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Murphy Bed Plans are easier to follow than most people think. Have you had your eye on a Queen Murphy Bed or a Murphy Bed Kit? Now, you can make your own without a store-bought Murphy Bed Kit. A wall bed is a great way to free up extra space in an office, turn a playroom into a bedroom, or just give you options for guests.
How to Build A Murphy Bed
JUMP TO THE MURPHY BED PLANS!
Pro Tip: If you want to bypass this post and skip right to purchasing the Murphy Bed Plan, click here. You can start building your Queen Murphy Bed today. (It took my husband, dad, and brother about half a day to build our wall bed.)
Update: This post was written several years ago. I’ve recently added new pictures, but I’ve kept the older ones to give you an idea of what it looked like at different times. This post has two videos, as well, of our queen murphy bed, so be sure to stick around to watch them! I think they are helpful.
How We Built Our Queen Murphy Bed
I loved having a playroom and an office, but it meant that we didn’t have a guest room. Since we live in the Carolinas, but my husband’s family lives up North, we needed a place for them to stay when they came to visit their four grandchildren.
This downstairs extra bedroom seemed to be the best idea (it is the only bedroom on the main floor, as the rest are upstairs.) Since moving in almost four years ago, this downstairs room has been a playroom, an office, a guest room… I just can’t seem to decide, until I finally decided on EVERYTHING!
Since my husband always seems to be working on DIY things to build in our house (like our DIY mudroom bench), I put him on the job of coming up with a solution for the room, and he did:
Build A Murphy Bed
He designed plans to build a murphy bed and then he built the murphy bed with my dad and brother. They built a DIY Murphy Bed and it turned out wonderfully! It not only looks beautiful, but it functions perfectly.
Today, I’m going to show you many pictures of the bed (some from when it was first built and some after we updated the room.)
I love it when things are handmade. It means so much more to me, and this Murphy bed isn’t any different, thanks to my family. My husband, dad, and brother seem to find a way to build anything I request. They even built our screened-in porch several years ago:
My husband built this mudroom bench and this Ikea Homework Station, so I know they are very capable, so I asked them to build me a DIY wall bed (for MUCH less than the $2,000 ones I found online!)
They went to the store, grabbed what they needed, and came back to start working.
By the end of the day… I had a wall bed that could be put up when we were playing or hanging out in there, but it could be put down when my in-laws were going to be visiting.
I wanted to share it today to let you know that you don’t need any of the expensive wall-bed kits because this DIY wall bed will save you a lot of money & look just amazing! I always get compliments on ours… after I tell people what is behind that wall!
(If you want to skip this post & just buy the plans for $9.99, click here. You can start building ASAP! You’ll be so glad that you did. It’s the perfect solution to creating more space in a home.
How Long Does It Take To Build A Murphy Bed?
- This DIY Murphy Bed took them about four hours to build.
- That time includes building a Murphy bed and adding the shelves that were built.
- Before you begin, make sure that you have everything that you need to make the bed easily & quickly.
If you truly want to build it, I suggest buying the plans for $9.99. We have detailed pictures, explaining every single step for you, with pictures.
How to Build a Murphy Bed without a Kit:
First, you need to actually make the wall itself (the bed will fold up into the wall).
You are making a frame in the wall- it is sort of like you are adding a mini addition to that wall because none of this was there- you need to bump out the wall, so to speak. Build a frame on the wall, then move onto the DIY Murphy Bed next.
1. Remove the baseboard & then build-out.
2. Make the platform (they built it in the garage & brought it inside).
3. We have 2X4’s laying flat under the plywood board (spaced evenly, from side to side) for support.
4. Door hinges are used in the lower back part of the bed to make it able to fold out. This makes it heavier but was much cheaper.
5. Use these long pins (safety pins used out of threaded rod)
6. The ‘fold’ is hidden because it is right under that bottom trim, so you can see it if you are laying on the ground, looking up.
7. The pillows sit in the back (and stay there even when it is folded into the wall) The picture below shows me standing on the bed, looking down at it (behind the bed).
8- Build shelves. I didn’t want the wall bed to stick out too much, so we decided to add shelves. They are perfect for storage or decor.
8. Decorate. When the kids were little, these shelves were filled with toys. As they’ve grown, we’ve swapped them out for decor and a few baskets with books in them. We also have an Ikea closet in the room that is filled with arts, crafts, and board games.
