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

A guest room that is a gym, playroom or craft room 350 days a year. Queen and king murphy beds with real mattresses, side cabinets and lighting.

Source: https://beehive-wallbeds.pages.dev/guest-room/

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.

[image: Room scene: a horizontal murphy bed in white shaker doors under a basement window, used as a home gym]

## 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](/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](/basement-adu/).

## Cost

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

## Questions people ask

**Queen or king for a guest room?**

Queen. It sleeps two adults comfortably, fits an 8 foot ceiling, and leaves floor space. King beds are for people who host the same couple for a week every month.

**Is a murphy bed mattress comfortable?**

It is whatever mattress you put in it. Up to about 11 or 12 inches, memory foam or hybrid, no box spring. Guests sleep on a real mattress on a flat platform, which beats every sofa bed made.

**What do guests do with their stuff?**

Side cabinets. A closed cabinet on one side with a hanging rod and shelves is a closet for a weekend. Add a drawer below for the things you keep for guests.

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Beehive Wall Beds: Custom murphy beds, designed in your home, along the Wasatch Front. Design and sales company; beds built by Utah craftsmen and installed by partner crews. Free in-home design visits. hello@beehivewallbeds.com