DIY stylish sofa-bed

 The purpose of this project is to build a sofa that can be also an emergency bed (quite confortable..) and also act as home theater case.

In my room the shape of furniture was particular, so I adopted the sofa shape to it.

If you are interested, you can view the list of my not-yet-realized ideas on my blog

NEW: I published the instructable of the whole attic

Step 1: Materials

• 5 pieces of wood (multilayer or MDF), the size of wood depends on the size of the sofa. I used 110 cm x 120cm (43 x 47 inches)

• Screwdriver (better if electric)
• Electric saw
• Lot of screw
• Metal bars to connect wood pieces
• Sheets of paper (better if they are big)
• Tape
• High density Foam (10 cm)
• Low density Foam (3 cm)
• Lot of fabric
• Thin plywood

Step 2: Get the shape

Put together all the sheets of paper in a big one (using tape).
You will use the sheet to take the shape of your sofa.
Put the big sheet on the ground and press it along the angles so that it fit al the curves and lines of the furniture.
The result should be like the one on the photo (I still store the paper shape)

Step 3: Cut the wood pieces

Put the paper shape on wood and with a pencil draw the shape onto the wood.
Then start cutting the wood with the saw. TAKE YOUR TIME, you want this job done well!

If the wood do not fit perfectly try to adjust using the saw and cutting little bits of wood.

Step 4: Add legs to the sofa

To build a strong sofa I used a lot of legs cutted out from the 5th piece of wood.
I fixed the legs to the bottom wood with a lot of L shaped metal bars.
Before proceeding I tested that the home theater fit into the central box.

Step 5: Add the upper pieces of wood

Add the upper pieces of woof taking care that they fit very close to the wall and the furniture curves.
From the upper pieces of wood, cut out a square to allow an easy access to the home theater. The hole will be covered by the cutted piece of wood. 
TIP: Add strength to the sofa attaching the upper pieces of wood to the legs through the L shaped metal bars. You can also use screws directly (see photo)

Step 6: Add walls to the sofa and do some painting

To hide the legs of the sofa, I used a sheet of plywood.
First cut the thin plywood with the same height of the sofa.
Attach the plywood to the center part with 2 screws (as shown in the picture).
Then SLOWLY bend the wood until it touch the corner of the sofa (I take 5 minutes to do it. If you do too quickly the wood can brake)
Attach the plywood to the corner of the sofa with 2 screws.
Repeat the steps for the other part of the sofa.
You can also use remaining parts of the pieces of wood to add a door to your home theater box.
Paint the hometheater box with black paint (better if it's matt) and the plywood with white paint.
I also put some grey fabric on the floor of the home theater box to hide the metal bars.
When the paint is dry you can cover the cutted square with a piece of wood.
TIP: If you must acces inside the sofa you can simply remove 2 screw from the corner

Step 7: Build the soft part of the sofa

Using the paper shape cut out booth high and low density foam. Put together the 2 layer of foam (the low density foam must stay on top because it will give a smoother shape to the sofa).
The same paper shape will also be used to cut out the fabric of the sofa (the fabric shape must be bigger than the paper shape to be easily sewed).
You can stop here. Adding some pillows (from Ikea) the sofa is ready to be used!
If there is remaining fabric, you can try to build your own pillows (I made one big and 2 small)

Comments

[derte84]

on craftzine :) 
blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/02/how-to_custom_sofa_entertainme.html

[jweber26]

Looks fantastic!

1 critique though: recievers are notorious for giving off quite a bit of heat and can overheat without proper ventilation. Were there any concerns that this design does not provide adequate ventilation for your equipment?

[derte84]

 Indeed I added a fan inside the box tho blow out hot air

[dragonz2444]

Good idea, I was going to say. Better to put a vent than to have to replace the amp or even put out a fire.

[futeng]

Any idea on how this could be modified for a regular wall? And is it comfortable? good for the back?

[derte84]

it all depends on the height and density of the foam. I needed to limit the height for other reason but is still comfortable to sleep one night

[FlatLinerMEDIC]

If this was heatetd I would pay 18000 euro!!

[derte84]

For that amount I can open s business :)

[FlatLinerMEDIC]

Oh i meant to say lire....=/

[omalachowski]

You could add a heated blanket under the fabric layer. I don't think this would pose any more of a fire hazard than a heated blanket normally would. (Which is to say not much, but if you find yourself on fire I was wrong.)
-Olaf

[derte84]

Actually the amplifier is almost an heater :)

[foodcity1234]

cool! can you make a version of it for a regular wall, but with some storage on the sides?

[derte84]

Yes, It should be easier

[foodcity1234]

i dont even need the wiring or anything. just the frame design and the cushion design

[lpkid1057]

how did you know the length of the curved board? Did you just attach it to one end and then bend it into place and then cut it?

I suppose you can use a tape measure along the curve...

[derte84]

I used a rope indeed :)

[lpkid1057]

How did you sew the fabric together on the foam seat? I think that is black fabric sewn around the two layers of foam as you described, right?

It looks really professionally done, so how can I make mine look that good? lol

[derte84]

You need to firs sew the fabric on the reverse side without the foam leaving a part not sewed. Then you reverse the fabric through the not-sewed part (you should get a nice empty fabric bag). Then you need to put the foam inside the fabric bag through the not sewed part. If you keep everything squared it should be quite easy. Then you need to close the not sewed part (I used a zip, but you can also use velcro)

[tinker234]

wow i wonder if i made a middle arm rest that came up a bulit in remote be cool great project

[derte84]

I got one from philips but I broke the big lcd while trying to hack that to add an automatic backlight

[derte84]

I'm searching for a good universal remote for that :)

[joshpaz1]

im moving into a new house n my room doesn't have much space so this gave me a great idea to mcguiver a bed using this method and put my stereo under it! and somehow put the jacks like on a plate screwed into the plywood

[derte84]

Be aware that your stereo will have a lot of dust. I installed a small fan to ventilate the inner box

[wowfabin]

Nice build, how much did it end up costing you?

[derte84]

The fabric + foam were the most expensive parts. Everything was done for 400 euros. But if you choose cheaper fabric and wood you can do that for 300.

[resaxox]

Oh wow, I love this. You should really modify it for a regular wall. It's a fantastic idea! :)
I so adore it.

[derte84]

As soon as I need one I'll make it

[resaxox]

I'll keep an eye out in hopes. :)

[zacharyliles]

Where did you get your foam??

[derte84]

In a store where sell and build sofa, but you can find it also where plastic materials are sold

[cnegrea]

how remote control works?

[derte84]

Well enough to surprise me! I think that it works because of the giant white wall in front of the watchers that reflects the IR signals

[bluenebe]

Wow. That is perfect.

[derte84]

thanks!

[darkclaw42]

 Wow! Just what Ive been needing for the upcoming attic to theater conversion!

[Jezter Long]

 Nice instructable, Thank You.  One question about the Stereo compartment.  Shouldn't that be ventilated?  Cool air in, hot air out?  When You open it after using it do u notice any heat coming out?

[derte84]

 I can also keep it open when using

[silverrowan]

How comfortable is the foam? Do you think this would be adequate to sleep on long term?

[derte84]

It depends on you, it's a quite hard setup. To soft it up you can use wider foam.

[mreusguy]

I followed this article for my cabinet.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/keep_your_pcxboxps3appletv_from_overheating_a_closed_cabinet