This week, we will take a look at a piece of antique Colony furniture from the 1866 Jacobson House:  the dra-sofa. Unique to Scandinavia, the dra-sofa is a vintage version of a hide-a-bed.  The dra-sofa served as a sofa for daytime use.  A hinged lid would be lifted from the seat when needed for a bed.  Under the lid, the front panel was connected to a pull-out box storing straw or feather-tick mattresses that would be used for sleeping in the box.  These wooden dra-sofas would be constructed of walnut.  Styles differed from spindle backs or solid backs.  Usually “arm rests” would be designed on these for when used as daytime sofa. 

After the Colony time, the dra-sofa often would be made into a storage bench eliminating the pull-out feature.