7 Best Murphy Wall Beds For Maximizing Space That Serve Multiple Needs
More than a bed: our top space-saving picks.
That spare room is the hardest-working space in your home. It needs to be a home office by day, a yoga studio on weekends, and a welcoming guest room on holidays. The problem is, a traditional bed is a space monopoly, claiming 40 square feet of floor space 24/7, whether it’s being used or not. This is where the modern Murphy bed changes the entire equation.
A wall bed isn’t just about hiding a mattress. It’s about reclaiming your square footage and giving a room multiple identities. The right one can transform a cramped studio into a functional living room and bedroom, or turn a cluttered office into a legitimate guest suite. It’s a strategic piece of furniture that multiplies the utility of your most valuable asset: your space.
But choosing one isn’t simple. You’re not just buying a bed; you’re choosing a desk, a sofa, or a set of bookshelves that happen to contain a bed. The key is to stop thinking about what the room is when the bed is down, and start focusing on what you need it to be when the bed is up. That shift in perspective is the first step to finding the perfect multi-functional solution.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Find Your Perfect Space-Saving Murphy Bed
Choosing a Murphy bed starts with a simple question: what is this room’s main job? If it’s an office 95% of the time, you need a solution that prioritizes a functional workspace. If it’s your primary living room, a comfortable, integrated sofa is non-negotiable. Don’t get distracted by the bed itself; focus on the "other" function first.
Once you know the primary use, you can narrow down the technical details. These are the big three considerations that will dictate your options:
- Primary Use: Defines the integrated feature (desk, sofa, shelves, or just a clean cabinet face).
- Lift Mechanism: Piston-lift systems offer a smooth, quiet, and controlled motion. Spring-lift systems are often more adjustable to mattress weight but can require more effort to operate.
- Orientation: A vertical bed is the classic choice, great for rooms with high ceilings. A horizontal (or landscape) bed is the perfect solution for spaces with low ceilings, like basements or lofts.
The biggest mistake people make is underestimating the cabinet and installation. A flimsy particleboard cabinet won’t withstand the daily forces of opening and closing a heavy bed, and improper anchoring to the wall is a serious safety hazard. The quality of the cabinet and the security of its installation are just as important as the comfort of the mattress.
Bestar Lumina: Your Ultimate Home Office Bed
Transform your space with this full Murphy bed featuring an integrated desk. It smoothly folds away to reveal a comfortable sleeping area and a convenient workspace, perfect for guest rooms or home offices. The dual-mount system ensures stability, and built-in LED lights offer added functionality.
The home office that doubles as a guest room is a modern necessity. The Bestar Lumina is designed specifically for this reality. It seamlessly combines a queen-sized wall bed with a desk and storage towers, creating a complete, functional office that doesn’t feel like a temporary setup.
Its standout feature is the integrated desk mechanism. When you lower the bed, the desk surface pivots and tucks underneath the bed frame, all while remaining perfectly parallel to the floor. This means you don’t have to clear off your laptop, monitors, or papers to make room for guests. That single feature eliminates the biggest point of friction in a dual-use office space.
This is a substantial piece of furniture, not a simple fold-out bed. It requires significant wall space and a solid, well-supported wall for mounting. Think of it less as a piece of furniture you add to a room and more as a built-in system that defines the room’s function. For those committed to a permanent, high-functioning home office and guest space, it’s an elegant and powerful solution.
Lori Wall Bed: Your Minimalist Shelf & Bed
Transform your space with this Queen size Murphy bed, seamlessly folding into a stylish cabinet. Enjoy integrated storage with two five-layer cabinets and a comfortable mattress support system, perfect for maximizing any room's utility.
Not every solution needs complex pistons or springs. The Lori Wall Bed is a testament to clever, simple design. It operates on a manual lift system, using rounded "rocker" feet at the base of the bed frame to help you guide it to the floor and back up again. It’s a refreshingly low-tech approach.
This simplicity is its greatest strength. With no mechanical parts to fail, it’s incredibly reliable. When the bed is folded up, the underside of the bed frame features built-in shelving, turning a hidden bed into a functional and stylish display or storage unit. Many models come in unfinished wood, giving you complete freedom to paint or stain it to match your decor.
Let’s be practical: lifting a mattress and frame without mechanical assistance requires physical effort. This isn’t the right choice for everyone. But for DIYers, minimalists, and those on a tighter budget, the Lori Wall Bed offers an affordable, customizable, and reliable way to reclaim a room. It proves that a great design doesn’t have to be complicated.
Adam Sofa Wall Bed: Your Living Room Transformer
Transform your small space with this queen Murphy bed, featuring a built-in sofa and integrated USB charging with LED lighting. Effortlessly fold away the bed and mattress in seconds, revealing a comfortable seating area and convenient storage.
In a studio or a small one-bedroom apartment, you face a tough choice: a real sofa or a real bed? A sofa wall bed argues that you can, and should, have both. This system integrates a comfortable, full-size sofa directly into the Murphy bed cabinet.
