Can Murphy Beds Be Free Standing? (Solved)

We all know that traditional beds do not have to be secured to a wall, but what about murphy beds?

Can murphy beds be freestanding?

Most murphy beds need to be anchored to a wall or to the floor. This helps support them while they are in the up position as well as when they’re being raised and lowered. This being said, there are murphy beds that do not necessarily have to be anchored.

Online stores with Murphy beds

Stores	Price range	Murphy beds	Visit
Wayfair	$-$$	179	Visit here
the Lori Bed	$-$ (!)	4	Visit here
Expand Furniture	$$-$$$	35	Visit here
Amazon	$-$$$	+200	Visit here

Freestanding murphy beds function more like pull-out beds rather than murphy beds, so you don’t have to worry about them being raised and lowered in the same way.

Let’s take a look at some murphy beds and how these beds are supported:

Free Standing Murphy Beds

For a murphy bed to be freestanding, it has to sit pretty low to the ground.

On top of this, it has to have a substantial base. Without the heavy base, the bed could fall over when it is being folded out.

This is dangerous and could result in serious injury.

Not a great way to start the morning or to end the night.

Example of a Freestanding Murphy Beds

#1 Compatto – Freestanding Murphy Bed

This is a great high-quality bed system from Expand Furniture (check it here).

It’s pretty unique that it doesn’t require a wall mount.

You can purchase it with a mattress or simply use your own and it doesn’t require too much work. If you have a basic toolkit you’ll be able to assemble this beauty in an afternoon!

#2 Breakwater Bay Mathews Queen Storage Murphy Bed

This bed comes with a queen-size mattress that fits inside a storage cabinet.

The bed also has a set of drawers underneath it and a set of electrical outlets and USB outlets alongside it.

The company says that it only takes up 10 square feet when it is closed.

This bed is unique for a murphy bed in that it folds out in three sections. Because of this, it doesn’t need to take up as much vertical space and therefore sits nice and low to the ground.

This bed offers a lot more flexibility in terms of placement. It’s also great for people who can’t drill into their walls or floors.

The only downside is that the different segments of the bed could lead to less comfort, so it might not be the best choice for people who want to use them every night.

#3 Compatto – Horizontal Murphy Bed with Desk

This is another really cool solution for rooms where you cannot or won’t drill holes in the wall:

It’s a very stylish Italian design built in very high quality.

You can get it here with shipping across all of the U.S. and Canada.

It’s a great option for:

• A home office
• Teenage rooms
• Work/guess bed in a living room

#4 Compatto – Murphy Bed Desk (also freestanding)

This option is similar to the other Compatto model (#3 above) but it holds a queen-size bed for two people:

Check the prices, specs, and more details here.

This model will let you leave all your work on the table as it folds down on the floor and stays in place (same with the other Compatto model).

That’s a good option if you have a daily work routine at home and don’t want to clear the table completely every night!

Do I Have to Drill Holes in the Wall to Mount a Murphy bed?

If you decide to go with a traditional murphy bed, you’ll have to drill holes into the wall.

People with standard drywall or plaster walls will want to make sure they find a stud to drill into.

Homeowners with concrete, cinderblock, or brick walls will have a little bit more flexibility, but they will have to use specific drill bits to penetrate their walls.

Do all Murphy Bed Models Need to be Attached to the Wall?

You don’t always have to attach a murphy bed to a wall.

As we said earlier, you can buy freestanding murphy beds, and you can purchase murphy beds that attach to your floor instead of your wall.

Wall Mounted Murphy Beds

A traditional murphy bed is a vertically mounted bed that folds down from the wall.

In the past, the bed was usually located inside a decorative cabinet, but these days it might be behind a set of shelves or behind a piece of furniture.

Examples of this would be murphy beds built with sofas in front of them and murphy beds with desks that fold into them.

Traditional murphy beds are almost always mounted to the wall.

#1 Expand Furniture

Expand Furniture has some really stylish and cool solutions for the modern home!

Here you can see model with a shelving unit beside the bed:

They have a lot of possibilities where you can have extra different features:

• Beds with shelving on the side
• Beds with a table that folds down
• Beds a dining table that folds up
• etc.

Check all the models here.

The Wade Logan Lower Weston Murphy Bed

The Weston Murphy Bed is a standard vertically mounted murphy bed that lives inside of a large wall cabinet that looks like a big wardrobe closet from the outside.

To mount this bed, you’ll need to find the studs so that you can drill the cabinet into them.

If you don’t mount the bed to the wall, you run the risk of having the bed fall over on you when you’re raising or lowering it.

The bed weighs in at 270 pounds, so this is a serious risk.

The Berner Murphy Bed

The Berner Murphy Bed is a horizontally mounted murphy bed with a set of shelves over the top of it and a desk in front of it.

This bed folds out from the wall while the desk folds in under it.

This bed must also be mounted to the wall where the shelves are connected to the wall.

Of course, even if there were not a murphy bed underneath of them, the shelves would still have been drilled into the wall, so you really aren’t creating any extra holes in your wall for the bed.

Floor Mounted Murphy Beds

Not all murphy beds have to be mounted to a wall.

While the wall is usually easier to mount them to, it is possible to mount them to the floor instead.

To mount a bed to the floor, you’ll usually need a special bracket that can be braced against the wall and drilled into the floor.

You’ll also need to take special care to try to find a stud or other solid surface within the floor to drill into.

I wouldn’t recommend this type of murphy bed mount as it is more complicated, and you’re more likely to damage sprinkler systems, plumbing systems, and electrical systems when drilling into the floor versus the wall.

Murphy Door Bed Frame

Murphy Bed Depot sells a murphy bed frame that mounts to the floor.

This bed frame is vertically mounted and comes in all bed sizes. Mattress support can be purchased with the bed, or you can build your own mattress support.

The base twin bed model will cost you about $300.00, while the supported king-size bed will cost you about $600.00.

You’ll also have to buy mattresses with these beds as well.

Final Thoughts:

When buying a murphy bed, you’ll have a wide range of mounting options to choose from.

You’ll want to know how these beds are mounted before you go ahead and buy them.

Most companies will tell you how they’re mounted right on their website, but if you’re unsure, always be sure to ask first rather than assume.