The old concept of a Murphy Bed always made sense, allowing more efficient use of the space in a room. We decided that our guest room, also used part time as an office, would be a perfect place for our own Murphy Bed. With a queen size hardware kit and basic plans from Rockler, I modified the design slightly by adding two side cabinets and some decorative trim on the main panel, to give it the appearance of an amoire when the bed was in the closed position.
While the basic woodworking for this project was fairly straightforward, the challenge was building a large hinged mechanism that opened and closed while maintaining a nice, uniform reveal around the opening. The addition of a good quality queen sized mattress resulted in a very comfortable bed for overnight guests. The gas shocks make opening and closing this Murphy Bed an easy one-person task.
This modern Murphy Bed has allowed us to utilize the majority of space in our guest room as an office, and easily converts to a comfortable guest room when needed.
- A 3D SketchUp design was created based on the plans included with the hardware kit
- The 3D design, set in a model of the guest room, allowed us to see the finished project closed and opened
- Cut sheets were drawn by hand from the basic design
- This project predated the workshop, so it was built in our garage
- The bed platform was assembled first
- Side cabinet carcasses with face frames not yet attached
- Side cabinets assembled
- The completed bed platform ready to accept the solid panesl
- The bed platform blocked up over the main panels
- Lots of PVA glue for a strong bond
- Side cabinets in the paint shop
- Completed bed platform
- Attaching decorative face frames
- Decorative molding echoed design elements from elsewhere in the house
- Side cabinets staged for attaching to the guest room wall
- Jeff was enlisted to assist with installation
- Completed installation
- Decorative items in the side cabinets
- Without a mattress, the bed platform had to be held open
- Murphy Bed complete with hardware and lighting
- Murphy Bed made up and ready for guests to arrive!