The transformation is remarkably efficient. You simply remove the back cushions, pull a handle, and the bed platform unfolds down over the base of the sofa. In under a minute, your living room becomes a fully functional bedroom with a proper mattress. It’s the ultimate two-for-one for single-room living.
The critical factor here is that neither the bed nor the sofa can feel like a compromise. These units are significant investments, so you must evaluate them on two fronts: is the sofa comfortable enough for daily lounging, and is the bed mechanism robust enough for regular use? When you find the right one, it doesn’t just save space; it fundamentally changes how you can live in that space.
BredaBeds Urban: Your Low-Ceiling Solution
Ceiling height is a non-negotiable constraint. In basements, attics, or rooms with prominent ductwork, a traditional vertical Murphy bed simply won’t fit. The horizontal wall bed, like the BredaBeds Urban series, is the purpose-built solution for this exact problem.
By mounting the bed sideways, the entire unit is shorter and requires far less vertical clearance to swing open. This design can make the difference between a functional guest room and a room that can’t house a bed at all. The space above the cabinet is also perfect for a long shelf or additional storage, maximizing every inch.
The trade-off is wall width. A horizontal bed requires a longer, uninterrupted stretch of wall than a vertical one. It also means one person will be sleeping against the wall, which can be inconvenient. But for a specific architectural challenge, it’s not just a good option; it’s often the only option.
Library Murphy Bed: Hide Your Bed in Plain Sight
Maximize your space with this full Murphy wall bed in black, featuring an easy-lift piston system and two integrated bookshelves. It smoothly folds away to reveal display shelves, perfect for multi-use rooms. Accommodates most standard full mattresses for everyday comfort and durability.
For some spaces, the goal isn’t just to save space, but to make the bed completely disappear. The library Murphy bed is the master of disguise. It hides the bed behind a pair of functional, fully-loaded bookcases that slide apart to reveal the sleeping platform.
This is true multi-functional design. The shelves are not decorative; they are robust and can be filled with books, decor, and anything else you’d put on a normal bookshelf. You don’t have to empty them to use the bed. This makes it the perfect choice for a formal den, home library, or living room where you want no visual clue that a guest bed is present.
Be realistic about the requirements. A library bed is one of the heaviest, most complex, and most expensive systems available. It requires a huge footprint and a rock-solid, professional installation. This is a high-commitment piece for those who value seamless aesthetics and concealed utility above all else.
Easy-DIY Kit: Build Your Custom Murphy Bed
Sometimes an off-the-shelf solution just won’t work. The nook is too narrow, the ceiling is too low, or you want to perfectly match existing custom cabinetry. A DIY Murphy bed hardware kit gives you the core components and the freedom to build the rest yourself.
Transform your space with this USA-made Queen DIY Murphy Bed Hardware Kit. Its vertical, hide-away design and smooth lift mechanism create a multifunctional room, perfect for saving space. Detailed instructions and lifetime warranty ensure a confident DIY build.
A typical kit includes the powerful spring or piston lifting mechanism, the pivot hardware, and a set of detailed construction plans. You supply the lumber and the labor. This path allows you to choose your materials, from high-end plywood to affordable melamine, and build a cabinet that fits your space to the millimeter.
This is a serious woodworking project that demands precision and a healthy respect for safety. The forces involved in a Murphy bed mechanism are immense, and a poorly constructed unit is a danger. However, for the skilled DIYer, a kit offers the ultimate in customization and can often be a more affordable route to a perfect-fit solution.
Kali Duo Sofa: Your Ultimate Luxury Wall Bed
When design, engineering, and space optimization must meet at the highest level, you enter the world of high-end Italian systems like the Clei Kali Duo Sofa. This isn’t just a bed in a wall; it’s a piece of precision-engineered, transforming furniture. It represents the pinnacle of what a wall bed can be.
These systems offer functionality that standard models can’t, like a sofa that converts into a set of bunk beds, sleeping two people in the footprint of a small couch. The mechanisms are patented, counter-balanced, and impossibly smooth. The fit and finish are that of luxury furniture, designed to be the focal point of a modern, design-forward space.
This level of engineering and design comes at a premium. It’s an investment in a complete spatial system, not just a piece of furniture. For micro-apartments, high-end guest suites, or any space where every square inch must perform flawlessly and look stunning, the Kali Duo line demonstrates the true transformative power of a well-designed wall bed.
Ultimately, the "best" Murphy bed is the one that makes your room more useful when you’re awake. The bed itself is secondary. The real prize is the open floor space, the functional desk, the comfortable sofa, or the beautiful library that you get to use every single day.
Think of it as a long-term investment in the flexibility of your home. By choosing a system that serves your primary need—be it work, relaxation, or storage—you’re not just adding a bed. You’re adding an entirely new dimension of utility to your room.
So before you measure for a mattress, measure your daily life. Define what you need your space to do for you, and then find the wall bed that makes it happen. That’s how you turn a single-purpose room into the multi-functional heart of your home.
