What Sleeper Sofas Looked in the Old Days

There are many different types of sleeper sofas out there, each one with a different mechanism. In the old days some of these sleeper sofas did not look like what you might picture. The elegant designs speak to another era, a time when decoration was rather important. But, as we see from books and advertisements of the day, convertible beds were crucial in large families where there might be someone sleeping on a sofa bed every night.

One of the most well known brands of furniture in the late 1800s and early 1900s was Davenport. It became so ubiquitous that people started calling all sofas Davenports. The convertible one above folded out to make a bed, but you’ll notice something interesting here. The metal springs are visible! You have to wonder how comfortable that would have been! Even a single person on the bed causes it to sag in the middle.

The model above from 1906 was not only tufted with carved oak details, but under the sleeping area was a chest where one could store linens and other things.

The 1878 book on decor by Williams, Henry T. and Mrs. C.S. Jones titled Beautiful Homes, or Hints in House Furnishing; Vol. 4, gives many possible decor schemes and furniture ideas. Among them is the elegant and useful sleeper sofa, shown in a striped tapestry pattern. The text reads, “A lounge that can be used for legitimate purpose during the day, and at night turned into a bed, is of great value in a sitting-room, as in the case of sickness or a crowded house it can be used as we have described, and in a family-room this is no small consideration.”

And, we can’t forget the original sleeper sofa: the chaise longue. This versatile piece played seat and bed depending on what was needed, with no mechanism or moving parts required. Of course this worked better for smaller folks, but many people slept on one of these regularly.

Another type of convertible sofa bed was the “revolving seat”. As described in a 1921 Huntley furniture catalog the concept is thus: “The Revolving Seat Bed-Davenport holds all bedding securely and hygienically in place during the day, neatly folded between springs; one simple revolving movement overturns seat, bringing Bed upward ready for use.” Presumably the seat part flipped to the underside during the process.

This metal-framed sofa bed has a shape and form more like the futon frames we’re used to seeing today. But, this model was designed by Alvar Aalto around 1930. Who knew they had been around that long!