Multi-functional sleepers that don’t require a set a swimmer’s lungs to inflate or a posh extra bedroom are often the most gratifying choice for both houseguest and resident alike. So in honor of the 2010 Habitare fair in Helsinki that recently came to a close, I am reminded of the 2009 standout Sofabed design – literally, that is its name – by Harri Koskinen that boomed after it’s debut at the 2009 Habitare fair and 2009 Salone in Milan.

Sofabed. Designed by Harri Koskinen.

Featured in top design blogs Apartment Therapy and Dezeen following its presence in the trade show circuit, Sofabed’s ability to stretch out or contract was an attractive feature to modern design enthusiasts. The clean lines and intuitive folding system comfortably seats three. For sleeping however, the Sofabed can handle up to four guests. The large backrest unfolds into a double-thick bed that looks like a thick bench on four wooden legs, or can be removed completely and made into an extra floor mattress for those more-the-merrier nights. Any way you swing it, the sleeper never looks like a bed pulled out from underneath its sofa haunches. In fact, the pieces come apart and fit together in a dignified manner, with not springs or lumpy mattresses to speak of.

Besides the 2009 fervor it created as the featured piece in the front room of the Harri Koskinen and Friends of Industry Studio booth in Helsinki, Wallpaper magazine awarded Koskinen’s Sofabed the 2010 Best in Domestic Design Award. It comes as a sequel to the Finnish designer’s previous sleeper sofa that he designed in 2000. The dimensions of the upholstered sleeper sofa are 240 x 110 cm (94.5″W x 43.4″D).

Whether you keep it as a sofa or pull it out into its multiple resting possibilities, the Scandinavian-designed Sofabed by Harri Koskinen is a stress-free sight for your living area’s sore eyes – and those of weary, traveling friends.