The sofa bed itself had been kicking around for a while before Simmons got involved. Bernard Castro, an Italian immigrant who started as an upholsterer’s apprentice, opened his first furniture store in 1931 with $400 in savings and built it into a chain that eventually sold more than five million convertible sofas.
The Great Depression had pushed many families into smaller spaces, so a sofa that could turn into a full-size bed gave people back some of the space they’d lost. By the time Simmons launched its own version less than a decade later, the convertible sofa was already proving itself as practical furniture rather than a novelty.
Simmons leaned into the postwar housing crunch to sell the idea. After World War II, returning soldiers created a serious housing shortage, and a sofa bed offered a way to make room for family or friends without needing a bigger place. Vintage Simmons ads from the early 1950s framed the Hide-A-Bed as an instant extra bedroom, with one 1952 pitch promising your home could be “one bedroom bigger” for the price of a sofa.
The pitch worked because it solved a real problem. Plenty of postwar families were living in modest starter homes with no guest room to spare, and a sofa that could sleep someone overnight without taking up extra square footage made practical sense. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Hide-A-Beds came in dozens of styles and price points, from tweed and velveteen to leather, in shapes ranging from traditional Chesterfield arms to sleeker mid-century lines.
Simmons paired the sofas with its Beautyrest mattress line as an upgrade option, and by the early 1970s the company offered hundreds of fabric choices and a few hundred models, with prices stretching from under $250 to well over $1,000 depending on size and finish. The sofa bed had become standard equipment in a lot of living rooms, especially in smaller city apartments where a dedicated guest room wasn’t realistic.
What eventually pushed the Hide-A-Bed toward the margins wasn’t a single event so much as a slow shift in how people lived. Homes built from the 1980s onward tended to be larger than the postwar starter houses that had made a fold-out couch so useful, often with a spare room to spare already.
At the same time, road trips and family visits increasingly meant a stay at a motel or hotel along the growing interstate highway system, and motor homes gave some families another option entirely. Lighter, cheaper alternatives like futons and air mattresses also chipped away at the market, since they did a similar job without the bulky metal frame and thin mattress that made many Hide-A-Beds less than comfortable for a full night’s sleep.
The photos and ads gathered on this page trace that arc, from the original 1940 Simmons launch through styles from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, including the floral, striped and leather sofas that turned up in living rooms across those decades. Look for the period slogans too, the kind that promised an extra bedroom without the extra mortgage, aimed squarely at families figuring out how to host guests in a smaller home.
The history of vintage Hide-A-Beds (1940)
The New HIDE-A-BED Sofa! An altogether new kind of sofa that glides out lengthwise into a full-length double bed!
SIMMONS PRESENTS its greatest …best-looking …and by far the most original sofa-bed ever made. We call it the Hide-a-Bed…. because it actually hides a bed in the sofa.
Unlike other sofa beds, it pulls out lengthwise. You sleep straight out from the sofa … not across it. You never face the back! The gorgeous part of all this is that the Hide-a-Bed is just as comfortable as a regular bed. You sleep on it with regular head-board effect — in regular bed comfort.
Naturally, this great Hide-a-Bed is blessed with Simmons craftsmanship inside and out. It has a full-length Simmons inner-spring mattress — famous for comfort — with no division in the middle. When not used for sleeping, the mattress gently glides inside the back of the sofa.
See this great Simmons invention today. ‘You’ll be delighted by its simple, graceful lines. You’ll like its compactness, too. For this is one sofa-bed that doesn’t sprawl all over the living room. Comes in authentic designs . . . including Chippendale (shown left), Lawson. Tuxedo, Chesterfield, and Knuckle Arm.
Your favorite furniture and department stores are displaying it now. In a fine selection of fabrics. Prices starting under $100. Love seats, too, at lower prices! (Your dealer will arrange easy payments.)
Don’t just dream about that “extra bedroom” — get one for less than $250! (1951)
This vintage Hide-a-Bed sleeper sofa ad from the ’50s said: “Within 30 seconds, this stunning sofa becomes a sleep-inviting, glorious bed. S-o-o comfortable. And faster than making an ordinary bed!
“You’ll sleep like a non-rolling log! Simmons base construction prevents rolling toward center. Bedding folds right up with sofa.”
Expand your home — overnight! Get an “extra bedroom” with Hide-A-Bed (1952)
No need to let housing costs make you wait for that convenient “extra bedroom.” Tonight your home can be one bedroom “bigger” with a beautiful, blissfully comfortable Hide-A-Bed made only by Simmons.
By day, you’ll have a smart, attractive sofa chosen from a wide range of sizes, styles and fabrics. All yours for only the price of a sofa. $199.00 and up.
Easy does it. In 30 seconds, your stunning sofa glides out into a comfortable bed. Easy to close. too. You fold the bed away completely “made up” and ready to use again. Best of all is the comfort.
You don’t sleep on sofa cushions. You have the regular-bed comfort of a full-length, full-width Simmons innerspring mattress. No rolling toward center, thanks to special Simmons base construction.
Scores of decorator-selected fabric to choose from. Ten different styles. Three sizes… Ultra-modern single settees become single beds at night. In a wide range of sizes to fit any space. Shown: Modern-style Hide-A-Bed in brown tweed. Also in green and red. $249.50.
Only Simmons makes HIDE-A-BED. Another quality product from the House of Simmons … the greatest name in sleep.
Never before a sofa-bed so smart as the new luxury sofa Hide-A-Bed! (1955)
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Old-fashioned Hide-a-Bed sofa (1956)
TRADITIONAL HIDE-A-BED sofa with beautifully sculptured arms, shown here in turquoise brocade fabric. Also available in green, brown, charcoal and persimmon. From $299.50 depending upon choice of fabric.
