Behind the design: why we created the Cushy Sofa Bed
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Meet our award-winning, best-selling Cushy Sofa Bed and Cushy Luxe Edition!
Voted ‘Product of the Year’ in the Sofa Bed category, the Cushy features an iconic pull-out design that literally goes from sit to sleep in seconds. No squeaky hinges, no uncomfortable frames and no fiddly screws - and no surprise we’ve had hundreds of 5-star reviews.
Here's how we designed it, and why you’re going to love it...
Cushy Sofa Bed 1.5 Seater in Ink
How we designed the Cushy
When the team first began designing the Cushy Sofa Bed they wanted to solve two key problems. Most traditional sofa beds had heavy mechanisms and uncomfortable mattresses, and they weren’t always the prettiest to look at. “We wanted to design a sofa bed to be proud of, not one that you would want to hide in the spare room. One that can function in the living room as the main sofa,” Product Manager Kellie Hawkins said. Secondly, the team knew they wanted to create a piece of furniture with a small footprint that was better suited for small-space living. After three years of researching, designing, prototypes and samples, the Cushy was born!
Cushy Sofa Bed 3 Seater in Tinny
Can a sofa bed be as comfortable as a bed?
Short answer - yep, if we design it! “When you think of sofa beds, comfort does not come to mind. But comfort is our key focus when it comes to Koala sofa beds,” said Kellie. Seems that focus was achieved, because we often have customers telling us their Cushy Sofa Bed is rivalling their mattress! Fun fact: each Cushy size matches a standard mattress size. The 1.5-seater is the equivalent of a single bed, the 2.5-seater is the same as a double bed, and the 3-seater the same as a standard queen size bed. This means you can use your regular bed linens AND you don’t have a weird metal bar sticking in the middle of your back. Yes, please.
Cushy Sofa Bed Luxe Edition 3 Seater in Paperbark
Good for you, good for the planet.
Sustainability is always front of mind throughout the Koala’s design process, and the Cushy Sofa Bed was no exception. Voted ‘Product of the Year 2022’ in the sofa bed category and one of our best-selling products, we take a behind-the-scenes look at how we designed the Koala Cushy Sofa Bed. “Koala is proud to be working with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure the wood we use in our furniture is from certified sustainable sources to meet the highest environmental, social and economic standards,” said Kellie. On top of that, the foam used is CertiPUR-US Certified. This means our foam is made without ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, mercury, lead and heavy metals and formaldehyde.” “All of our products then go through independent audits and laboratory testing to ensure they are safe for human use.” Kellie explained.
Cushy Sofa Bed 3 Seater in Gum Leaf
When inspiration strikes.
If you’ve ever slept on a sofa bed before, you’d know they’re often hard to unfold and even harder to fold up. So we knew we wanted something that would be super easy to flip out without the hassle. Susan L tells us “it is surprisingly comfortable and so easy to put together - we're 2 old 70 year olds and did it EASY.” There’s a call to arms if we’ve ever heard one! When it came to the colour palette for the Cushy, the Australian-inspired earthy tones range from a de-saturated warm sandy beach, a cool slate from the land, a forest to get lost in, and finally a fully saturated deep of the ocean.
Cushy Sofa Bed Luxe Edition in Penguin Parade
Then we made it a little bit fancy.
We decided to give the award-winning, much-loved Cushy Sofa Bed a little somethin' somethin' extra. Here enters the Cushy Luxe Edition: our take on bouclé (pronounced “boo-clay”). This fabric has a looped finish that uses 30% recycled yarn from plastic bottles - in basic terms, this trending fabric is a whole lot of good for the planet. And a whole lot of good for your home! The high contrast weave makes it more forgiving in the home (read: kid/pet/red wine-friendly), whilst the heavier weighted fabric and upholstered baseboard makes for a premium feel (read: oh la la fancy).
Cushy Sofa Bed 2.5 Seater in Vanilla