A few years ago, we built our own Murphy Bed, because we wanted to utilize our space as well as possible.
We decided to film it, and post it on Youtube, and it turned out that people really liked it, so we decided to create an easy step-by-step plan, to help others build the same project.
Table of Contents
You can check out the video here:
As you can see we have built-in storage behind the bed. The reason is, that we live in a small apartment with only two rooms, so we don’t have much space for storage.
Next, to the bed, we have a closet with our clothes, and we wanted the bed to flush with the closet. The bed itself is not so deep, so we decided to put shelves behind the bed, to make it deeper and become flush with the closets.
>> CLICK HERE TO GET THE PLAN FOR THIS BED
Maria has been drawing and sketching, and finally, we came up with a design for our foldaway double bed. It is mounted higher on the wall, to make is just as comfortable as a normal bed.
This Murphy bed is higher than standard Murphy beds and has storage beneath the bed. Behind the bed, you find two cabinets for storage. Closets besides bed (on the picture) are not part of the plan.
The plan very thoroughly walks you through each step with more than 50 drawings and detailed explanations.
The materials for this project cost us $1,170 (incl. paint), and the hardware (pistons, mounting pieces etc.) we used can be found on this page …kit #2 two from left.
Specifications and dimensions
Dimensions:
Outer frame: H: 94 – 5/16” x W: 69”
Depth: 23-5/8”
Height: 16,5”
NB: If you buy the plan, you will get it in centimeters as well.
Designed by Maria Storgaard © 2015
We spent $1,170 on materials incl. paint.
The hardware kit
We bought a hardware kit including pistons, mounting pieces, and hinges. It cost $309.99, so it’s not super cheap, but it is solid quality, which is important. It is worth spending the extra dollars, on good quality that will last longer.
>>The hardware (pistons, mounting pieces etc.) can be found here
We have also made room for extra storage beneath the bed, in order to store all our stuff in this bespoke solution.
Whenever the bed is folded up, you won’t notice it much, because it is flush with the closets.
Before we built this bed, we had a high bed with storage under it. We also built that ourselves, but today we rent our two of our four rooms, so we needed all the space we could get.
This double Murphy bed really works well, and we do fold it away almost every day – it only takes like 10 seconds!
DIY Murphy bed
Headboard (open)
Inside the bed, we have a holstered headboard, that we can flip up and down. Behind it, we have space for storage, and we have made it soft, so we can sit and read in the bed.
We use the storage inside the bed for stuff we rarely need – like winter clothing, Christmas ornaments, childhood memories and other good stuff.
Timeframe for the project
It took us 3 days to do it (2 persons), but we didn’t work more than 4-5 hours per day.
We have spent around $ 1,000 on materials, and when you think about the investment, it really makes a lot of sense to build a bed like this, especially when you need a 2-person bed that would otherwise take up lots of space.
This way you save a lot of space AND money – as you can live more comfortably in a smaller apartment.