When choosing a sofa, it's easy to get carried away by shape and fabric and forget the main thing — the folding mechanism. It decides how easy the sofa will be to unfold every day, whether the sleeping area stays flat, and whether you need to move furniture away from the wall. The two most popular mechanisms in the MeBelle catalogue are the Eurobook and the Dolphin. Let's look at the difference and where each one fits better.
How the mechanism differs from the sofa's shape
The shape (a straight or a corner sofa) determines how much space the sofa takes up and how it fits into the room layout. The folding mechanism is a separate characteristic: it determines exactly how the sofa turns into a bed. The same shape can have different mechanisms, so it's worth choosing the two parameters separately.
Eurobook: a proven classic for everyday sleeping
The backrest folds down along with the seat, forming a flat, continuous sleeping area with no gaps or steps — that's why the Eurobook is most often chosen by people who plan to sleep on the sofa regularly, not just put up guests once every few months. Unfolding the sofa is simple: move it slightly away from the wall and pull the seat towards you. There's usually a bedding compartment under the seat.
At MeBelle, the Eurobook mechanism is fitted to the CLASSY, GUNNA and MODE models — you can see them all in the Eurobook sofas section.
Dolphin: unfolds without moving it from the wall
In the Dolphin mechanism, the second section of the sleeping area "slides out" from under the main part of the sofa and unfolds on top — so the sofa doesn't need to be moved away from the wall. This is an advantage in rooms where the sofa stands flush against the wall or in a recess and every centimetre of free space counts.
In the MeBelle catalogue the Dolphin mechanism comes on the ISSA and VINCE models — both in the Dolphin sofas section.
What about the accordion and the book?
Other mechanisms are found on the market too — the accordion (unfolds like a concertina, compact when folded) or the classic book. They're workable options, but weighing ease of unfolding, a flat sleeping area and reliability for everyday use, MeBelle settled on the Eurobook and the Dolphin — they're simpler to use and last longer under intensive daily use.
How to choose a mechanism for your lifestyle
- You sleep on the sofa every day — the Eurobook gives a flat surface with no steps, comfortable for regular sleeping.
- The sofa stands flush against the wall or in a recess — the Dolphin unfolds without having to be moved.
- You need a bedding compartment — both mechanisms have a handy compartment under the seat.
- A corner room or an open-plan layout — often works better with a Dolphin; for straight sofas the Eurobook is more natural (more about shape in the article "A corner or a straight sofa").
If you're also going to choose the sofa's fabric, pay attention to how practical the upholstery is — we wrote about this in the article "Types of upholstery fabric".
Choose a sofa with a convenient folding mechanism, made in-house by MeBelle.
Go to the sofa catalogue →
