I was really torn for quite some time about which sofa bed would work in my 8 foot wide office.  I really wanted my desk on the long wall that you face when you walk in the room (like it is here), but if it were on that wall, it would get in the way of opening up a traditional sofa bed.

We just couldn’t find a sofa bed that we liked and at the same time didn’t get in the way and massively shrink the usable space of the room when it was folded out.  So I pouted a while because my desk would have to stay where it was and I’d continue to be stuck staring at a window air conditioning unit.  Until we saw this:

karlstad sofa bed with storage
The IKEA Karlstad sofa bed.  I had known for a while that they made a sofa bed version of Karlstad, but I had no idea about the best part of it: it opens lengthwise!
karlstad sofa bed open
How cool is that?  Move your mouse over the floor plan photo to see what helped us decide on this sofa.  We did that for each one we were considering and all of the rest stuck out so far that they overlapped the desk.


So, we get a good looking sofa (not a traditional look like I was hoping for, but still good looking and still goes in the space), it only takes up 5 feet when it’s in bed position, and it sleeps 2 people! It even has storage space for bed linens inside. And it’s comfy too.

And the big bonus right now is that IKEA is offering 15% back in the form of a gift card if you purchase a Karlstad, but the offer only lasts 2 more days, so if you want one, go buy it by Sunday!

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9 Comments

  1. Perfect! I like the look of Karlstad anyway. It’s modern and traditional at the same time.
    How is that animation done?

    1. That particular animation was done after many months of pulling my hair out over codes I couldn’t get to work for anything. 🙂 Email me and I’ll send you one that actually worked and some tips that I learned the hard way.

  2. Nice!! I was in Ikea last week and finally got to see the Karlstad in person instead of just online. I had no idea it pulled out that way – very good to know for my office in the future!

  3. With the sofa pulling out that way it totally removes the painful bar in the middle of the back on regular sleeper sofas. Love it!

  4. This sofa is amazing. I remember when I was shopping for mine… it’s one of the hardest pieces of furniture to fine! it really has to go with your decor and fit the space. Nice one!