Beehive Wall Beds
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Space saving beds, compared by the floor they actually take
Every space saving bed trades something: floor, comfort, money or convenience. Below are the six common ones with the floor each takes closed and open, who it suits, and what it costs in Utah in 2026, so you can pick on numbers instead of on a store photo.
The comparison
| Bed | Floor taken, closed | Floor taken, open | Mattress | 2026 price, Utah |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical murphy bed, queen | 65 x 18 in | 65 x 87 in | Full 10 to 12 in | $4,400 to $6,500 custom, installed |
| Horizontal murphy bed, full | 81 x 18 in | 81 x 61 in | Full 10 to 12 in | $4,400 to $6,500 custom, installed |
| Cabinet chest bed, queen | 64 x 22 in | 64 x 80 in | Tri-fold, thinner | $1,400 to $2,800 real wood |
| Sofa bed, queen | About 80 x 38 in | About 80 x 90 in | 4 to 5 in folded | Hundreds to low thousands |
| Daybed, twin | About 80 x 40 in | Same, never folds | Standard twin | Hundreds |
| Trundle under a twin | Inside the bed above | About 80 x 80 in | Thin twin | Hundreds |
| Loft bed, twin | About 80 x 42 in, floor free beneath | Same | Standard twin | Hundreds to a few thousand |
Dimensions are rounded from standard mattress sizes and the cabinet numbers on the sizes page. Measure your own before buying anything.
Murphy bed: the floor comes back every morning
The only option on the list where the room has no bed in it by day. A queen vertical cabinet is 16 to 18 inches deep closed, roughly the depth of a bookcase. A horizontal full is the right call in a room that is wide but shallow, because the open bed reaches only 61 inches into the room. Best murphy beds for small spaces are almost always horizontal twins and fulls, or a vertical queen with a desk if the room is an office first. Who it is for: anyone whose room is two things most of the year.
Cabinet chest bed: the smallest permanent footprint
A 40 inch tall, 22 inch deep chest. It does not touch the wall, so it works in a rental, a room with a plumbing wall, or a basement you are not sure about. The mattress is a tri-fold so it sleeps a little firmer and a little lower than a wall bed. Who it is for: guests a few nights a month, renters, and rooms where anchoring is a problem. Full page: cabinet bed.
Sofa bed: a couch that sleeps badly
Sits about 38 inches off the wall all day, opens to about 90 inches. The mattress is thin by design because it has to fold inside the seat. It is the cheapest way to get a couch and an occasional bed in one footprint. Who it is for: kids' sleepovers and a guest who stays one night. For anything longer, a murphy bed with sofa gives the same daytime couch with a real mattress above it.
Daybed: a bed that pretends to be a sofa
A twin frame with three sides, dressed with cushions. It never folds, so it takes about 80 by 40 inches permanently. It sleeps like a twin bed because it is one. Who it is for: a reading nook or a teen's room where the bed is also the hangout seat and the room has no other job.
Trundle: a second bed inside the first
A thin twin mattress on a frame that rolls out from under another twin. Closed, it takes no extra floor. Open, the two beds together need about 80 by 80 inches. Who it is for: two kids in one room, or a kid's room that hosts a cousin. Adults find the lower bed hard to get in and out of.
Loft bed: the floor is under the bed
The mattress sits 5 to 6 feet up and the floor beneath holds a desk or a dresser. It needs ceiling height, which rules out most 7 foot 6 inch basements, and it is a climb. Who it is for: kids and students in a room under 100 square feet. Not for guests, not for anyone over about 40.
How to pick in one minute
- Room has a day job and hosts adult guests: murphy bed.
- Room is narrow or the ceiling is under 8 feet: horizontal murphy bed.
- Cannot anchor to the wall: cabinet chest bed.
- Need a couch more than a bed: sofa bed, or sofa wall bed if the budget allows.
- Two kids, one room: trundle or two stacked horizontal twins, see twin murphy bed.
- Tiny bedroom, tall ceiling, one kid: loft.
We design and sell the first three. If a trundle is the right answer we will tell you that on the free design visit and save you the drive.
Send the room to the estimate form with wall width, ceiling height and a photo, and we reply the same business day with what fits.
Questions people ask
What is the best murphy bed for a small space?
A horizontal twin or full if the room is narrow, because the open bed only sticks out 45 to 61 inches from the wall. A vertical queen if the room is at least 11 feet deep and you want a full guest bed. Either way the floor is empty when the bed is closed.
Does a murphy bed save more space than a sofa bed?
Closed, a murphy bed takes 16 to 18 inches of depth against the wall and a sofa bed takes about 36 to 40 inches. Open, the murphy bed reaches further into the room. The murphy bed wins when the room is used for something else by day.
Is a cabinet chest bed good for a small room?
It is the smallest permanent footprint of any real-mattress option, about 64 by 22 inches for a queen, and it needs no wall. The trade is a thinner tri-fold mattress and a lower sleeping height.
Which space saving bed is cheapest?
A trundle or a basic daybed at a few hundred dollars. A sofa bed is next. Cabinet chest beds in real wood are $1,400 to $2,800 and custom murphy beds start higher on the ladder, but they are the only options that return the whole floor.