How to Add a Murphy Bed

There may come a time when your nest is empty or you happen to have a spare room in your house that you’d like to use as a guest room, but not 24/7/365. Using spare rooms for multiple purposes is always the best idea rather than letting a guest room go dormant for the better part of the year. Instead of taking up a large amount of real estate in your guest room with a bed, a murphy bed is the smartest option as far as use of space is concerned. Here are five easy steps for adding a murphy bed to your spare room.

Pick a Room

Believe it or not, a spare room may not actually be the best room in which to install a murphy bed! If you only host guests for a few weeks out of the year, then using your spare room for more pragmatic year-round purposes may be more appropriate. Figure out which room in your house is best suited for a built-in bed. Space-wise, you may find that a bigger room, such as a living room or your workout area, is a more usable spot for a murphy bed.

Consult a Pro

Murphy Beds require little to no demo. You may need to remove baseboard trim if your Murphy Bed does not include a baseboard cutout. Consult a professional if you need help determining where your studs are located or if you have another type of wall such as brick or plaster.

Choose your Design

Now that you know where your murphy bed will go, you can begin to dream up the design for it. Will the exterior have a facade that appears to be a different piece of furniture that extrudes into the room or will it simply look like a built-in door that’s flush with the wall? What size and style will the bed be? What kind of wood will it be crafted from? All important points of consideration.

Pick an Expert

Have a murphy bed expert come out and make plans to build your bed. This is best left to those in the know. DIY-ing this process can cause irreparable damage to your home if you’re not a seasoned murphy bed expert yourself.

Build the Bed

If you build it, they will come...the houseguests that is! You may actually love your new bed so much that you sleep it in yourself from time to time. Do make sure you “air it out” every now and then and if you keep the bedding on, be sure to wash so it's fresh for your guests.

You now have a unique and handy murphy bed at your disposal. Not only is it perfect for hosting guests, but it also makes a great selling feature should you choose to sell your home sometime in the future. Win, win! That being said, you could always take it with you.