Directions for Building Murphy Beds
If space is tight at your residence, you might want to consider a Murphy bed. For nearly a century, these tilt-up wall beds have allowed people to get maximum use from limited space--all by creating a bedroom that can be folded out of the way when it is not needed. And with modern hardware, it is a simple matter for a weekend builder to create one. Does this Spark an idea?
Choosing Your Style
There are essentially two different approaches to building a Murphy bed. You can build a bed that hinges at the headboard, or you can build one that hinges on the side.
The "head-hinging" Murphy bed is the one with which most people are familiar. This bed developed from the idea of a bed in a closet; you could make a narrow bed, which would then fold up into a closet. This sort of Murphy bed can take up very little wall space; however, it is not suitable for a room with low ceilings, or one with low knee walls, as you might find in a room under the eaves of a house.
The "side-hinging" Murphy bed is better suited to one of these rooms. These models do require more wall space though, and they limit your accessibility to the bed. But with either style, the space-saving aspects can offset the inconveniences.
Hardware
The heart of any Murphy bed is the hardware that makes it work. While it is possible to cobble together a homemade unit--especially for a narrow, side-mounted bed--it is generally better to go with a commercial mechanism simply because of the bed's weight. Most commercial hardware utilizes some form of hydraulic lift, which allows you to make a Murphy bed that is as large and luxurious as any regular bed.
Many of the businesses that make Murphy bed hardware give you the choice of buying the hardware and building your own bed, or they will custom-build the bed for you. Depending on what you want, you might consider having a company build any complicated components of the bed for you, then using that unit as the basis of your own custom work.
Cabinets
Although you can build a Murphy bed by itself, most builders build a cabinet that holds not only the bed but other bedroom items. The idea is that the entire bedroom folds away into a closet, so these built-ins take the place of dressers, bureaus and other bedroom furniture.
Most of the businesses that provide the bed hardware also provide free plans for cabinetry, as an enticement to buy their products.
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