Five Compact Alternatives to the Murphy Bed
Mark Twain’s classic advice to “buy land, they don’t make it anymore” is evergreen, but for many modern people there is an option that boggles the mind: buy a house with more rooms, because they are difficult to add later. About 18% of homeowners feel their home is too small , which often leads to the creation of hybrid spaces—rooms that need to serve double (or triple!) function: a guest room and an office, storage area, game room or some other purpose .
If you find that you need to use a guest room or bedroom for secondary purposes, arranging the space can be a challenge: a bed in the center of your office may feel cramped (and make Zoom calls awkward), as an example. The classic solution for a hybrid bedroom is a Murphy bed that extends away from the wall. A built-in Murphy bed offers clean lines and quick transformation when you need a bed , but Murphy beds aren’t suitable for every space. If you want a bed that can be put away, but a Murphy bed doesn’t solve your problem, here are some alternatives.
Ceiling beds
Ideal for: When you need every inch of floor space.
Murphy beds fold into the wall, freeing up floor space when you need it, but if your guest room or hybrid bedroom is very small, even that may not be an option. If you need all the space there, a bed that rises to the ceiling may be a better choice because it frees up all the floor space for other uses until you need the bed, which then lowers into place.
However, these beds are difficult to find in the United States. Ori creates sleek, app-controlled beds that rise to the ceiling, but they’re usually only found in custom-designed apartments and aren’t easily purchased individually. Bedaway makes amazing overhead beds, but it doesn’t have any resellers in the US. But you can find beds like this if you’re looking for them, and it might be worth it if you have a tiny space.
Bag bed
Ideal for: Children’s playrooms.
If the hybrid space you need to convert into a bedroom is where the kids come to burn off excess energy, a bean bag chair is the perfect piece of furniture. With no sharp edges and flexibility, the beanbag is perfect for babies to lounge, jump and use as they see fit. A bean bag bed is a great alternative for these types of spaces because it excels at doing all the things bean bag chairs do and then springs up with a perfectly beautiful bed whenever you need it. It is ideal for creating a guest bedroom without losing important children’s space.
Cabinet bed
Ideal for: When a built-in module is a bad idea.
Sometimes a Murphy bed is the right idea, but you might not want to make permanent changes to the space (or won’t be able to if you’re renting). In these situations, a wardrobe bed —essentially a freestanding Murphy bed as a piece of movable furniture—would be the right choice. These beds provide useful storage when not in use and can be transported to a new home if you move without risking your deposit.
Horizontal Murphy
Ideal for: When you have low ceilings, such as in a basement.
If you like the idea of a Murphy bed or closet bed, but don’t have the ceiling height for a traditional bed (common in finished basements), a horizontally oriented Murphy double bed or closet bed can save the day. Because these beds slide out laterally, they only require a few feet of vertical clearance, so even your basement with seven-foot ceilings will do.
Loft bed
Ideal for: When you don’t want to transform yourself every evening.
One of the disadvantages of any trundle or hidden bed is the labor involved in deploying it. Removing a bed may not seem like much work, but if you have to do it every single day, it can become tedious, especially if you have to rearrange and clean the room every time you do it. A loft bed is a good compromise in these situations: it’s a stationary bed, so it doesn’t have to be pulled out and stacked up, but still leaves space underneath for any other use.