Short answer: Our Neptune, Orian and Atmosphere Sleeper are designed to be converted by one person, without tools, one seat at a time. We estimate about 20 seconds per seat for Neptune and Orian and about 10 seconds per seat for Atmosphere Sleeper. Atmosphere Sleeper is the quickest because it unfolds onto the floor, while Neptune and Orian open onto legs at regular seating height.
The mechanism is the quick part. What decides whether a sofa bed feels easy is everything around it: clearing the floor, moving a few cushions, and stripping the bedding before you close it again. This guide walks through each step for our three sleepers.
On This Page
- What makes a sofa bed easy to convert?
- Which of our sofa beds is easiest to convert?
- How do you convert a Neptune?
- How do you convert an Orian?
- How do you convert an Atmosphere Sleeper?
- Do you need to remove the cushions?
- Tips for converting smoothly
- Our recommendation
- Explore our sofa beds
What makes a sofa bed easy to convert?
Whatever the brand, five things decide how much effort a conversion takes. This is general advice for comparing any sofa bed, not a product specification.
- Number of steps: fewer separate actions means less to remember at 10 pm with a guest waiting.
- Lifting: a mechanism you can open with both hands and a smooth pull is easier than one that needs you to lift a heavy frame.
- Loose cushions: every pillow you have to move is one more thing to put down and pick up again.
- Floor space: you need clear floor in front of the sofa, so a coffee table often has to move.
- Opening part of the sofa: being able to open one seat for lounging, instead of the whole sofa, saves effort on ordinary evenings.
Our guide to pull-out and fold-down mechanisms explains how the two traditional types differ, and why ours are neither.
Which of our sofa beds is easiest to convert?
All three convert by one person without tools, and each sleeper seat opens on its own. They differ in how many parts you handle and in how high the bed sits.
Which of our sofa beds is easiest to convert?
| At a glance | Neptune | Orian | Atmosphere Sleeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you do | Pull the seat forward, then pull the back cushion over by its handle | Pull the handle to bring the seat forward, then pull the back cushion over | Release the Velcro and unfold the sections onto the floor |
| Time per seat | About 20 seconds | About 20 seconds | About 10 seconds |
| Cushions to move | Lumbar pillow, which can go into the seat compartment | Loose back pillows | None, the cushions stay in place |
| Bed height | Raised on legs | Raised on legs | On the floor |
| Open one seat only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The times describe the mechanism itself, not making up the bed. For a full side-by-side of the three collections, see Neptune vs. Orian vs. Atmosphere Sleeper.
How do you convert a Neptune?
Neptune has the most to it, because each sleeper seat has a storage compartment under it. Our assembly instructions treat the lumbar pillow as part of the routine: it moves into the compartment while the seat is open.
- Clear the floor. Move the coffee table and anything else in front of the sofa out of the way.
- Remove the lumbar pillow from the sleeper seat.
- Pull the sleeper seat forward. The support legs unfold on their own.
- Place the lumbar pillow in the compartment of the sleeper seat.
- Pull the back cushion forward by its handle so it covers the open compartment, then tuck the handle between the seat and back cushions.
- Repeat for each sleeper seat.
A three-seater Neptune opens into a Full-size bed that reaches about 60 inches into the room. The compartment holds about 46 liters, so a mattress topper and bedding can live inside the sofa. Our guide to sofa beds with storage covers where bedding goes in each collection.
How do you convert an Orian?
Orian is our most compact sleeper, because two sleeper seats make a Queen-size bed without any extra modules. The one extra step is the loose back pillows.
- Clear the floor in front of the sofa.
- Move the loose back pillows aside.
- Pull the handle to bring the sleeper seat forward. The legs deploy as the seat unfolds.
- Pull the back cushion forward by its handle to complete the surface, then hide the handles between the cushions.
- Repeat for the second seat if you want the full bed.
Two seats open into a bed of 62 x 80 inches, and a single seat opens to 31 x 80 inches. You can open one seat and leave the other closed. A two-seat Orian reaches 80 inches into the room.
How do you convert an Atmosphere Sleeper?
Atmosphere Sleeper works differently. Each sleeper seat has a loop handle and a fabric hinge, and the sections unfold onto the floor, so the bed sits low instead of on legs. The cushions stay in place, so there is nothing to put aside.
- Release the Velcro that secures the sleeper sections in sofa mode.
- Unfold the section using its loop handle until it lies on the floor.
- Connect the modules. Velcro connectors hold neighboring seats and the ottoman together once they are open, and the sleeper ottoman stores the connectors when they are not in use.
A three-seat configuration gives a sleeping surface of about 88.6 x 59.1 inches, and individual sleeper modules can open on their own. Because the surface sits on the floor, it is the quickest to open, and the bed is also the lowest of the three. With a sleeper ottoman, an Atmosphere Sleeper two-seater reaches about 98 inches into the room.
Do you need to remove the cushions?
It depends on the collection. On Neptune you move only the lumbar pillow, and it fits in the compartment. On Orian you move the loose back pillows aside, and they are relatively compact. On Atmosphere Sleeper the cushions stay integrated, so nothing needs to move.
This matters most for people who convert often. If you open the sofa every week, the collection with the fewest loose pieces is the one you will find easiest to live with. If you convert once or twice a year, the difference hardly counts.
Tips for converting smoothly
Our assembly instructions include a few safety notes for conversion. We have added some everyday habits alongside them.
- Clear the area first. Move tables, bags and anything on the floor before you open a seat.
- Use both hands and move gently. On Neptune, hold the seat from the front or back, not the sides, and keep fingers away from hinges and other moving parts.
- Do not force the mechanism. If something resists, stop, check for a caught cushion or a loose item, and contact us if it still does not move.
- Keep children and pets away while you convert. Children should not operate the mechanism, and the open bed is not suitable for children under 5 years old.
- Respect the weight limit. Each Neptune and Orian seat module is designed to support up to 350 lb. On Neptune, a single bed is for one user and a double bed for two.
- Strip the bed before you close it. Take off sheets, topper and loose bedding first. Our guide to cleaning and maintaining a sleeper sofa covers this step in detail.
- Keep the Sleep Kit handy. On Neptune, the Sleep Kit is a mattress topper that adds cushioning and helps smooth the sleeping surface. Storing it in the seat compartment means it is there when a guest arrives.
Our recommendation
Choose by how you will use it, not only by the seconds.
- Quickest conversion, nothing to move: Atmosphere Sleeper, at about 10 seconds per seat on the floor.
- A raised bed that is easier to get out of: Neptune or Orian, which sit at regular seating height.
- Bedding stored inside the sofa: Neptune, where the lumbar pillow and the Sleep Kit topper can go into the compartment.
- A Queen bed from a compact sofa: Orian, with two seats and no ottoman.
- Frequent guests: the collection with the fewest loose pieces, so conversion stays a one-minute job.
For help matching a sleeper to your room, our guides on sofa bed sizes and how much space a sofa bed needs show what to measure first.
Explore our sofa beds
Product specifications can change. Check the current dimensions on the product page before ordering.