Beehive Wall Beds
Free design visit
Murphy bed sizes, and what each one needs from the room
A murphy bed is a cabinet the size of the mattress plus a frame. These are the real numbers, rounded so you can measure your room tonight. We confirm them on the design visit before anything is built.
Vertical cabinet beds (fold down from the head)
| Size | Mattress | Cabinet width | Cabinet height | Depth closed | Sticks out open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38 x 75 | about 45 in | about 84 in | 16 to 18 in | about 81 in |
| Full | 54 x 75 | about 61 in | about 84 in | 16 to 18 in | about 81 in |
| Queen | 60 x 80 | about 65 in | 87 to 90 in | 16 to 18 in | about 87 in |
| King | 76 x 80 | about 83 in | 87 to 90 in | 16 to 18 in | about 87 in |
Clear floor needed in front of the cabinet when the bed is down: about 7 feet for twin and full, about 7 feet 6 inches for queen and king. Add a foot if you want to walk around the end.
Horizontal cabinet beds (fold down from the side)
| Size | Cabinet width | Cabinet height | Depth closed | Sticks out open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | about 81 in | about 46 in | 16 to 18 in | about 45 in |
| Full | about 81 in | about 62 in | 16 to 18 in | about 61 in |
| Queen | about 87 in | about 67 in | 16 to 18 in | about 65 in |
Horizontal beds are the answer under low basement ceilings and sloped roofs, and in narrow rooms where a vertical bed would block a door or closet. They need wall width instead of ceiling height. King horizontals exist but are rare and heavy.
Add-ons change the footprint
- Side cabinets: 12 to 30 inches wide each, same height and depth as the bed cabinet.
- Desk bed: adds roughly 20 to 24 inches of depth when closed. See murphy bed with desk.
- Sofa bed: adds roughly 30 inches of depth when closed. See murphy bed with sofa.
- Cabinet chest bed: about 40 inches tall, 64 inches wide for a queen, pulls out about 80 inches. No wall anchoring.
Three things to check before you fall in love with a wall
- Ceiling height. Measure at the wall, not the middle of the room. Basements with ducts or soffits along the wall are the usual surprise.
- What is in the wall. Outlets and switches can be moved. A plumbing stack or an HVAC chase cannot. Baseboard heaters under the bed are a problem.
- The swing. Doors, closet doors and ceiling fans in the path of the bed coming down. Fans are the one people forget.
Send us the wall width, ceiling height and a phone photo and we will tell you what fits before anyone drives anywhere.
Questions people ask
Will a queen murphy bed fit under an 8 foot ceiling?
Yes, a vertical queen cabinet is about 87 to 90 inches tall and an 8 foot ceiling is 96 inches. You need the inch or two of clearance to tip it up during install, which is why we measure. Under 90 inches, go horizontal.
How far does a queen bed stick out when open?
About 87 inches for a vertical bed, measured from the wall. Add the depth of the cabinet, roughly 16 to 18 inches, if you are measuring from the cabinet face. Plan for about 7 feet 6 inches of clear floor in front of a vertical queen.
Can a murphy bed go on an outside wall or a basement concrete wall?
Yes. On framed walls it anchors into studs. On concrete or block we use masonry anchors. Both are routine. What we avoid is anchoring into a wall with plumbing or a chase behind it, which we check on the visit.
What mattress thickness works?
Most mechanisms take up to about 11 or 12 inches. Memory foam and hybrids are fine. No box spring, no adjustable base. We confirm the limit for the mechanism we spec.