A queen Murphy bed needs about 64 inches of clear wall width and roughly 86 inches of floor in front of it when the bed is down; a full needs about 58 inches of wall and the same floor depth. The wall measurement is the one that rules options out, because a cabinet cannot be trimmed. The in-stock cabinets below run from $526.90 to $1,034.64.
Measure the wall first, then the floor
Start with the clear wall width between whatever is already there: a door casing, a window reveal, a radiator, the corner. A queen cabinet is typically 62 to 66 inches wide and a full 56 to 60, and you want an inch of play on each side rather than a tight fit. Then measure out from that wall into the room: when the bed folds down you need roughly the length of the mattress plus the cabinet depth, which for a queen is about 86 inches of clear floor.
Check the ceiling height too, because a vertical cabinet is usually 80 to 90 inches tall and has to tilt during installation. A sloped ceiling or a low soffit is the thing people discover too late.
Vertical or horizontal, and which size actually fits
A vertical Murphy bed folds up along the long edge of the mattress, so it is tall and narrow. A horizontal one folds along the short edge, so it is wide and low, which suits a room with a low ceiling or a wall under a window. If your limiting number is ceiling height, look horizontal; if it is wall width, look vertical.
On size: a full is 54 inches wide and a queen 60, so the step up costs you six inches of mattress and around four to six inches of cabinet. In a home office or a nursery that is often the difference between the cabinet fitting and not.
Storage, mattress depth and the hardware
A drawer base adds useful storage but also depth, pushing the cabinet further into the room. Decide which you need more: the drawers, or the floor space.
Mattress depth matters more than it does on a normal bed. A Murphy mechanism is designed for a mattress within a stated thickness range, and a deep pillow-top will not let the bed close. Check the maximum thickness before you buy a mattress for it.
Finally, the mechanism itself. A piston or spring system carries the weight of the bed, and it has to be anchored into structure, not just drywall. Plan on finding studs, and on two people for the install.
Worth asking before any of this: is a Murphy bed the right answer at all? It wins when the room has a daily job that the bed would otherwise block, such as an office or a dining room, and when the bed is used often enough that a sofa bed's thinner mattress would wear thin. If the room is only a bedroom and the floor space is not needed in the daytime, a normal frame costs less and installs in an afternoon.
In-stock picks at Nikki Casa
In stock now at the prices shown. The full bed frames collection has more frames and sizes.
- Full Engineered Wood Murphy Bed with Storage Drawers, Green — $526.90. A full-size cabinet with drawers in the base, which is the narrowest footprint here.
- Queen Solid Wood Murphy Bed, Black — $589.54. Queen sleeping surface with no drawer base, so the cabinet stays shallower.
- Queen Wood Murphy Bed with Storage Drawers, Gray — $966.69. Queen with drawers, for a guest room that has to double as storage.
- Full Engineered Wood Murphy Bed, Gray — $1,020.36. Full size in a lighter finish; worth comparing against the green cabinet above on depth.
- Queen Solid Wood Murphy Bed with Storage Drawers, Gray — $1,034.64. Solid wood rather than engineered panel, which is heavier to install but holds fixings better.
FAQ
How much space does a queen Murphy bed need?
About 64 inches of clear wall width and roughly 86 inches of floor in front of it with the bed down. A full needs about 58 inches of wall.
Does a Murphy bed have to be attached to the wall?
Yes. The mechanism carries the weight of the bed and has to be anchored into structure, so plan on locating studs and on a second pair of hands.
Can I use my existing mattress?
Only if it is within the mechanism's stated thickness range. A mattress that is too deep stops the bed closing.
What does shipping and returns look like?
Standard shipping is free to the contiguous 48 states; oversized freight items may carry a fee. Items in original condition can be returned within 30 days, and the customer pays return shipping.