Ikea LYCKSELE LÖVÅS: The armchair that replaces the sofa bed

Many city residents face the same challenge every day: very little space, yet still the need for a proper guest bed – without cramming a bulky sofa bed into the room.

Rents are soaring in major cities while living space is getting smaller. Sofa, bed, home office and storage all have to fit somehow into just a few square metres. With the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS, Ikea offers a piece of furniture designed for precisely this situation: an armchair that becomes a proper single bed in seconds, making conventional sofa beds look outdated.

Why conventional sofa beds are so frustrating

Anyone who has used an inexpensive sofa bed every day will know its familiar drawbacks. Everything may look clever and convenient in the showroom, but everyday use soon reveals the less appealing reality.

• They take up a large amount of floor space, even when nobody is sleeping on them.
• Folding them out can be difficult, awkward or noisy.
• Their mechanisms wear down quickly and can start sticking.
• The sleeping surface is uneven, too firm or too soft – inviting back pain.

This is exactly where Ikea takes a different approach. The LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is not intended to be “just another sofa bed”, but a different solution for compact rooms.

The Ikea armchair that replaces the sofa bed

At its heart, the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is not a sofa but a compact armchair that pulls out. During the day, it sits in the room like an ordinary lounge chair; at night, a few simple movements turn it into a fully usable single bed.

“The big difference: the armchair stays slim, occupies hardly any room during the day and turns into a flat sleeping surface without any effort.”

Its design is deliberately understated, with clean lines, a low profile and no wide, bulky frame. This allows the furniture to work with very different interiors, from a pared-back Scandinavian living room to a colourful shared flat bedroom.

It converts in seconds: pull the seat forwards, fold down the backrest, and it is ready. There is no heavy metal frame and no fiddling with hidden levers. It sounds almost too simple – and that is precisely what makes it practical for daily life.

Ideal for a home office and guest room

The armchair is especially appealing in rooms that need to serve several purposes at once. Typical examples include:

• A study that occasionally doubles as a guest room
• A studio flat where every square metre has to do more than one job
• A teenager’s bedroom where friends sometimes stay overnight
• A one-room flat where a “proper bed” would take up too much space

Rather than placing a large sofa bed across the room, the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS can simply be positioned against a wall or in a corner. The rest of the room remains available for a desk, dining table or storage.

Comfort without compromise: a mattress rather than an emergency solution

Many space-saving furnishings demand a trade-off: a small footprint in exchange for limited comfort. With the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS, that compromise is surprisingly modest.

Inside is a polyurethane foam mattress designed for both sitting and sleeping. It is intended not to become compressed after only a few months and to retain its shape even with frequent use.

“The sleeping surface is flat and the foam is sufficiently dense – the aim is for it to feel more like a basic mattress than an emergency bed.”

When used as a chair, the backrest provides noticeable support around the lumbar area. Anyone who regularly moves from their desk to the armchair while working from home, or spends longer reading in the evening, will quickly appreciate how important that can be for their back.

What the armchair bed is like to sleep on

When extended, it creates a level single-bed surface. The foam is balanced so that it does not allow you to sink in, without feeling as hard as a board. For occasional guests or permanent use in a very small flat, this will generally be sufficient.

There is also a practical benefit: because the armchair is narrower than many sofa beds, its sleeping surface can often be positioned more easily in the room – across beneath a window, for example, or lengthways against a wall, without taking over the entire space.

Change the covers instead of throwing away the furniture

A key feature of the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is its replaceable covers. Ikea uses a system in which the cover can be removed completely and swapped for another one.

• The fabrics are machine-washable – ideal for stains, pets or children.
• A new cover can give the armchair a fresh appearance at any time.
• Seasonal style changes, such as lighter in summer and darker in winter, are easy to achieve.
• When moving home, the furniture can be visually adapted to the new space without having to buy a replacement.

“Instead of replacing the whole piece of furniture, only the cover goes into the washing machine – or is replaced when needed.”

The standard cover is deliberately neutral and suits most homes. Ikea also offers several colours and textures, ranging from subtle to more striking. Anyone who enjoys interior design can make a major visual change for relatively little money.

Price, guarantee and sustainability

At 249 Euro, the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is positioned clearly below many high-quality sofa beds without dropping into the budget category. For people paying high rent for every square metre, this kind of “2-in-1 furniture” can make strong financial sense: it removes the need for an additional guest bed or a large sofa.

Also noteworthy is Ikea’s ten-year guarantee for the furniture. This lengthy cover suggests that the mechanism and upholstery are designed not only for occasional use, but to withstand many conversion cycles.

From a sustainability perspective, the concept offers another advantage. Using one piece of furniture for two tasks reduces the number of items that need to be bought. That means less manufacturing, less transport and less bulky waste at the end of its lifespan. The interchangeable covers extend its usable life even further.

How the Ikea armchair works in genuinely tiny flats

The LYCKSELE LÖVÅS becomes particularly interesting where space is truly limited: in flats measuring 20 to 35 square metres. Every step of usable floor space matters here. A conventional bulky sofa bed can often fill an entire wall and make the room appear even smaller.

The Ikea armchair can be used differently:

• As a reading chair by the window that only becomes a bed when visitors arrive
• As a bed in a shared-flat room that barely looks like a sleeping place during the day
• Alongside a narrow two-seater sofa, providing flexible seating or a guest bed
• As a corner piece combined with plants, a side table and a floor lamp

For those using houseplants, the armchair can be deliberately incorporated into a “quiet zone” – for instance, beside a large-leafed plant that makes the room feel more welcoming. This creates a small retreat that can turn into a practical bed in the evening.

Practical tips for everyday use

A few straightforward measures help the furniture deliver its full potential in daily life:

• Plan storage: Keep guest bedding in a box beneath a shelf or in a wheeled cabinet positioned beside the armchair.
• Choose lightweight duvets: Thin duvets that compress well are easier to store in a cupboard.
• Use a neutral cover as a base: Add colour with cushions and throws rather than choosing a brightly coloured cover straight away.
• Air the room regularly: Particularly in small rooms, fresh air helps prevent the mattress from developing a musty atmosphere.

Anyone using the armchair as their everyday bed can also add a thin topper. It can be rolled up and stored away in the morning, noticeably improving sleeping comfort without undermining the space-saving concept.

Who the LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is genuinely worth considering for

This furniture is clearly aimed at people who have to make do with limited floor space and choose every item carefully. This includes:

• Students in small flats or shared accommodation
• Singles in high-rent cities
• Couples who want to use a separate study flexibly as a guest room
• Families looking to combine a cosy seating area with a sleeping space in a child’s or teenager’s bedroom

Those with a large living room who regularly accommodate several guests at once will be better served by a wide sofa bed or a separate guest room. The LYCKSELE LÖVÅS is not a family sofa bed, but a well-designed single bed in armchair form.

Why this approach is the better choice for many people

The idea behind this Ikea armchair is well suited to a time when living space is scarce and expensive. Furniture should not merely look good; it should perform in everyday life by being comfortable, adaptable and durable. The LYCKSELE LÖVÅS meets exactly these requirements, showing that it is possible to move away from the idea that a large sofa bed must be placed in the room.

When furnishing a small flat today, people often think in terms of functions rather than individual items: sitting, sleeping, working and storing. Ikea’s armchair-bed hybrid covers two of these needs while keeping the room open. For many city residents, that is likely to be a highly appealing exchange.