs and mattress, giving in my opinion a superior sleep experience.

The Globe corner sofa provides firm seating and therefore an equally firm sleeping surface, which may not suit everyone’s taste, however for me it is ideal for back support and a good night’s rest (I find my lower back does not enjoy a soft mattress). I personally have slept on the bed quite a few different nights since we got it and I find it comfortable (I have overslept actually!) and when I get up I am not aching anywhere. Simply lay down a sheet, add a pillow and duvet and it’s good to go!

Here is a video showing how easy it is to convert the sofa into a bed:

About SLF24

The sofas from SLF24 are all handmade in Europe. I was really impressed with how quickly our sofa arrived, deliveries take just three to four weeks which is a speedy turnaround for a sofa that is made to order. It came in two sections, the main sofa and the chaise section and we just had to bolt them together with the tools and parts provided. Communication with the courier, Panther was good – we were notified about our delivery slot in advance.

As well as a wide range of fashionable sofas and chairs, there are some really on trend colours to choose from, whether you fancy a pink velvet sofa or a deep green, mustard or midnight blue. There are light and dark greys, too – why not request a sample before choosing your sofa, you can have up to 6 samples sent out to you. We chose the classic dark grey, Graphite which is a smart option and a practical colour for us, perfect and easy to keep clean. We recently homed two kittens with us and so far so good with the claw situation and removing fluff. SLF24 use fabrics which are hardwearing, damage resistant and comfortable to the touch. The pile of the Velluto fabric is very short and as it’s not a textured finish they can’t seem to pull loops with their claws. I’ve found I can gently wipe the surface with a damp cloth if light cleaning is required. First impressions seem as though this velvet fabric is durable.

The big backrest cushions are filled with silicone fibre, which is soft and very flexible making them really squashy, deep and comfortable. The design features contemporary wooden legs and stylish arms. The chaise part of the sofa can be fitted to the left or right hand side which is another versatile aspect, so if you moved the sofa to a different room or moved house, you could change the corner arrangement if required.

There are other great corner sofa beds on the SL24 website, so do check them out, some even include storage for bedding and pillows.