Koala Wanda Sofa Bed Review: Compact Comfort

Chaise can be moved to either side based on your room dimensions. Includes built-in storage under the chaise. Very straightforward setup and sturdy materials.

Foam rails can still be felt despite the included topper. Chaise can’t be retracted. Fabric is prone to pilling, and covers are not washable for the accident-prone.

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

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.

Thankfully, this isn’t my first rodeo with furniture that arrives in a box. The Wanda was designed for easy assembly, with elements that reminded me of the Thuma Bed Frame setup. The legs were hand-screwed into the seat bottoms, and the backrest portion was then stacked and aligned. Koala uses a “slide-and-click” design: Connect each piece by sliding it into metal connectors until you hear a satisfying click. Once everything is connected, it’s not budging—so you at last have a very sturdy piece of furniture on your hands. Which, if the moving alone didn’t prove that, the steel frame, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified MDF (medium-density fiberboard) legs, and recycled polyester upholstery will.

You have four upholstery colors to choose from: Pearl Moon, Morning Fog, Bronzed Aussie, and Olive Butter. I went with Bronzed Aussie, which turned out to be a lovely toasted-caramel color. The upholstery fabric is recycled polyester ticking, resulting in a more nubby texture. Koala’s website and directions make it clear from the jump that this material is prone to pilling. I don’t mind texture, as it helps hide dog hair and little claw marks from my small dogs. While the fabric is stain-resistant, the Wanda is spot-clean only; weekly vacuuming is recommended for upkeep. If you’re used to washable covers, you may want to consider the Koala Byron Sofa Bed, which has machine-washable fabrics and a mattress topper.

We actually went through this exercise twice as we moved the Wanda post-testing to a larger living room, but this stability didn’t hinder the ease with which we unclicked the Wanda and reassembled it. IKEA, you better watch out.

Sleep Mode

Here’s how the Wanda sets up as a bed. Remove the backrest cushions and set them aside. The chaise can be put on either the left or right side, depending on your room’s layout. However, the chaise won’t fold in like a typical sleeper sofa because of the internal storage space. It’s also integral to the queen-size bed's structure. The pull-out portion of the bed resides under the adjoining seats next to the chaise, with handles to help you yank it up and out. It really requires some “oomph” to get it moving, but with practice, it becomes second nature.

This portion extends to align with the chaise, but there are areas where the sofa bed splits and dips. You’ll see this with any other futon or loveseat with removable cushions, but you’re probably not relying on it as a bed either. To remedy this, the Wanda comes with four long, thin foam rails to fill in these gaps, as well as a queen-size mattress pad. All foam used in the Wanda, including the included mattress topper, uses Koala’s Kloudcell foam. This CertiPur-US-certified foam delivers the cushioning and pressure relief that memory foam is known for, without retaining body heat. You simply align these foam rails along the cracks in the surface, then put the topper down to smooth everything out. It’s also there to provide you with extra cushioning for pressure relief and to keep things comfy.

The topper is vacuum sealed upon arrival, and once fully assembled, it’s going to take up most of the room inside the chaise. Storage is the chaise's big draw, so unless you have the Wanda set up as a permanent mattress or daybed, don’t expect to be able to store any blankets or throw pillows.

Up, Down, Side to Side

The chaise and Wanda’s overall space-saving design aren’t its only defining features. The backrest cushions are tilted for easy lounging—which my husband did so often that I had to ask whose office it actually was. The seat portion with the pull-out section also tilts, but we didn’t notice it during testing. To be fair, the majority of the time, we were like moths to a flame with the chaise, which let us sprawl out without the need of an ottoman. However, when set up as a bed, I had a hard time keeping the surface level, with the foam rails still popping up unevenly beneath the mattress topper. The way I had oriented the bed, my upper body was situated atop the tilt seat section, when it probably needed to be over the chaise for more stability to keep those foam rails snug—especially since I move so often in my sleep.

That said, Wanda's motion isolation was pretty great. It didn’t budge or creak, despite my flailing. However, if you’re co-sleeping, you may find that it feels a bit claustrophobic. Since the Wanda is a convertible sofa, the queen-size bed is set up from the side rather than straight on. Think of folding paper “hot dog” versus “hamburger" style from elementary school. I’m more keen on my bed setup being straight, rather than tucked to the side, as is the case with the Wanda. Also, as with a mattress, we have to consider the firmness level. This was a very firm sleep experience, akin to what I’ve felt with extra-firm beds like the Plank Firm. The Kloudcell mattress topper is meant to be an extra comfort layer, but the foam is so thin that it didn’t do much to support my joints while side sleeping. That said, my husband adored the Wanda as the firm feel did wonders for supporting his spine. He suffers from back pain often as a byproduct of mild scoliosis, and I’d often catch him napping in the Wanda.

My only other critique is that I’m unsure how the Wanda is truly a “4-in-1” sofa bed. I can’t glean much of a difference between the daybed and queen-size bed functions, other than keeping the back cushions in place for the daybed, and the theoretical time of day you’d be sleeping on it. Otherwise, it’s a very impressive piece of furniture, regardless of whether you are working with small spaces or not. As a couch, it’s supportive and quite comfortable. As a bed, I’d probably cap the time I’d want to sleep on it at three days, based on firmness alone. But if you’re a firm mattress lover like my husband, you may be able to go even longer. As a mattress tester, I’d recommend not sleeping on it indefinitely for support’s sake, but it would work in the interim if you’re looking for a new bed. If I saw this instead of an air mattress while staying as a guest in a spare room, I’d be stoked. I’d also be pumped to have it as a couch–bed combo for lounging—I’d never leave my house. Way to think outside the box, Koala, because the Wanda is the kind of quality and functionality I’m perpetually on the hunt for.