Common Questions About Murphy Beds

Murphy beds are a clever, flexible solution to save space and promote efficiency in multipurpose rooms. Created in the 1900s, Murphy beds or wall beds were designed to integrate into any room seamlessly. Today, people still enjoy their save-spacing features, various uses and stylish options.  

Many Resource Furniture Murphy beds come with desks and storage space, making them popular for smaller apartments. Conveniently convert a home office into a guest room by pulling your Murphy bed down in the evening. You’ll enjoy numerous benefits with a wall bed, from its comfort to its functionality.

If you're considering a Murphy bed for your home or vacation rental, you probably have a few questions about how pull-down beds work. We'll dive into the most common questions about wall beds and our answers to help you decide whether a Murphy bed is right for you. 

Common Murphy Bed Questions

A Murphy bed can provide exceptional versatility in your home. Read our 10 FAQs about Murphy beds to learn how they work, their comfort levels and their various uses for your home, apartment or rental property.

1. What Is a Murphy Bed?

A murphy bed can transform your bed by store vertically or horizontally against a wall. Its open/close mechanism allows you to pull it down or out when you need a space to sleep and then fold it back against the wall when not in use.

Murphy beds allow you to take full advantage of your floor space in a guest bedroom, living room, office or any other room. Other common names for a Murphy bed include a wall bed, fold-down bed or pull-down bed.  

2. Is a Murphy Bed Comfortable?

The great thing about Murphy beds is that you aren't limited in mattress selections. Unlike futons or sleeper sofas, you can tailor your Murphy bed to your specific comfort needs without that uncomfortable bar pressing against the middle of your back! 

The door panel for your Murphy bed doubles as a bed base to support the mattress, so you’ll get a good night’s sleep just like on a conventional bed. You can rest assured that you or your guests are comfortable when you open your Murphy bed for the night.

3. Are Murphy Beds Dangerous? 

You'll have peace of mind knowing that Murphy beds are as safe as any other type of bed. Wall beds come automatically with locking legs to provide safety in your home so they won't fall open or close up on their own once installed.

You might also opt for a Murphy bed with key locks for additional safety and peace of mind. Our Penelope 2 is a vertically-opening wall bed that locks into place when opened. Similarly, the Ulisse Sofa wall bed locks into the frame when closed, so you know it'll stay in place when you’re not using it.

4. How Do Murphy Beds Work? 

Our Murphy beds raise and lower using a concealed piston or cable-assist mechanism and locking safety features to ensure they stay upright and safely laid down for sleeping. The piston system is quieter than the older spring systems and uses high-pressure air on a piston head to move the bed and lower it slowly and quietly.

Murphy beds are built into walls and appear hidden in a way that looks great and conceals your mattress until you need to use it. 

5. Are Wall Beds Easy to Operate? 

Resource Furniture’s wall beds are extremely easy to operate. The piston system makes manually raising and lowering a Muphy bed effortless, and you can even customize your wall bed to come motorized for added convenience. 

6. Can Murphy Beds Combine a Workstation With a Bed?

A trending type of Murphy bed combines with a desk for maximum efficiency and space. This type of wall bed is particularly great for those who work from home, college students and children.

The Kali Duo Board wall bed combines a modern and sleek desk with bunk beds to conveniently transform your kids’ homework station into a cozy space to sleep. The fascinating pivoting desk mechanism means the desk stays level while the lower bed opens, ensuring items stay in place even when the bed is open.

7. Can You Combine Storage Space With a Wall Bed? 

Many of our Murphy beds come with storage space. The Oslo Sofa combines a queen bed with a comfortable sofa to sit on during the day. It features an under-seat storage compartment and an optional ottoman to store items beneath the open bed for your convenience. 

8. Will You Lose Wall Space With a Murphy Bed? 

Since Murphy beds are designed to convert from wall space to beds, you won’t lose any room for your wall decor or storage once you pull your bed out at night. We have several options that double as shelving to keep your items in place once your bed is open.

For instance, the Swing 0 is designed with an extruded aluminum bed base that allows your shelf to stay in place once the bed is brought out at night. You won’t have to sacrifice wall space for comfort with a Murphy bed.

9. What Kind of Mattress Can You Use With a Wall Bed?

At Resource Furniture, you can choose from any of our premium solvent-free mattresses for your wall bed. Made in Italy by a family-owned business that's been around for over 50 years, our mattresses are built to last and designed for everyday sleeping. They come with memory foam padding for a restful night's sleep, and you'll even enjoy a 20-year warranty on your mattress when you purchase from Resource Furniture.

Our wall beds are configured for our twin, full and queen-sized luxury mattress collection.

10. Can You Leave a Murphy Bed Made? 

Another convenient feature of Murphy beds is leaving your bedding on when you fold it away in the morning. You won’t need to worry about your comforter or sheets getting caught in the mechanism, and you can reveal a desk, table or comfy sofa to use during the day.

Browse Functional and Stylish Wall Beds for Your Space

Resource Furniture offers a wide variety of wall bed transforming furniture systems, from sofa wall beds to Murphy beds with desks and dining tables. Our wall beds provide a more comfortable space to rest than futons or sleeper sofas, with additional storage features that make them the ideal space saver for homes, vacation rentals and smaller apartments.  

Our European-made wall bed mechanisms come with a lifetime warranty. We even have in-stock options for extra convenience when you want your wall bed faster than a custom order.

Browse our Murphy beds or contact us to learn more about our products today!