Only a Hide-A-Bed sofa can give you sofa beauty, plus a famous Beautyrest mattress (1954)
Since a sofabed is an important buy, make sure you don’t get one with a “makeshift mattress.” Remember — only Hide-A-Bed can give you a Deepsleep mattress by Simmons, at no extra cost!
Both mattresses are longer, wider, thicker than you can get on average sofabeds — thanks to Simmons’ exclusive patent. See the many styles, sizes and fabrics of Hide-A-Bed at your Simmons dealer’s!
Modern T-cushion, channel arm Hide-A-Bed with button back and Beautyrest seat cushions. In sage green “Luxury” metallic tweed (as shown), full size: $299.50. Apartment size: $289.50. Also in brown, gold and charcoal. With Beautyrest mattress. $20 extra.
Modern cushion Hide-A-Bed with Beautyrest seat cushions. In gold “Trigger” metallic tweed — also available in brown, olive and charcoal. Full size (as shown): $249.50. Apartment size: $239.50.
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4 retro Hide-a-Bed sofa styles from 1961
Vintage yellow velveteen Hide-A-Bed — as a sofa, then as a pull-out bed (1960s)
Old-fashioned orange sleeper sofa (1965)
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Vintage sofabeds from ’65
Now you can custom-choose just about anything you like with the new 1965 Hide-A-Bed sofas by Simmons.
There’s one styled for every room setting, priced from $199.95 to $695. And in the 1965 Hide-A-Bed, you can even have new spacious, stretch-out Super Size mattresses — including Beautyrest.
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It’s just an elegant sofa. Until Harry and Phyllis miss the last bus. (1968)
When you’re shopping for a sofa, remember your friends. And Mother. And the babysitter. And everyone else who could be staying overnight sometime. Choose a Hide-A-Bed sofa — it’s made only by Simmons.
Every Hide-A-Bed sofa has true living room sofa styling. And what a range — everything from Traditional to Contemporary, Mediterranean to Early American. You have your choice of options, too — the kind of cushion filling you prefer, arm covers and skirting.
You can even get casters — so you can move your Hide-A-Bed sofa. The bed is the most comfortable you’ll find in any convertible sofa. (And the only one with a full-length mattress.) You can have a famous Simmons mattress or the even more luxurious Simmons Beautyrest mattress.
Hide-A-Bed sofas are priced from $200 to about $800. These days, no living room sofa is worth the price unless it hides a bed.
Vintage Simmons Hide-A-Bed sleeper sofa (1968)
It’s just a great-looking sofa. Til you want the Broadhursts to fly in for that football weekend.
Green Olive hide-a-bed sleeper chairs (1969)
It’s just a charming sofa. Til good old Steve hits town.
Good Old Steve. Boyhood Pal. Army Buddy. Your Husband’s Friend. Unheard of that he should stay at a hotel. (Well, at least your husband wouldn’t hear of it.)
So it’s nice that your sofa’s a Hide-A-Bed sofa. The one and only Hide-A-Bed sofa. Made only by Simmons. The one designed with living room style. And so comfortable, too. (No one would guess there’s a bed hiding in there.)
And then there’s that beautiful bonus — The Bed. With the famous Simmons or extra luxurious Simmons Beautyrest mattress. Full-length too, so Old Steve can stretch out. And that’s a Simmons exclusive. (We even have super-size mattresses in some Hide-A-Bed models.)
Living room furniture for the way we live now (1970)
Urban. That’s how we are now. City people in city-size houses. Giving up the luxury of country kitchens and extra bedrooms for the special luxury of Being Right There.
That’s what the Hide-A-Bed sofa is for. For City People who want to make the most of not enough space. And want to do it with style. Hide-A-Bed sofas have the style. Traditional.
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Isn’t it nice there’s a bed in it, too? (1972)
The Hide-A-Bed sofa. 250 models. 400 fabrics. Custom options. $240 to $1200. And only the Hide-A-Bed sofa by Simmons can give you a Simmons mattress — Regency or Beautyrest!
8 different types of old sofabed you could get in the 70s
Retro striped Hide-a-Bed living room sofa in a stylish 1970s living room
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Retro floral pattern Hide-A-Bed sofa from 1974
Vintage 1970s leather Hide-A-Bed sofa
Le Mans Hide A-Bed Sofa from Simmons Galaxy Collection (1973)
“We designed this dual-purpose living room for a forward-thinking Minneapolis working couple, living in a new high-rise apartment. Their budget limited them to one bedroom, their devotion to American Indian lore dictated the decor.
“Focal point of the room is, of course, the handsome Le Mans Hide A-Bed Sofa from Simmons Galaxy Collection. Opening to a Queen-size bed for overnight guests and relatives, the simplicity of its tweedy upholstery and its contemporary styling make this a room as cheerful and uncluttered for living and entertaining as it is comfortable for sleeping.” – Donal A O’Donnell, A.I.D. – Director, Interior Design Studios – Dayton’s, Minneapolis, Minnesota
“We promise the Hide-A-Bed Sofa you buy today won’t disappoint you a year from now.” (1974)
Vintage Simmons Hide-A-Bed sofas available in 1975
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4 Responses
How can I buy a Simmons Hide-a-bed? In regular size? Can you email me some information>
I had one in the ’60’s, the quality of a bed made locally that I now have does not meet my needs.
Some of those 70s upholstery choices are just genuinely tragic…
can you get new pillow cushion covering for the simmons hide-a bed old versions