# Murphy beds for kids rooms, and what big Utah families actually order Twin desk beds, two horizontal twins, murphy bunk beds, release locks and finishes that survive kids. What works in Utah big-family bedrooms. Source: https://beehive-wallbeds.pages.dev/kids-murphy-bed/ A kid's bedroom in Utah is often 10 by 11 feet, shared, and expected to hold homework, Legos and a cousin on a Friday. A twin murphy bed gives most of that floor back for the sixteen hours a day nobody is asleep. Here is what works for kids, what to lock, and which finishes still look good after the third child. ## The twin desk bed The most ordered kids piece. A vertical twin cabinet is about 45 inches wide and 84 inches tall, and a desk folds on the front. During the day it is a desk with the surface clear. At bedtime the bed comes down over it and the desk stays level, so the laptop and the homework do not move. See [murphy bed with desk](/murphy-bed-with-desk/) for how the desk hinge works. A twin desk bed needs about 7 feet of floor in front when it is down and about 24 inches of depth closed. In a 10 foot room that leaves the other three walls for a dresser and a closet. ## Two horizontal twins For a shared room, two horizontal twin cabinets along one wall. Each is about 81 inches wide and 46 inches tall, so two of them run like a wainscot along a 14 foot wall, or sit on adjacent walls meeting at the corner. The height under 4 feet means a window above them stays clear, and the top of the cabinet becomes a shelf for the stuff kids keep by the bed. Horizontal twins also fit under sloped ceilings and in basements with soffits, which is where kids rooms end up when the family grows. ## Murphy bunk beds A murphy bunk bed is two twins stacked in one vertical cabinet that fold down together, upper and lower, with a ladder. They are heavy, the cabinet is tall, and they are built in much smaller numbers than a single twin. They are the answer for a bunk room in a cabin or a basement where four grandkids sleep over twice a year and the room is a playroom the rest of the time. For an everyday kids room, two horizontal twins are simpler and the kids can each operate their own. ## Release locks and what to lock A piston mechanism makes the bed slow in both directions, which is most of the safety. On top of that: - **A locking latch.** The latch that holds the bed closed can be keyed or set out of reach so a toddler cannot pull a bed down on themselves. Order it on any bed in a room with kids under about eight. - **Legs that lock out.** The folding legs should lock in the down position so a jumping kid cannot fold one. - **Straps.** Keeps the bedding in when a kid closes the bed without making it. - **Anchoring.** The cabinet is anchored to the wall at the top. A child climbing a cabinet should not be able to tip it, for the same reason dressers get anchored. Teach the kids the rule most families use: the bed goes up and down with an adult until they are tall enough to reach the latch. ## Finishes that survive kids Painted shaker doors in a hard conversion varnish or a catalyzed lacquer wipe clean and touch up with a brush. White and off-white show scuffs but hide fine. Stained alder hides scuffs well and shows water rings. Laminate on a flat-pack bed is the most scuff-proof and chips at the edges, and the chip does not touch up. Rounded edges on the cabinet corners and the desk front are worth asking for. Handles should be bar pulls, not knobs, because knobs hook sleeves. ## Floor space for play This is the reason to do any of it. A 10 by 11 room with a twin bed, a nightstand and a dresser has maybe a third of its floor open. The same room with a twin murphy bed and a dresser has most of it. That is the difference between a track for cars across the carpet and one that stops at the bed. ## Utah big-family rooms Six kids in four bedrooms is normal here, and the common setup is one twin desk bed in each older kid's room so homework happens with the door shut, a horizontal twin in the small room that two share, and a queen in the basement for the married kids and the cousins. When the kids are gone the twin desk bed becomes a guest office that still sleeps one. The [guest room page](/guest-room/) covers that next stage. Send the room size and a photo, and tell us how many kids sleep in it. We reply the same business day with a layout that fits. ## Questions people ask **Is a murphy bed safe for a child's room?** Yes with the right spec: a piston mechanism that moves slowly, a locking latch out of a small child's reach, legs that lock down, and the cabinet anchored to the wall. Most families keep an adult-only rule until the kids are tall enough to reach the latch. **Can two kids share a room with murphy beds?** Two horizontal twins along one wall or on adjacent walls is the usual answer. Each is about 46 inches tall and 81 wide, and each kid can operate their own. **Does a murphy bunk bed exist?** Yes, two twins in one tall cabinet that fold down together with a ladder. They are heavy and uncommon, and they make the most sense in a cabin or basement bunk room used a few times a year. **What finish holds up to kids?** Painted shaker in a hard catalyzed finish wipes clean and touches up with a brush. Stained alder hides scuffs. Laminate resists scuffs but chips at the edges and does not touch up. --- 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