A guest room for the ten nights a year you need one

Most guest rooms are empty 350 nights a year. A murphy bed lets that room be the gym, the playroom, the craft room or the office the rest of the time, and still gives your guests a real mattress instead of a sofa bed and an apology.

What a good guest room bed has

• A queen on a piston mechanism. Lifts with one hand, holds at any angle, no slamming.
• A real mattress. Ten to twelve inches, memory foam or hybrid, the same thing you would buy for any bed.
• Side cabinets. One closed cabinet with a rod and shelves is a closet for the weekend. Open shelves on the other side for a lamp and a phone.
• Header lighting. LED strips on a switch inside the cabinet so nobody is hunting for a lamp at 11pm.
• A finish that matches the room. Shaker doors in a stain or paint that matches the trim make it read as a built-in, not a bed.

When the room is also something else

• Gym. A vertical bed on the long wall, equipment on casters, rubber flooring that stops short of the bed's footprint.
• Playroom. Horizontal bed so nothing tall is in the room, closed side cabinets for toys, a lock on the mechanism release.
• Craft or sewing room. Desk bed, so the cutting table is the desk.
• Office. See home office.

Basements and in-law suites

Half of Utah homes have a basement and most guests end up in one. Low ceilings, soffits and concrete walls all have answers. See basement apartments and ADUs.

Cost

A queen cabinet bed with one side cabinet and lighting is the most common guest room build. See the cost guide for where it lands on the ladder.