Koala Wanda Sofa Bed Review: Compact Comfort

Chaise tin beryllium moved to either broadside based connected your country dimensions. Includes built-in retention nether the chaise. Very straightforward setup and sturdy materials.

Foam rails tin inactive beryllium felt contempt the included topper. Chaise can’t beryllium retracted. Fabric is prone to pilling, and covers are not washable for the accident-prone.

We’ve each been successful situations wherever we’ve had to slumber connected a sofa bed. I tin callback galore puerility vacations wherever I’d beryllium tossing and turning connected a squeaky setup. If this was besides you, sofa beds mightiness not leap retired arsenic the astir appealing option. But they’ve evolved from the rickety pull-out mattresses of yore—today’s sofa beds are a acold much comfy and businesslike mode to make a impermanent furniture wherever you need, whether successful a spare country oregon a tiny apartment.

That said, sofa beds, besides known arsenic sleeper sofas, are not each of the aforesaid caliber. This is wherever Australian furnishings marque Koala aims to basal out. Since entering the US marketplace successful the autumn of 2023, it has focused connected comfortable, stylish, and easy-to-assemble sofa beds. However, arsenic a nonrecreational mattress tester, I was precise funny to spot if the latest Koala sofa furniture offering, the Wanda, was arsenic comfy and supportive arsenic the mattresses I usually test. So I went connected a investigating broadside quest and dedicated a full week to sleeping connected the Wanda. What I recovered is that it’s a cozy short-term solution for guests and wide lounging, but I wouldn’t regenerate your mattress setup with it.

Quadruple Threat

Sofa beds typically usage a “2-in-1” design, combining a sofa with a pull-out furniture that folds distant nether the spot cushion erstwhile not successful use. The Wanda offers a “4-in-1” plan that combines a sofa with a daybed, a reversible chaise, and a queen-size, slide-out bed.

The Wanda arrived successful 4 ample boxes—you volition astir decidedly request assistance moving them, particularly if you program to spell up immoderate stairs. Aside from size, these boxes scope successful value from a doable 47 pounds to 104 pounds, which I struggled to determination upstairs connected my own.

All Together Now

In grant of each my erstwhile sleeper sofa experiences, I wanted to cognize however the Wanda would fare successful a tiny room. So alternatively of my accustomed spacious workplace setup, with dimensions of 13 feet by 15 feet, I decided to usage my upstairs location office. Since I didn’t determination my table retired of the way, the Wanda took up fractional the room, which was lone 10.5 feet by 10.5 feet, springiness oregon take, with different furnishings successful it. The sofa furniture is 99 inches agelong (8.25 feet) and resembles a sideways “L,” with the chaise jutting retired 69 inches (5.75 feet). As if this weren’t cozy enough, my hubby and 2 tiny dogs decided to acceptable up store with me.

Thankfully, this isn’t my archetypal rodeo with furnishings that arrives successful a box. The Wanda was designed for casual assembly, with elements that reminded maine of the Thuma Bed Frame setup. The legs were hand-screwed into the spot bottoms, and the backrest information was past stacked and aligned. Koala uses a “slide-and-click” design: Connect each portion by sliding it into metallic connectors until you perceive a satisfying click. Once everything is connected, it’s not budging—so you astatine past person a precise sturdy portion of furnishings connected your hands. Which, if the moving unsocial didn’t beryllium that, the alloy frame, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified MDF (medium-density fiberboard) legs, and recycled polyester upholstery will.

You person 4 upholstery colors to take from: Pearl Moon, Morning Fog, Bronzed Aussie, and Olive Butter. I went with Bronzed Aussie, which turned retired to beryllium a beauteous toasted-caramel color. The upholstery cloth is recycled polyester ticking, resulting successful a much nubby texture. Koala’s website and directions marque it wide from the leap that this worldly is prone to pilling. I don’t caput texture, arsenic it helps fell canine hairsbreadth and small claw marks from my tiny dogs. While the cloth is stain-resistant, the Wanda is spot-clean only; play vacuuming is recommended for upkeep. If you’re utilized to washable covers, you whitethorn privation to see the Koala Byron Sofa Bed, which has machine-washable fabrics and a mattress topper.

We really went done this workout doubly arsenic we moved the Wanda post-testing to a larger surviving room, but this stableness didn’t hinder the easiness with which we unclicked the Wanda and reassembled it. IKEA, you amended ticker out.

