Chair Beds UK: Single Sofa Beds for Box Rooms, Home Offices and Studio Flats

August 30, 2026

Millbrook Chair Bed opened into a single bed - Sofa Bed Expert

A chair bed is a single armchair that opens into a proper single bed. It is the answer for box rooms, home offices and studio flats where a full sofa bed will not fit but a guest still needs somewhere real to sleep. This guide explains how a chair bed works, what the sleeping area actually is, how much floor space you need when it is open, and how the three chair beds made by Sofa Bed Expert (sofabedexpert.co.uk) compare: the Millbrook Chair Bed, the Oslo Chair Bed and the Millbrook Storage Chair Bed.

Short version: a chair bed from our range is 94 to 130 cm wide as a chair, opens forward to a 70 × 200 cm single bed on a pocket sprung mattress, and costs between £1,125 and £1,299 with free delivery across England, Wales and Scotland.

Key takeaways

A chair bed is a single-seat armchair with a fold-out single bed inside. Ours open to a 70 × 200 cm sleeping area, long enough for an adult.
The narrowest model, the Oslo Chair Bed, is only 94 cm wide thanks to slim 10 cm arms.
The Millbrook Storage Chair Bed hides bedding inside both armrests, so the room stays tidy.
All three use the same construction as our full-size sofa beds: pocket springs in the seat and mattress, high-density foam and a plywood frame, rated for every-night use.
Prices run from £1,125 to £1,299, and every chair bed can be ordered in any Sofa Bed Expert fabric.

What is a chair bed?

A chair bed, also called a single sofa bed or armchair bed, is an armchair with a mattress folded inside the seat. Pull the seat forward and the mattress unfolds into a single bed; fold it back in the morning and you have an armchair again. The important difference between a good chair bed and a cheap one is what you sleep on. Budget versions use a slab of folding foam that flattens within months. A properly built chair bed uses a pocket sprung mattress on a sprung frame, exactly like a full-size sofa bed, only narrower.

That is how every Sofa Bed Expert chair bed is made. The seat and the mattress both contain pocket springs, supported by high-density foam and zigzag springs on a strong plywood frame, with silicone fibre-filled cushions on top. Each one is rated to a 250 kg weight capacity and designed for regular sleeping rather than the odd emergency.

Millbrook Chair Bed opened into a 70 x 200 cm single bed, charcoal grey fabric

How big is a chair bed when it is open?

Open, our chair beds need roughly 200 cm of depth in front of the backrest, because the 70 × 200 cm mattress unfolds forward. Closed, the depth is 96 cm. The width does not change when you open it, so the only measurement to check is the space in front of the chair. In practice, if you can walk comfortably past the chair when it is closed, there is usually enough room to open it at night.

Here is how the three models compare side by side.

Model	Width as a chair	Bed size	Storage	Price
Oslo Chair Bed	94 cm (10 cm arms)	70 × 200 cm	No	£1,199 to £1,299
Millbrook Chair Bed	104 cm (15 cm arms)	70 × 200 cm	No	£1,125
Millbrook Storage Chair Bed	130 cm (storage arms)	70 × 200 cm	In both arms	£1,199

All three are 90 cm high and about 96 cm deep as a chair. The sleeping area is identical, so the choice comes down to how much wall space you have and whether you want somewhere to keep the duvet.

Oslo Chair Bed: the narrowest option

The Oslo Chair Bed is the one to choose when every centimetre counts. Its arms are just 10 cm wide, which brings the total width down to 94 cm without shrinking the bed at all. It sits on slim black metal legs, so it looks lighter in a small room, and it uses the same pocket sprung seat and mattress as the Millbrook. The Oslo is also the only chair bed in the range available in our Titan / Aqua Clean fabric alongside Hydro Suede, Hydro Chenille, Marble Velvet and Hydro Weave.

Oslo Chair Bed with slim 10 cm arms opened into a single bed, navy fabric on black metal legs

Millbrook Chair Bed: the classic

The Millbrook Chair Bed is the single version of our best-selling Millbrook sofa bed range. At 104 cm wide with 15 cm arms it feels more like a traditional armchair, with a slightly wider arm to rest a cup on. It is the lowest priced chair bed we make at £1,125, and because it shares its proportions with the Millbrook 2 and Millbrook 3 sofa beds, it matches them perfectly if you want a chair bed and a sofa bed in the same room and the same fabric.

Millbrook Storage Chair Bed: bedding hidden in the arms

The Millbrook Storage Chair Bed solves the question every chair bed owner asks: where does the duvet go? Both armrests lift open to reveal storage compartments for a duvet, pillows and a fitted sheet, so a guest room or home office stays tidy by day. The wider arms take the overall width to 130 cm, but the bed stays the same 70 × 200 cm. It costs £1,199.

