Murphy Beds Are Awesome! The Mattresses Suck...
Murphy beds are an amazing space saver, and in our modern lives where space is a premium and living smaller is beneficial for both your wallet and the environment, they make a lot of sense.
There are a lot of good companies out there that install Murphy beds (or wall beds) and you should definitely make sure you contract a company that uses the best hardware, materials, and technicians to install it. Nobody wants to have a wall bed fall on them. But once you have found a quality installer, that still doesn’t guarantee that it is a good experience. The mattress needs to be comfortable!
Most Murphy bed installers recommend a simple innerspring mattress. That is a little bit vague, but the reason is a murphy bed mattress needs to be stiff so that it doesn’t sag and roll down when it is upright, light so it doesn’t put unnecessary stress on the hardware and materials and can be easily lowered and raised, and less than 10” deep so that the cabinetry can close properly and be space efficient. To review, the three key components to a successful murphy bed mattress are:
- Stiff - The mattress can’t sag or fold while the bed is upright.
- Light - The lighter the mattress is the easier it is to pull out and the longer the hardware will last.
- Thin - A murphy bed mattress needs to be less than 10” to fold flat against the wall and close properly.
Innerspring mattresses are used because the mattress works with the equipment, not necessarily the mattress works with your body. You have very little customization with a basic innerspring mattress, and generally, you either like it or you don’t. However, since they are cheap, and most murphy beds are for guest bedrooms it’s not worth it to most murphy bed installers to offer a better more comfortable alternative.
You can build a comfortable, lightweight and stiff mattress without using a spring, and a good mattress maker will be able to do so. You might pay a little more for it, but with the hundreds or thousands of dollars a month you save living in a smaller space you will definitely be able to afford it!
Murphy beds don’t need to be simply a better version of the pull-out couch. They can be comfortable enough to be a viable option for tiny homes, RV’s, bachelor suites and other smaller living spaces as a daily sleeper. You just need to talk to a competent mattress maker to make it happen.
To see our mattress custom designed for your murphy bed, click here.