Murphy bed advice?
March 31, 2013 6:12 PM Subscribe
Any advice on buying a Murphy bed?
I'm considering a Murphy bed. But since what I am seeing online is fairly spendy I thought I'd better seek counsel.
so..Do you have one? Where did you get it? Would you buy it again? Any issues with the bed after installing?
Also, any experience with the hardware kits?
Thanks!
I'm considering a Murphy bed. But since what I am seeing online is fairly spendy I thought I'd better seek counsel.
so..Do you have one? Where did you get it? Would you buy it again? Any issues with the bed after installing?
Also, any experience with the hardware kits?
Thanks!
Got one from Costco on sale for $1000 (delivery included - mattress not included). It took a few hours to install and guests have been happy to use it.
posted by aroberge at 6:38 PM on March 31, 2013
posted by aroberge at 6:38 PM on March 31, 2013
This is more or less what my bed looked like. A more conventional Murphy bed wouldn't end up with the weird closet behind the sleeper.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:41 PM on March 31, 2013
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:41 PM on March 31, 2013
Best answer: I had an apartment with an old Murphy bed and really disliked it. In addition to the weird open-closet thing that the corpse in the library mentions, I found it to be the opposite of convenient. I couldn't use the Murphy bed closet for storage, and I couldn't store anything under my bed if I wanted to ever put it away. And if I did put it away, it's not like I could have put anything in its place, because I'd just have to take it out again.
For context, this was a studio apartment, and I was the person using the bed. If you're getting a Murphy bed for guests, you probably won't have the same complaints.
posted by Metroid Baby at 7:26 PM on March 31, 2013
For context, this was a studio apartment, and I was the person using the bed. If you're getting a Murphy bed for guests, you probably won't have the same complaints.
posted by Metroid Baby at 7:26 PM on March 31, 2013
Best answer: I would definitely suggest getting the kind of murphy bed that is a stand-alone piece of furniture, and which, when folded up, looks a bit like a wide, shallow armoire.
That's the kind I have, and while I didn't pay for it or install it, it's easy to use, perfectly good to sleep on, and has no "weird open closet" issues.
As a counterpoint, Metroid Baby is right that it's not an ideal space saver, because you can't really store things under the bed, and it's not like you can have a whole room's worth of furniture in the room in addition to a murphy bed. It can be useful for other things, though. I like mine because I can stow my bed away to do projects or give my dog more space to romp, or to obscure the fact that you can see my bed from the front door and vice versa. But it's not a perfect solution.
posted by Sara C. at 8:49 PM on March 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
That's the kind I have, and while I didn't pay for it or install it, it's easy to use, perfectly good to sleep on, and has no "weird open closet" issues.
As a counterpoint, Metroid Baby is right that it's not an ideal space saver, because you can't really store things under the bed, and it's not like you can have a whole room's worth of furniture in the room in addition to a murphy bed. It can be useful for other things, though. I like mine because I can stow my bed away to do projects or give my dog more space to romp, or to obscure the fact that you can see my bed from the front door and vice versa. But it's not a perfect solution.
posted by Sara C. at 8:49 PM on March 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was going to build a Murphy bed in our guestroom/study, but before doing so, I did a bit of thinking. (Please note, we only use the bed occasionally for guests, not every night...that's an important consideration.)
Anyhow, my thinking led to the fact that in Murphy's time, there were no high quality inflatable mattresses. Murphy had to get rid of a fixed-size mattress, and he decided it store it vertically.
So I scrapped the Murphy bed idea for a corner couch that I built out of plywood, which I can convert to a very comfortable queen-size bed (for guests), using a high quality inflatable mattress.
If you need something for every night, that must be gone in the day, then my solution is most likely NOT for you.
posted by mbarryf at 6:37 AM on April 1, 2013
Anyhow, my thinking led to the fact that in Murphy's time, there were no high quality inflatable mattresses. Murphy had to get rid of a fixed-size mattress, and he decided it store it vertically.
So I scrapped the Murphy bed idea for a corner couch that I built out of plywood, which I can convert to a very comfortable queen-size bed (for guests), using a high quality inflatable mattress.
If you need something for every night, that must be gone in the day, then my solution is most likely NOT for you.
posted by mbarryf at 6:37 AM on April 1, 2013
we only use the bed occasionally for guests, not every night...that's an important consideration
On the chance that you're considering a murphy bed for everyday use, definitely get one that uses a standard mattress, and wherein the mattress can be removed or replaced just like a regular bed.
posted by Sara C. at 10:03 AM on April 1, 2013
On the chance that you're considering a murphy bed for everyday use, definitely get one that uses a standard mattress, and wherein the mattress can be removed or replaced just like a regular bed.
posted by Sara C. at 10:03 AM on April 1, 2013
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I ended up buying a futon and using that instead, leaving the Murphy bed in the closet.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:35 PM on March 31, 2013