Millbrook Storage Chair Bed opened as a single bed with the armrest storage compartment lifted open

Which one? Under 100 cm of wall space: Oslo. Want the lowest price or a match for a Millbrook sofa bed: Millbrook Chair Bed. Nowhere else to keep bedding: Millbrook Storage Chair Bed.

Is a chair bed comfortable enough for adults?

Yes, provided it has a real mattress. A 70 × 200 cm sleeping area is longer than a standard UK single bed (190 cm) and only 20 cm narrower, so an adult can stretch out fully. The comfort comes from the pocket springs: because each spring moves independently, the mattress supports your hips and shoulders evenly instead of forming a hammock in the middle. That is why we describe all three chair beds as every-night beds, not occasional ones.

"Great, first rate quality, comfortable, solid. Conversion to a bed is a simple, one movement operation."
David Storey, verified customer review

Who buys a chair bed?

Home offices. A desk and a chair bed turn a spare room into an office by day and a guest room by night, without the bulk of a sofa.
Box rooms and studio flats. When a 154 cm two-seater sofa bed will not fit, a 94 cm Oslo usually will.
Children's rooms. A single bed for sleepovers that goes back to being a chair the next morning.
Alongside a sofa bed. A Millbrook Chair Bed next to a Millbrook King Size Sofa Bed in the same fabric sleeps three guests in one living room.

Fabrics, delivery and trying one first

Every chair bed is made to order in your choice of fabric. Order free fabric samples first so you can see the colour in your own light. Delivery is free across England, Wales and Scotland, carried out by our own two-person team who bring the chair bed into the room you choose, assemble it and take the packaging away. Most orders arrive within 18 to 21 days. If you would like to sit on one first, our showroom in Bognor Regis is open by appointment, Monday to Saturday.

You can also see the full range of chair beds and armchairs, including the matching Millbrook Armchair and Mocca Armchair without a bed, at £699 each.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a chair bed and a sofa bed?

A chair bed is a single armchair that opens into a single bed of about 70 cm wide, while a sofa bed seats two or three people and opens into a small double, double or king size bed. Chair beds from Sofa Bed Expert use the same pocket sprung mattress and plywood frame as the full-size sofa beds, just in a narrower format.

How wide is a chair bed?

Sofa Bed Expert chair beds are 94 cm wide (Oslo, with 10 cm arms), 104 cm wide (Millbrook, with 15 cm arms) or 130 cm wide (Millbrook Storage, with storage arms). All three open into a 70 × 200 cm single bed.

How much space do I need to open a chair bed?

You need about 200 cm of clear floor in front of the backrest, because the mattress unfolds forward. The width stays the same whether the chair bed is open or closed, and the closed depth is 96 cm.

Can an adult sleep on a chair bed every night?

Yes. The 70 × 200 cm sleeping area is longer than a standard UK single bed, and the pocket sprung mattress with high-density foam is designed for regular use rather than occasional guests. Each chair bed is rated to a 250 kg weight capacity.

Which chair bed is best for a very small room?

The Oslo Chair Bed, at 94 cm wide, is the narrowest chair bed in the Sofa Bed Expert range. Its slim 10 cm arms reduce the footprint without reducing the size of the bed.

Does a chair bed have storage for bedding?

The Millbrook Storage Chair Bed has storage compartments inside both armrests for a duvet, pillows and sheets. The standard Millbrook Chair Bed and the Oslo Chair Bed do not have built-in storage.

How much does a chair bed cost in the UK?

Sofa Bed Expert chair beds cost from £1,125 for the Millbrook Chair Bed, £1,199 for the Millbrook Storage Chair Bed and £1,199 to £1,299 for the Oslo Chair Bed depending on fabric. Delivery and installation are free across England, Wales and Scotland.

Can I choose the fabric on a chair bed?

Yes. Every chair bed is made to order in any Sofa Bed Expert fabric, including the easy-clean Hydro Chenille, Hydro Suede, Hydro Weave and Marble Velvet ranges. Free fabric samples can be ordered before you buy.

The bottom line

A chair bed gives a small room a real single bed without giving up the room. Choose the Oslo for the narrowest footprint, the Millbrook Chair Bed for the best price and a match with our sofa beds, or the Millbrook Storage Chair Bed when the bedding needs a home too. Whichever you pick, you sleep on pocket springs, not foam.

A proper single bed that fits where a sofa bed cannot

Pocket sprung mattress, plywood frame, 70 × 200 cm bed, free delivery and installation across England, Wales and Scotland.

See all chair beds → Order free fabric samples →