Cabinet Beds vs Murphy Wall Beds

Ahhh… the good old Murphy Bed. For years, the murphy bed has been amongst the top of the leader board for hide away beds. They have had challengers like the futon and the pull-out couch but has never faced an opponent that could match its ease of use as well as COMFORT! However, there is a new kid on the block. They are new, stylish, and most of all, elusive!

The newest hide away bed to the scene is the Cabinet Bed. For those of you that have not heard of the cabinet bed, well… the name pretty much explains itself. They are a fully self-contained pull out bed that doubles as a beautiful looking cabinet during the day. They are easy to use and a more discrete way of adding an extra bed to your guest room, home office, heck even your living room. When folded up, you would not even know that there is a queen size mattress inside.

Because of how easy they are to use and the style factor that the cabinet brings to the table, they have been taking the hide away bed market by storm. They have become a great choice for beach houses, studio apartments, guest rooms, and mountain houses. They come in just about any style you could imagine with a whole plethora of different finishes.

Now, before I go any further, I would like to note that my goal here is not to persuade you to choose the Cabinet Bed over a Wall Bed. With all products, there are going to be pros and cons. No one product is perfect, every customer is going to have different needs and taste. I am hoping that I can shed some light on what a cabinet Bed really is and help you making the right decision for your room while also keeping the guests happy.

Before we get into the head to head battle of Cabinet Beds vs Wall Beds, there are a few things that you should take into consideration when you are buying either of these two hideaway beds. These small things can help you save a lot of time and money in the long.

1. First things first, find out what they make the beds out of. Looks can go a long way, but you want to make sure that your hard-earned cash is going to withstand the test of time. When you are talking about furniture, there are usually 4 different options.
1. Solid hardwood – Best and most sturdy option out there. Solid hardwood looks beautiful and will most definitely last.
2. Plywood – Plywood is another very solid option. The great thing about plywood is that it does not warp and is just as strong is not stronger than solid hardwood.
3. Particle Board – Particle board can still be a solid option for furniture but will not meet the same quality standards as solid hardwood and Plywood.
4. MDF Board – Like particle board, MDF will soak up water like a sponge. They do seal it to try and prevent water damage, but as you probably know, water has a way of getting through anything. MDF is also very heavy compared to other options because of how they compress the material.
2. Be realistic about how often you are going to be using the bed. If you live in a studio apartment and this is going to be your everyday bed, I do agree that it may be easy to just pull a wall bed down and have it ready to go. For most of you out there, you are probably buying one of these beds for your company. Be honest with yourself, how often are you going to be using this bed. Is it worth the effort to anchor a Murphy Wall Bed to the wall and have this monstrous piece of furniture so your parents to sleep on once a year? Chances are that no matter what you put them on, they will find a way to complain.

Getting to get to my point, if you only are going to be using this a few times a year at most, a cabinet bed is a great alternative. They are still very comfortable, easy to set up and you can easily relocate them when needed.

Now that we have touched on the top things to consider when purchasing either of these beds, let us dive into the Pros and some of the Cons of Cabinet Beds and Wall Beds.

Benefits of a Wall Bed:

1. The biggest advantage of a wall bed over a cabinet bed is that you able to leave the sheets and comforter on when putting the bed up against the wall. With a cabinet bed you can leave the sheets on (there is a technique you can use to fold the mattress with the sheets on), however, the comforter must come off. If you are someone who will be using the bed daily and are not fond of remaking the bed every night, you might be more inclined to go with a wall bed.
2. Wall Beds allow you to use a wider variety of mattress. Most of the time, a wall bed will give you the ability to choose the size of the mattress the bed can accommodate. For example, you may be able to put a mattress that is anywhere from 6” – 10” in height. If you are going to be the one sleeping on the bed every night, this may be a big reason to choose a wall bed. It is important that you have a mattress you feel comfortable sleeping on every night.
3. More size options. With cabinet beds being relatively new, most cabinet beds come standard in a queen size. There are a few full-size options (and even fewer twin size), however, the largest variety of style and color options come in a queen. It is much easier to find a wall bed that comes in a twin, full, or king size if that is what you are looking to put in your room.

Benefits of a Cabinet Bed

1. Cabinet Beds are significantly smaller than wall beds. A cabinet bed will take up significantly less room on the wall than a Wall Bed. In a room where you are trying to save space a cabinet bed is perfect. When folded up, a cabinet bed is very compact.
2. Installing a wall bed could require hiring a professional, or at a minimum, hours of your time. Wall beds require you to anchor the framing to the wall.  Unlike the wall bed, cabinet beds are free standing and take little to no time to setup. Depending on the model you choose, assembly typically takes around 30 minutes to an hour. Most of the pieces come pre-assembled. (Note: some wall beds are stand-alone pieces of furniture and do not have to be connected to the wall)
3. Once you install a wall bed to the wall, they are a big hassle to move. Cabinet beds are standalone pieces of furniture. This allows you to easily move them if you ever decided to redecorate the room.
4. Cabinet beds can serve multiple purposes. Obviously, a cabinet bed can be used as a bed, but it can also be used as a TV stand or have pictures/decorations across the back.
5. Cabinet beds blend into the rest of the room. While traditional murphy beds and wall beds take over a room, cabinet beds do not. They do not need to be the focal point. No matter how hard you try to disguise the wall bed, people will always be able to tell you have a hide away bed. Many of our customers have told us their friends were amazed to find out that this beautiful piece of furniture pulls out into a bed.
6. Cabinet Beds come with a 6 Inch Trifold Mattress. I put this last because depending on what you are using the bed for, this can be a positive or a negative. You do not have the versatility or choosing the mattress like you get with the wall bed. If you are using these for company and only using it a few times a year than this is great because you do not have to worry about going out and purchasing a mattress on top of the bed. I personally have used and slept on all of the different cabinet bed brands mattresses and I will say they are all quite comfortable. If you are really worried about your guests being comfortable, you can always toss a mattress topper on to add a couple extra inches of support.

As you can see there are a lot of things to ponder when choosing between a Cabinet Bed and a Wall Bed. They both have their strengths and their weaknesses, but whatever you decide to go with, I am sure you will be pleased.

All in all, both options can be a great way to add an additional bed to a room without having to allocate the space for an actual bed. Depending on your needs and the look that you are trying to achieve, the decision is ultimately yours to make. I hope that this article has been helpful in shedding some light on what a cabinet bed is and what to look for when purchasing either of these two hideaway beds. Just remember, whichever bed you choose to go with, it will be better than making your company sleep on the torture device known as the pull-out couch.