Murphy Bed Ideas for Small-Space Sleeping
Rise and shine!
With their simple stowaway design, Murphy beds are a convenient way to add sleeping capacity to homes with limited space. Keep reading to discover showstopping Murphy bed ideas that will transform your spare room into a welcoming retreat.
1. Style With a Cohesive Theme
The last thing you want is for a Murphy bed to feel like a temporary fixture in your home. To make the room feel cohesive, style it with thematic decor. In a coastal home, for example, decorate your shelves with coastal objects or hang a beachy watercolor over the headboard. Top it off with plush white bedding and blue throw pillows to tie everything together.
Adding decorative touches to your Murphy bed setup can make it feel cozy and welcoming. Whether you use a Murphy bed for a temporary sleeping option or a permanent space-saving solution, dressing it up with pillows and throws will go a long way in making you and your guests feel at home.
Murphy beds are common fixtures in small rooms because of their convertible and compact design. To help make a small space feel even larger, keep the color scheme bright and neutral by choosing light wood tones and muted bedding.
Just because a Murphy bed is often tucked away, this doesn’t mean it can’t be the center of attention when in use. Style the bed with bold striped, abstract, and geometric patterns to draw the eye and add visual interest to the room.
Tall Murphy bed designs often include added storage space like shelves and drawers to maximize the functionality of the furniture. Choose a bed with built-in storage for a convenient place to store guest bedding or to take the place of a dresser in a small bedroom. Use storage baskets and decor to personalize the shelves and add character and function to the room.
For an extra-small space solution, choose a twin Murphy bed. This size often comes in short, compact designs that can fit easily into multifunctional rooms. Add a twin Murphy bed to your living room to act as a decorative console table during the day and guest accommodations at night.
Frame your Murphy bed with a pair of nightstands to make it feel like a more permanent fixture in your home. Nightstands add helpful surface area for table lamps, alarm clocks, and other bedside necessities. Styling them alongside your Murphy bed will make the space feel like a more established and functional bedroom.
Another way to make your Murphy bed feel like a cohesive piece in the room is to add an upholstered bench to the foot of the bed. Not only will it add a stylish statement to the room, but a bench will serve as comfortable seating when the bed is tucked away.
Position an arched floor lamp over the bed to provide functional and stylish lighting. A tall statement floor lamp will complement the height of a Murphy bed and create vertical balance in the room. Alternatively, choose a Murphy bed with built-in lights in the headboard to save space while still offering functional lighting.
Laying an area rug under a Murphy bed increases the comfort and visual appeal of the space. Not only will a rug provide soft texture and cushion when getting out of bed, but it will protect your floors from potential scratches when setting up and collapsing the bed frame.
Murphy beds with mattresses that fold out horizontally are great choices for narrow rooms since they don’t cut as far into the room. However, this Murphy bed design does require more wall space due to the wider frame.
Low-clearance Murphy beds sit directly on the floor or are less than 8" off the ground. This style is often more lightweight than regular Murphy beds due to the lack of frame hardware – making them easy to set up and stow away. Low Murphy beds are also a great option for children’s rooms to protect young kids from falling out of bed.
Tip!
Now that you have inspiration, check out our guides What Is a Murphy Bed? How to Buy the Best Murphy Bed for Your Space and
Murphy Bed Sizes & How to Pick the Right One for You.