Sleep Mode

Here’s however the Wanda sets up arsenic a bed. Remove the backrest cushions and acceptable them aside. The chaise tin beryllium enactment connected either the near oregon close side, depending connected your room’s layout. However, the chaise won’t fold successful similar a emblematic sleeper sofa due to the fact that of the interior retention space. It’s besides integral to the queen-size bed's structure. The pull-out information of the furniture resides nether the adjoining seats adjacent to the chaise, with handles to assistance you yank it up and out. It truly requires immoderate “oomph” to get it moving, but with practice, it becomes 2nd nature.

This information extends to align with the chaise, but determination are areas wherever the sofa furniture splits and dips. You’ll spot this with immoderate different futon oregon loveseat with removable cushions, but you’re astir apt not relying connected it arsenic a furniture either. To remedy this, the Wanda comes with 4 long, bladed foam rails to capable successful these gaps, arsenic good arsenic a queen-size mattress pad. All foam utilized successful the Wanda, including the included mattress topper, uses Koala’s Kloudcell foam. This CertiPur-US-certified foam delivers the cushioning and unit alleviation that representation foam is known for, without retaining assemblage heat. You simply align these foam rails on the cracks successful the surface, past enactment the topper down to creaseless everything out. It’s besides determination to supply you with other cushioning for unit alleviation and to support things comfy.

The topper is vacuum sealed upon arrival, and erstwhile afloat assembled, it’s going to instrumentality up astir of the country wrong the chaise. Storage is the chaise's large draw, truthful unless you person the Wanda acceptable up arsenic a imperishable mattress oregon daybed, don’t expect to beryllium capable to store immoderate blankets oregon propulsion pillows.

Up, Down, Side to Side

The chaise and Wanda’s wide space-saving plan aren’t its lone defining features. The backrest cushions are tilted for casual lounging—which my hubby did truthful often that I had to inquire whose bureau it really was. The spot information with the pull-out conception besides tilts, but we didn’t announcement it during testing. To beryllium fair, the bulk of the time, we were similar moths to a occurrence with the chaise, which fto america sprawl retired without the request of an ottoman. However, erstwhile acceptable up arsenic a bed, I had a hard clip keeping the aboveground level, with the foam rails inactive popping up unevenly beneath the mattress topper. The mode I had oriented the bed, my precocious assemblage was situated atop the tilt spot section, erstwhile it astir apt needed to beryllium implicit the chaise for much stableness to support those foam rails snug—especially since I determination truthful often successful my sleep.

That said, Wanda's question isolation was beauteous great. It didn’t budge oregon creak, contempt my flailing. However, if you’re co-sleeping, you whitethorn find that it feels a spot claustrophobic. Since the Wanda is simply a convertible sofa, the queen-size furniture is acceptable up from the broadside alternatively than consecutive on. Think of folding insubstantial “hot dog” versus “hamburger" benignant from simple school. I’m much keen connected my furniture setup being straight, alternatively than tucked to the side, arsenic is the lawsuit with the Wanda. Also, arsenic with a mattress, we person to see the firmness level. This was a precise steadfast slumber experience, akin to what I’ve felt with extra-firm beds similar the Plank Firm. The Kloudcell mattress topper is meant to beryllium an other comfortableness layer, but the foam is truthful bladed that it didn’t bash overmuch to enactment my joints portion broadside sleeping. That said, my hubby adored the Wanda arsenic the steadfast consciousness did wonders for supporting his spine. He suffers from backmost symptom often arsenic a byproduct of mild scoliosis, and I’d often drawback him napping successful the Wanda.

My lone different critique is that I’m unsure however the Wanda is genuinely a “4-in-1” sofa bed. I can’t glean overmuch of a quality betwixt the daybed and queen-size furniture functions, different than keeping the backmost cushions successful spot for the daybed, and the theoretical clip of time you’d beryllium sleeping connected it. Otherwise, it’s a precise awesome portion of furniture, careless of whether you are moving with tiny spaces oregon not. As a couch, it’s supportive and rather comfortable. As a bed, I’d astir apt headdress the clip I’d privation to slumber connected it astatine 3 days, based connected firmness alone. But if you’re a steadfast mattress person similar my husband, you whitethorn beryllium capable to spell adjacent longer. As a mattress tester, I’d urge not sleeping connected it indefinitely for support’s sake, but it would enactment successful the interim if you’re looking for a caller bed. If I saw this alternatively of an aerial mattress portion staying arsenic a impermanent successful a spare room, I’d beryllium stoked. I’d besides beryllium pumped to person it arsenic a couch–bed combo for lounging—I’d ne'er permission my house. Way to deliberation extracurricular the box, Koala, due to the fact that the Wanda is the benignant of prime and functionality I’m perpetually connected the hunt for.