Koala Wanda Sofa Bed Review: Compact Comfort

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve had to sleep on a sofa bed. I can recall many childhood vacations where I’d be tossing and turning on a squeaky setup. If this was also you, sofa beds might not jump out as the most appealing option. But they’ve evolved from the rickety pull-out mattresses of yore—today’s sofa beds are a far more comfortable and efficient way to create a guest bed wherever you need, whether in a spare room or a small apartment.

That said, sofa beds, also known as sleeper sofas, are not all of the same caliber. This is where Australian furniture brand Koala aims to stand out. Since entering the US market in the fall of 2023, it has focused on comfortable, stylish, and easy-to-assemble sofa beds. However, as a professional mattress tester, I was very curious to see if the latest Koala sofa bed offering, the Wanda, was as comfortable and supportive as the mattresses I usually test. So I went on a testing side quest and dedicated a whole week to sleeping on the Wanda. What I found is that it’s a cozy short-term solution for guests and general lounging, but I wouldn’t replace your mattress setup with it.

Quadruple Threat

Sofa beds typically use a “2-in-1” design, combining a couch with a pull-out bed that folds away under the seat cushion when not in use. The Wanda offers a “4-in-1” design that combines a couch with a daybed, a reversible chaise, and a queen-size, slide-out bed.

The Wanda arrived in four large boxes—you will most definitely need help moving them, especially if you plan to go up any stairs. Aside from size, these boxes range in weight from a doable 47 pounds to 104 pounds, which I struggled to move upstairs on my own.

All Together Now

Photograph: Julia Forbes

In honor of all my previous sleeper sofa experiences, I wanted to know how the Wanda would fare in a small room. So instead of my usual spacious studio setup, with dimensions of 13 feet by 15 feet, I decided to use my upstairs home office. Since I didn’t move my desk out of the way, the Wanda took up half the room, which was only 10.5 feet by 10.5 feet, give or take, with other furniture in it. The sofa bed is 99 inches long (8.25 feet) and resembles a sideways “L,” with the chaise jutting out 69 inches (5.75 feet). As if this weren’t cozy enough, my husband and two small dogs decided to set up shop with me.