Guide hub

Murphy bed buyer guides by the real question you are searching.

Start with the buying question you actually have: what size fits the wall, whether a cabinet bed or a wall bed is right, whether the mattress is included, and how much room the bed reaches into when it is down.

Already know the shape of what you need?

Start with our top picks

Thirteen Murphy beds and wall beds grouped by how the room is used, each with the fit numbers that decide the purchase.See all the picks →

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1. Choose the situation

Home office, guest room, kids' room, or studio — how the room is used sets the style.

2. Check the fit

Folded depth, open projection, ceiling clearance, and mattress thickness limit.

3. Pick from the shortlist

Use the picksonce the buying question is clear.

Comparison matrixAll thirteen beds side by side — size, style, mattress, and footprint.Product fit mapEvery model routed to a buyer situation and the guide that proves the fit.

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By size

Queen, full, and twin buyer guides — which size actually fits the wall you have and the mattress you want.

Size guideTwin Murphy Beds: Vertical and Horizontal Wall Beds for Small RoomsTwin Murphy beds suit rooms short on floor, low on ceiling, or sleeping two kids. Here's how to choose vertical vs horizontal, and single vs dual cabinets.Size guideFull-Size Murphy Beds: Wall Beds for Guest Rooms and OfficesA full-size Murphy bed sleeps one adult comfortably and uses less wall than a queen. Here's when full is the right size and which models actually fit.

By configuration

Cabinet bed, wall bed, desk combo, sofa combo, horizontal or vertical — the daytime setup that lives on the floor.

Configuration guideMurphy Bed with a Desk: Wall Beds That Fold Down Over a WorkspaceA Murphy bed with a desk hides a real bed behind a workspace, so one room is a home office by day and a bedroom by night. Here's how to pick the right one.Configuration guideQueen Murphy Cabinet Beds: Fold-Away Queen Beds with No Wall MountingA queen Murphy cabinet bed folds a real queen mattress into a chest-height cabinet — no anchoring, no tall ceiling. Here's when it is the right pick for you.Configuration guideMurphy Bed with a Couch: Sofa Wall Beds for Studios and DensA Murphy bed with a couch hides a queen or full bed behind a real sofa — sofa by day, bed by night. Here's how the mechanism works and what to check first.Configuration guideMurphy Cabinet Beds: How Fold-Into-a-Chest Beds WorkA Murphy cabinet bed folds a real bed into a chest-height cabinet with no wall drilling and no tall ceiling. Here's how they work and who should buy one.Configuration guideHorizontal Murphy Beds: Side-Folding Wall Beds for Low WallsA horizontal Murphy bed folds sideways instead of down, so low walls, attics, and dormers still work. Here's how they work and when you should buy one.Configuration guideMurphy Beds with Storage: Drawers, Shelves, and Side CabinetsA Murphy bed with storage packs drawers, shelves, or side cabinets into the bed wall. Here's how to read the three layouts and pick the right one for you.Configuration guideVertical Murphy Beds: Ceiling Clearance and Fold-Up Wall BedsA vertical Murphy bed folds up into a full-height wall cabinet. Here's the ceiling clearance math and when vertical beats a horizontal or cabinet bed.

By space

Small rooms, studios, home offices, and guest rooms — matching the bed to how the room is used.

Space guideMurphy Beds for Small Rooms: Fit a Real Bed in Tight SpaceA Murphy bed for a small room buys back real floor space. Here's how to plan the fit under 120 square feet, measuring both folded depth and open projection.

Decision help

Worth it? Mattress included? Vs a sofa bed? The questions people search right before they buy.

Decision guideMurphy Beds with a Mattress Included: What Comes in the BoxA Murphy bed with a mattress included ships as one product, so there is no separate mattress hunt. Here's what actually arrives and how well it sleeps.Decision guideHow Much Is a Murphy Bed? Price Tiers and What Drives CostWhat a Murphy bed costs depends on size, style, mattress inclusion, and build quality. Here are the three price tiers and what actually drives the number.Decision guideIs a Murphy Bed Worth It? When It Pays Off and When to SkipA Murphy bed is worth it when one room has to do two jobs and the bed gets real use. Here's the honest breakdown, plus when you should skip it entirely.Decision guideMurphy Bed vs Wall Bed vs Cabinet Bed: What's the Difference?Murphy bed, wall bed, and cabinet bed get used interchangeably online, but they are not the same thing. Here's how each one actually differs, and which fits.

Before you pick a guide

What is the difference between a Murphy bed and a wall bed?

In everyday use the two names describe the same thing: a bed that stores upright against a wall or inside a cabinet and folds down for sleeping. "Murphy bed" is the older, more searched term, and "wall bed" is what most current manufacturers print on the box. Where the words start to matter is the mounting: some fold down from a frame anchored to the wall or floor, while cabinet beds are freestanding boxes that need no anchoring at all.

How much floor space does a Murphy bed actually need?

Two separate numbers decide this, and buyers usually check only the first. Folded depth is how far the closed cabinet sticks out from the wall, which sets how much room you lose every day. Open projection is how far the bed reaches into the room once it is down, which is roughly the length of the mattress plus the frame. Measure both against your floor plan before you commit, because a bed can clear the wall and still block a doorway when open.

Do Murphy beds come with a mattress?

Often they do not, and the listing does not always make that obvious. Many wall beds ship as the cabinet and mechanism only, leaving you to buy a mattress separately within a thickness limit the frame can still fold shut on. Cabinet beds are more likely to include one because the mattress has to fold with the unit. Check the thickness ceiling before buying any mattress, since a mattress that is too tall will stop the bed from closing.

Can you put a Murphy bed in a rental without drilling into the wall?

A freestanding cabinet bed is the usual answer here. Because it carries its own weight in the box rather than transferring it into a wall, it needs no studs, no wall anchors, and no ceiling clearance, so it leaves nothing to patch when you move out. Traditional wall beds that mount to framing are the ones to avoid in a rental unless your lease allows the hardware and you are willing to repair the wall later.