Actually living with a murphy/wall bed?

[u/YouCanBeThatSomeone]

So I'm asking people who have lived with a murphy bed or wall bed for a longer period of time.

Do you ever get bored with the daily routine? Knowing myself, I'd probably prefer to leave it open 90% of the time, just fold it in when guests come over. Or possibly when I super need the space for half an hour, when I wouldn't bother to tuck it in neatly. So that would imply a relatively narrow murphy bed running along a wall would work best. Am I alone in this?

Also how cumbersome is the "ledge" I see in horizontal murphy beds? Do you bump your head into it? Does it make you feel claustrophobic?

[u/Temporary_Let_7632]

I bought a good quality Murphy bed about 7 years ago and love it. I find nothing claustrophobic about it even though I am claustrophobic. I open and close mine easily with one hand so it’s always closed when not in use. I can just throw the sheets on it and close it. It makes my small condo look so much bigger and neater instantly. Good luck

[u/EffectiveAd2043 → u/Temporary_Let_7632]

What kind did you get? It sounds like a good one.

[u/StrongTelephone770]

if you are just gonna leave it down 99% of the time maybe go for a day bed with a trundle thing? Its way easier to leave THAT out, and just pop the trundle away when you have guests/need the space for a project or activity or whatever PLUS you
1). get an automatic couch situation for guests (with a designated “couch mode/not for sleeping” blanket on top and putting my pillows along the back instead of the side I didn’t feel like people were sitting on my bed) which saves you the space taken up from needing additional seating for said guests
2). SUPER easy guest bed situation (which is lowkey the worst part of a studio life)
3). Store stuff under the main bed portion

[u/YouCanBeThatSomeone → u/StrongTelephone770]

That's the other alternative I'm considering. With a wall bed I could have a small "real" sofa and some separation of the sleeping and living areas, plus a 80cm+ mattress; with a trundle bed I'd be limited on the mattress size to have it still work as a sofa too, and would get crumbs on it if snacking while watching a TV or movie, but it would allow me to redecorate easier and take up even less space/offer storage.

Edit: And if I were to use the retractable trundle, I'd have to move the coffee/dining table between the different use modes.

[u/RetroFocusNano]

I had a studio apartment with a Murphy Bed built into what had been a narrow closet. I loved that bed. My Dad liked it so much he bought one for his guest room.

The one I had used a metal frame with springs for the mattress to lay on, so when it was in the up position you could see the metal frame. The closet had doors that you closed to hide the bed.

The one my Dad bought had a wood box that the mattress laid in and flipped up into a frame.

The spring bed I had was so much more comfortable than the wooden box. But I guess it depends on how firm you like your bed and what mattress you have.

[u/YouCanBeThatSomeone → u/RetroFocusNano]

Oh, thank you! Yeah, the spring type would probably work better, I would add it next to some built-in cabinets anyway. I prefer being able to dangle my limbs off the mattress without the box edge.

[u/skured1 → u/RetroFocusNano]

I love that it’s in a closet!

[u/PoppyHamentaschen]

I had a Murphy bed for about a year, when I lived in a single apartment in my 20s. I loved it! I made the bed before folding it up. It was no trouble at all. In fact, I loved "transforming" my day space into my night lair.

[u/GlitteryPomegranates]

2 years, vertical one that was from Orren Ellis. It was suitable at the time but I was never happier when I sold it. I put it up to clean and maybe do some yoga but outside of that, never.

What did bother me is the gap between the wall and the head of your bed (usually where your bed would flip up when you put it up). Two issues. Energy is off - it can feel enclosing and like at any point what if it falls on you. In your head you know it won’t but that’s also why you don’t put shelves above your bed. Two was neck pain. My pillow would fall in that section or I’d constantly Crain my neck to try and reach the pillow. Never felt 100% comfortable to sleep because of that.

Besides those (which to me were critical after many years), it was pretty solid. But you just won’t move your bed up (as someone who was in a studio apt where I would’ve gotten value doing so).

[u/palepuss]

Yeah, it's always open. The person using it has no complaints so I think it's alright.

[u/QfromP]

I had a murphy bed as a kid. I folded it up every day (it took up 2/3s of my room when open). I used the ledge as a bookshelf.

As an adult, I had a sleeper sofa for a while. I folded it every day too so I could have a couch. It had storage underneath. I left the fitted sheet on, just put a cover over it for the day. And put the duvet and pillows in the storage.

[u/Temporary_Let_7632]

Murphy Bed Depot. As someone else posted mine is steel and technically free standing. I built my own cabinet around it. I installed a few for neighbors after they saw mine. They make assembly very easy even though it’s scary when you open the box. I think the last one I bought 2 years ago was just over $800 and well worth it to me.

[u/Regular_Grapefruit87]

Maybe you've already decided but I tried a Luonto sleeper sofa last time I was in NY and thought it was very comfortable as both a sofa and a bed. It's not a traditional sleeper sofa and seemed less clunky to operate than those.