Ps- Remember that although it is a guest room, it is still in your house. Fill it with things that make you smile.
This coral is an example. Our kids found it on the beach when we were in Hilton Head last year (our home away from home), and it was starting to dry up.
My husband let it continue to dry out and brought it back to turn it into a decoration that I could use in the house. He mounted it on a piece of wood that he painted & sanded. So pretty & it brings back great memories…
Don’t forget to add simple touches like pillows, soft blankets, and comfortable sheets when you fold the murphy bed down and get it ready for your guests.
Wall Bed Tip: Mickey built a beautiful headboard & we keep it in place with PVC pipe caps.
It is removable and stores away behind the bed when you aren’t using it. You can really make this work for your house. It is inexpensive, compared to the kits, and it can be built in a weekend.
Murphy Bed – Ikea Style
If you want to add bookshelves from IKEA, or a few IKEA cabinets on the side of the bed, it would be easy to do, as well. We have a small IKEA cabinet (a portable rolling cabinet) that sits to the side of the bed, against the wall. It holds the kids’ art supplies and school supplies. When we put the bed up into the wall, they use the space to do art work. When the bed is down for guests, they can take the art supplies to a different space to work.
(Be sure to check out this DIY IKEA Homework Station with a built-in desk that we made from IKEA pieces, too.)
Are you ready to build it?
You can find the Queen Murphy Bed Plans here. In the plans, we supply a list of what you need, how much it costs, a hardware supply list, specific images, blueprint drawings & more. Everything you need in detailed plans to build the bed. Just download them HERE and get started. 🙂
Although these images are from several years ago, I still wanted to give you a few more pictures so you can understand how versatile the Murphy bedroom can be for your home.
I took this picture when we first folded it up – I was so happy to have a real murphy bed, so I could have a guest room, playroom, and office all in one!
You can see in this much older picture (below) that we used to use it for a playroom (see the baskets filled with toys?) Here is what it looks like folded up. It’s a hidden bed in the wall!
Additional Resources:
Here is a (much-requested) video of how the bed works (thanks to my dad for helping out!).
This video was taken almost ten years ago… when we used the room as a playroom most of the time.
Here is a second video (this one is about 7 years old) with another view.
HERE ARE the Queen Murphy Bed Plans. They include what you need to build the murphy bed, how much it costs, a supply list, images, drawings, detailed plans, etc… You can download them HERE for $9.99
PS- I think the bedding was purchased at Home Goods (It’s been a while). They only had one set at the time (a lot of people email me about them) 🙂
MORE POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
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DIY Murphy Bed
Murphy Bed Plans to build your own wall bed!
Materials
- A list of Material can be found in the purchased plans here: https://www.yourmodernshop.com/products/diy-wall-bed
Instructions
- Remove the baseboard & then build-out.
- Make the platform (they built it in the garage & brought it inside).
- We have 2X4's laying flat under the plywood board (spaced evenly, from side to side) for support.
- Door hinges are used in the lower back part of the bed to make it able to fold out. This makes it heavier but was much cheaper.
- Use these long pins (safety pins used out of threaded rod)
- The 'fold' is hidden because it is right under that bottom trim, so you can see it if you are laying on the ground, looking up.
- The pillows sit in the back, behind the bed. When it is folded down, you will have a space to store decorative pillows and throws that are not being used.
- Build shelves. I didn't want the wall bed to stick out too much, so we decided to add shelves. They are perfect for storage or decor.
These plans are our basic plans, explaining how we made the bed. If you would like to purchase our detailed 29-page project plans, you can find them here at yourmodernshop.com
Notes
The plans found in this post are basic plans to give you an idea of the steps of construction. You can purchase the detailed 26-page project plans here.
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I absolutely love this bed! We have two toddlers and live in a two bedroom home. Our family is growing, soon to be a family of 5! So as you can imagine then finding out how in the world to make us all fit has been very much on my mind. This I know would be the solution! I know you don’t have a supply list but if there is any way your husband remembers how he constructed the frame (I’m trying to figure out how the sides and bed itself was made) I would greatly appreciate it! I plan to use the idea for twin mattresses for my kids as well as for my own bedroom. It looks so wonderfully affordable! Thank you!!
Great!
