Alternative Beds: Comfort Quest

American Leather

When Grandma visits for the holidays, there are plenty of sleeping options that don’t require making a reservation. Gone are the days when the only choice was to open up a sleeper sofa where comfort ran a distant second to convenience. Today, click convertibles—European-style sofas that can be made flat for sleeping—are cutting into the futon business, and air mattresses create affordable bedding that won’t lead to sore backs. Even traditionally unhip sleeper sofas have improved—anything to make grandma feel more welcome.

GETTING A GREEN LIGHT. Like many suppliers these days, furniture manufacturers are hyping developments viewed as environmentally conscientious. Now marketing placards in stores and even hang tags tout products that are made from wood cut from forests managed for sustainable growth or that include recycled steel in coils or that are shipped in recycled biodegradable packaging.

Cushion materials are a focus. Some producers are moving away from petroleum-based foam interiors. Klaussner and Norwalk Furniture sleeper sofas have a soy-based foam that replaces a portion of the standard component used in most seating. Norwalk President Rick McKirahan points out that it also has a positive effect on your pocketbook. Using soybeans keeps cushion and, thus, furniture prices stable at a time when the price of petroleum—and the foam made from it—is shooting through the roof. Meanwhile, some companies are using a water-based glue for cushion components to avoid volatile organic compounds, which trigger adverse reactions in people who are chemically sensitive and which have been linked to cancer.

In addition to changing materials, more upholstered-furniture manufacturers are re-emphasizing “natural” fabrics—cotton, linen and wool—in their product lineups. Those fabrics were overshadowed for years in the mass market by durable, easy-care synthetics, such as nylon and polyester. Rowe Furniture added a 100 percent hemp fabric and a cotton/bamboo blend to its lines. Although hemp has a reputation for durability, it is too soon to know just how well these new fabric options will last compared with others, says Sue Hultgren of retailer Sofa Solutions in Naperville, Ill.

Taking a slightly different approach to the earth-friendly theme, La-Z-Boy’s new EcoComfort collection includes five fabrics made to resemble suede that are produced from recycled plastic bottles. La-Z-Boy plans to introduce these fabrics on a line of chairs and recliners, and if they sell well, they will be added to sleeper sofas. And, yes, La-Z-Boy assures us that there will be no decline in comfort.

But if green is important to alternative-bed manufacturers, it’s even more important to consumers—particularly the green in their pocketbooks. Jackie Hirschhaut of American Home Furnishings Alliance says studies show consumers want to purchase items they know are sustainable, but they don’t want to pay more for them. Fortunately, the prices on green alternative-bed products are no more expensive than their counterparts, and manufacturers have scrambled to find more-efficient production and shipping methods to hold down prices—some with unintended benefits.

“We’re accidentally green by virtue of being so efficient in shipping,” says Tom Erdman, managing partner for Handy Living, an alternative-bed manufacturer. He says that Handy Living’s click convertible, produced in China, can be shipped more compactly than a regular sofa, so 126 can be packed in one ship container, compared with 35 standard sofas.

SAY HELLO TO COMFORT. The pull-out sleeper sofa, long the default choice among alternative beds, has suffered recently from more competition, style changes and larger homes with more bedrooms. More bedrooms means less need for multifunctional furniture that doubles as a sofa and bed, says Jerry Epperson Jr., an investment banker who has followed the furniture industry for 30 years.

“Sleepers have gone from being a must in small homes to falling somewhat out of favor,” he adds. Some younger consumers, it appears, see the sleeper sofa as, well, more suited for grandma’s house, and they seek a piece they consider more stylish. To remain an attractive option, sleeper sofa manufacturers have gone back to the drawing board.