A custom Murphy bed lets one room do two jobs. Closets For Less designs and installs Murphy beds in Bucks County, Montgomery County and on the Main Line for guest rooms, home offices, basements and small bedrooms. Each bed is designed for your room and built into cabinetry from 3/4” furniture-grade boards, so it looks like furniture when it is closed.
What a Murphy bed is, and why people choose one
A Murphy bed, also called a wall bed, folds up into a cabinet against the wall and folds down when someone needs to sleep. When it is up, the floor is free for a desk, a workout space, a play area or simply more room. When it is down, it is a full-size bed with a real mattress.
Homeowners usually choose one for a room that is used every day for something else:
- A home office that has to host guests a few nights a year.
- A guest room that should also work as a den, craft room or gym.
- A finished basement that sometimes sleeps visiting family.
- A small bedroom where floor space matters more than a bed that is always down.
Custom Murphy beds, built for your room
Because our Murphy beds are custom, we are not limited to one cabinet size or style. The layout, function and placement are designed around your room’s dimensions and how you plan to use it. Some homeowners want the bed to disappear into cabinetry that matches the room. Others want a design that shows off the hardware and finish as a feature wall.
Your Murphy bed can open vertically or horizontally and can be sized for a queen, full or twin mattress. A vertical bed takes less wall width and suits most rooms. A horizontal bed takes less height and fits under a window or a low, sloped ceiling.
Murphy bed with closet storage
The most practical design for a guest room is a Murphy bed with a closet on each side. Tall wardrobe cabinets flank the bed with hanging space, shelves and drawers, so a visiting guest has somewhere to unpack. When the bed is up, the wall reads as one run of built-in cabinetry. This is also a good answer for a bedroom that has a Murphy bed but no closet. Our wardrobe closets page shows the cabinet options.
Murphy beds in offices, bookcases and media walls
A Murphy bed can be part of a larger built-in:
| Built-in | How the bed fits in |
|---|---|
| Home office | The bed sits beside a desk and file storage, so the office stays an office. See home office built-ins. |
| Bookcase wall | Open shelves on each side make the bed cabinet read as a library wall. |
| Entertainment wall | Cabinets for the TV and media on one side of the bed. See home entertainment built-ins. |
| Guest suite | Wardrobe towers, side tables that fold out with the bed, and lighting. |
Lighting, matching side tables and storage cabinets can all be added, and you see the full design in 3D before anything is built.
Murphy beds for Bucks County homes
Many homes in our area have one room that never quite gets used: a small third bedroom in a 1950s ranch, a bonus room over a garage, or a finished basement. A custom Murphy bed turns that room into a usable office or den most of the year and a guest room when you need one. For basements in particular, our guide to storage for a finished basement has more ideas.
Planning a Murphy bed for your room
Before designing, we check three things. First, the wall: a vertical queen bed needs a tall, wide stretch of wall without windows or vents, and the cabinet needs secure anchoring. Second, the floor: when the bed is down, it needs clear floor in front of it, so rugs and furniture have to be planned around it. Third, the use: a bed for occasional guests can sit behind cabinet doors, while a bed used every night should be easy to open and close daily.
Murphy bed or sofa bed?
A sofa bed folds out of a couch and usually has a thin mattress over a metal frame. A Murphy bed uses a standard mattress on a real bed frame, so it sleeps like a regular bed, and when it is up the floor is completely free instead of holding a couch. For a room that hosts guests often, or for anyone who sleeps on it regularly, the Murphy bed is the more comfortable choice.
Materials and finishes
We build Murphy bed cabinets from 3/4” furniture-grade boards with laminate finishes, in a range of colors, wood grains and hardware. The bed cabinet, the side cabinets and any shelving are finished together so the wall looks like one piece of furniture.
A Murphy bed can also be designed with the rest of a room. In an office it can sit next to a desk and file cabinets, and in a basement it can share a wall with a media unit, so one design covers the whole room.
How much a custom Murphy bed costs
Cost depends on the mattress size, the cabinets and storage around the bed, and the finishes and hardware you choose. A bed cabinet alone costs less than a full wall with wardrobes or a desk. We give you a free estimate with your design at the in-home consultation, and our custom closet cost guide explains how built-in pricing works.