OK like EVERYONE else a supply list, which should be quite basic but specific would make this FAR cooler!!! Get your husband a piece of pie and a tea and sit him down to respond to this and tell him to write it down! Doesn’t seem as complicated as you’re making it! Unless you are trying to keep it a secret?? The video helps but not completely. C’mon you can do it!! The DIY’ers are waiting!!!
haha!! Well we are planning on doing one at my brother’s house, so I am going to video the whole thing. 🙂 He did this bed over a year ago, so I’m just not sure that he will remember everything that it needs. ?
Hi, did you use gas pistons to help lower and raise the bed more safely?
No- but it has never been an issue. Well- my husband usually just lowers it when we are going to have company. I would never attempt it (first off- I’m only 4’11, so I couldn’t even reach it to lower it if I wanted to!) haha!
Hi, Id like to make one for my apartment but I would need to know if I have to make any modification to the wall (screws , etc) ?
Also, did you use melamine ? I don’t like melamine, its not resistant, or did you do it part melamine ,part wood ?
Thank you !
Plywood. 🙂
I can’t find the folding wicker baskets at Staples. Do you have another recommendation?
Ikea has some beautiful folding wicker baskets, too . (I think we paid around $14 for a pack of two recently)
How I can buy the DIY wall bed?i need a single wall bed.
You can’t buy the bed, just the plans. 🙂
Hi. I have a couple of questions about the build on this.
First the side of this bed looks like more than 2×2 as indicated in the plans. Am I looking wrong or is the part that’s holding in this bed more like a 1/2×6?
Second. If I am reading the instructions right, the top of the plywood where the mattress is is a square frame. Then it’s the plywood…then a “grid” of supports screwed to the plywood and then the beadboard is fixed to the ‘”grid”…would that be right? It doesn’t look like it from the picture, but it’s how I am reading the build instructions. I’m not sure if I”ve gotten that right.
I am going to try to build this this weekend and these are the two things I am stuck on. if you have a chance to help, I’d love it. You really did do a wonderful job on this.
The 2×2 is the frame for the bottom, where the mattress sits (It is the “skeleton” for the bed). The 1 X 6 is the “side” support for the mattress. Think of it like a shoe box. The 2×2 frame in the bottom of the box and the 1×6 would be the sides.
Iʻve been waiting for that supply list since June 24, 2014. Is it ever going to really happen, or should I just quit checking back here? Iʻd really like to buy the plans, but not until the supply list is assembled. I donʻt know enough about building to figure it out for myself.
The supply list is in the plans.
Becky,
I just ordered the plans & they downloaded completely encrypted. Are you able to email them to me?
Of course!!! Please email me at yourmodernfamily@gmail.com
Oh, I have just one more question. How far up from the floor is it before you break for the bed frame? – where the hinges are? i can’t figure out for sure how high to make it and I’m really afraid that I’m going to wind up going to high and it’s not going to be comfortable to get into. If you can help me with that, my build starts tonight. And thanks for the previous help you provided. That was hugely helpful.
I’ll ask my husband when he gets home from the store.
The hinges are 1 foot off the ground. 🙂
THANK YOU!!!! I am so excited – this will be my most complicated build to date but with your help it is going to be a success. I just know it. BTW, I was going to tell you…if you’d like to convert your instructions to a pdf, I would be happy to do that for you. That way if someone doesn’t have office they can still open the document. Just let me know and I can email it to you…
You are so sweet! I hadn’t even though to that! Maybe I should do it & update it w/ a little Q & A at the bottom. 🙂
I paid for the instructions for the Murphy bed but I didn’t get anything. Is there way I can get them?
What is your e-mail? That happens sometimes- its just a browser issue. Is the email the one that you left here (wsat…)
YES
Thank you, I just received the instructions
How did you build the trim that goes around the area that the bed fits in, and how would you do this on a hardwood floor? Any ideas
My husband & Dad actually built the wall out (for the shelving)
Do the plans include all the information needed to build? Measurements, cuts, photos…?
Can you clarify the hinge locations? and how does the gap trim cover the hinges? as well as not interfere with wall when lowering. I purchased the plans (awhile back) and am actually mid build (walls/base built out) but still curious on hinges. Any close up pictures of hinge placement and outer trim would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
I’ll try to get you a close-up tomorrow.
I purchased the plans through my pay pal account but have not received them? Was just wondering about that.
Mary-
Can you email me at yourmodernfamily@gmail.com and I will send them over. Some browsers just won’t let them download & I can attach it in an email easily.