Make my bed... disappear - Does Murphy bed (wall bed) work?

December 27, 2015 4:23 PM

Live in a Brooklyn apartment and have been considering a Murphy bed (wall bed). Looking to get the best bang for buck (hopefully under 2k). Should I be looking for a carpenter or can I get something sturdy that can be assembled? Is there a semi-custom option? We don't want something that will break in 6 months to a year. Any thoughts or suggestions on pitfalls? Where or how should we look?

We have a queens sized bed. Mattress is about 11" thick.

We have an office/ bedroom in our apt. We would like to utilize all the space and make this smaller bedroom double as a family room. We're thinking of building a bench into the bed so we can sit when it's folded into the wall.

posted by demonstartivepapadonous to Home & Garden (9 answers total)

I haven't checked the NYC listings, but Craigslist in SF usually has listings for Murphy beds that people need to sell (or, in some cases, even give away for free). I saw a listing here the other day for a high end bed, with bookcases on each end, for $300. It might be worth checking. Then you'd just have to pay to have it moved and installed.
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:43 PM on December 27, 2015

(Here's one in Park Slope for $775).
posted by three_red_balloons at 4:46 PM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

There are instructions for doing this with a Next Bed Kit for Murphy beds and three kinds of builds with Ikea components: Herbie, Jerry, Instructables with sliding doors. There's actually an entire gallery of many different styles and approaches on Pinterest. It comes out at under 2K.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:19 PM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

One problem with a Murphy bed that I sleep on occasionally: it folds down in such a way that one person, if two people are in it, has to sleep against the wall, and kinda tucked into the structure the bed folds into. It makes it difficult to get out of bed without waking up the other person.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:22 PM on December 27, 2015

I've been trying to convince my husband to put one of these Hardwood Artisans wall beds in our spare room since we were in the showroom looking at something else entirely years ago. They are pricey, but deliveries within 300 miles include installation (outside that range, installation is at an hourly rate).
posted by crush-onastick at 8:21 PM on December 27, 2015

Just brief: with respect to the 2-person problem above, some Murphy beds fold down the long way so the pivot is at the head or foot so nobody is "trapped". That's the kind I used to have, worked brilliantly. Bought an "all the metal parts" kit online, assembly was a fairly easy 2-person job (but beware the springs, they hold a lot of energy when engaged!). Loved it.
posted by aramaic at 12:17 AM on December 28, 2015

We have amuch-used murphy bed, but it was pricey (about $6K, like these--I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company that made ours). We've had only good experiences with it. So much so, in fact, that we pretty consistently wonder aloud why we didn't invest in it sooner (we live in a 600 sq ft house and it opened up so much space). The delivery folks assembled it for us and very securely bolted it into the wall (we're in earthquake lands). Purchase price included a slim, lightweight foam mattress. The mattress (and blankets) buckle down to the assembly, so rolling it up/out is really quick.

I like it better than the fold out kind because, as aramaic mentions, some fold out models use high tension springs that make me a little nervous. The rotating kind is just on casters, no tension involved. Also, beds using compact wooden slats instead of wooden box springs or what have you are really common (and comfortable) now. It's really brought the comfort level of murphies up a notch or two.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 11:51 AM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was researching murphy beds awhile go and while I can't recommend personally I thought these Lori Wall Bed plans looked promising for a cheap option.
posted by nanhey at 3:45 PM on December 28, 2015

I don't have direct experience with this but have been very happy with most of my Lee Valley purchases.

They sell hardware kits and plans
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:26 PM on January 2, 2016