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Murphy Beds / Roundup

The Best Murphy Beds for Small Apartments

A wall bed is the only way to get a real queen mattress into a small room and still have a floor. Three numbers decide whether you can have one.

A bedroom wall fitted with tall white cabinetry and shelving beside the bed

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At a glance

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Scores are our own, from the rubric on how we choose — not customer ratings.

#ProductBest forScorePrice
01
A bedroom wall fitted with tall white cabinetry and shelving beside the bedIllustrative

Bestar Cielo 66W Queen Murphy Bed

The reference wall bed: 23.5 inches deep closed, a real 60 by 80 queen inside it, and Bestar publishes the two numbers that decide the room — 93.1 inches of extension and 88.9 inches of ceiling.

A full-size guest bed in a small apartment8.7
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02
Bed linens folded on a made bed in a neutral bedroomIllustrative

Night & Day Furniture Murphy Cube Cabinet Bed (Queen)

A queen bed inside a solid rubberwood credenza that bolts to nothing. Closed it is 26.4 inches deep and about ten square feet of floor.

Renters who want a queen and cannot drill8.6
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03
A studio apartment where the sleeping area and the living area share one roomIllustrative

Bestar Pur 78W Queen Murphy Bed with Sofa

A queen wall bed with a sofa in front of it that does not have to move — the only configuration that gives a studio a real couch and a real bed in the same square footage.

Studios that need a sofa and a queen bed8.5
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04
An empty apartment room with wooden flooring and a bright window, ready to be furnishedIllustrative

Lori Beds Vertical Queen Murphy Bed

23 inches deep closed and no hydraulics at all — a manual-fold panel bed you assemble flat-packed with ordinary tools.

The lightest touch on a rented wall8.2
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05
A small guest room with a made bed and a low chest against the wallIllustrative

Arason Creden-ZzZ Queen Cabinet Bed

The original cabinet bed: 25 inches deep closed, opens to 81 inches, includes its mattress and an 11-inch drawer for the bedding.

—8.1
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06
A small home office with a desk, chair and wall shelving in a single roomIllustrative

Bestar Orion 97W Queen Murphy Bed with Fold-Out Desk

Home office by day, queen bed by night, with a pneumatic desk that retracts rather than needing to be cleared.

Rooms that have to be an office too8.3
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07
A minimal bedroom with the bed pushed tight against a plain wallIllustrative

Bestar Versatile 65W Queen Murphy Bed

The plainer Bestar: same 1,000 lb rating and a dual piston mechanism, without the LED strip or the price that comes with it.

—8.2
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08
A folded foam mattress standing upright against a wall on a bare floorIllustrative

Costway Cot Size Murphy Bed with Rolling Storage Cabinet

A folding bed inside a cabinet on four castors. It touches no wall, needs no anchor, and you can push it into a corner with one hand.

Leases that forbid any drilling at all7.8
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How we picked

Ranked on the three numbers that decide whether a wall bed can go in your room — closed depth, how far it extends when down, and the minimum ceiling height it needs — and then on whether a renter can install it at all. Bestar publishes all three for most of its range, which is why it dominates the top of this list. Freestanding cabinet beds rank high because they take a real queen mattress and anchor to nothing. Nothing here has been physically tested; every figure is from the manufacturer's live listing.

01Top pickA full-size guest bed in a small apartment

Bestar Cielo 66W Queen Murphy Bed

Bestar

A bedroom wall fitted with tall white cabinetry and shelving beside the bedIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

The reference wall bed: 23.5 inches deep closed, a real 60 by 80 queen inside it, and Bestar publishes the two numbers that decide the room — 93.1 inches of extension and 88.9 inches of ceiling.

What it's bad at

Dual-mount means it anchors to both the floor and the wall. That is why it is stable, and it is also why most leases make it a conversation with the landlord.

Our score — 8.7 / 10

Footprint10
Mattress10
Mechanism9
Renter fit2
Value7
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Specifications

Folded footprint
65.3 in. W x 23.5 in. D x 85.9 in. H
Open footprint
Extends 93.1 in. from the wall; 65.3 in. wide
Clearance in front
Gains 69.6 in. of depth when opened (23.5 in. to 93.1 in.). Bestar states 30 to 36 in. of clear movement space around the open bed.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
60 x 80 in. — a true queen
Mattress
Your own: 8 to 12 in. thick, 60 to 90 lb, 60 x 80 in. No box spring.
Fold mechanism
Dual-mount wall bed mechanism, anchored to floor and wall
Weight capacity
1,000 lb including the mattress
Assembly
Required, and it is a two-person job. Minimum ceiling height 88.9 in.
Renter-safe?
No — anchors into the wall structure and the floor
Price
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Source: Manufacturer listing, bestar.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

02Renters who want a queen and cannot drill

Night & Day Furniture Murphy Cube Cabinet Bed (Queen)

Night & Day Furniture

Bed linens folded on a made bed in a neutral bedroomIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

A queen bed inside a solid rubberwood credenza that bolts to nothing. Closed it is 26.4 inches deep and about ten square feet of floor.

What it's bad at

170 lb assembled and it does not come apart again. Getting it into a third-floor walk-up is the whole problem with this category.

Our score — 8.6 / 10

Footprint8
Mattress7
Mechanism8
Renter fit10
Value7
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Specifications

Folded footprint
64.1 in. W x 26.4 in. D x 36.6 in. H — about 10 sq ft of floor
Open footprint
64.1 in. W x 80.3 in. D x 25.7 in. H
Clearance in front
Gains 53.9 in. of depth when opened (26.4 in. to 80.3 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
80.3 in. long; a true queen sleeping surface per the manufacturer
Mattress
Optional tri-fold gel-infused memory foam, 80 in. L x 63 in. W x 6 in. H
Fold mechanism
Front panel folds down, mattress tri-folds out on a sliding platform
Weight capacity
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Assembly
Required. 170 lb assembled — two people minimum. 10-year limited warranty.
Renter-safe?
Yes — freestanding, nothing is anchored
Price
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Source: Manufacturer listing, nightanddayfurniture.com, plus retailer listings, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

03Studios that need a sofa and a queen bed

Bestar Pur 78W Queen Murphy Bed with Sofa

Bestar

A studio apartment where the sleeping area and the living area share one roomIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

A queen wall bed with a sofa in front of it that does not have to move — the only configuration that gives a studio a real couch and a real bed in the same square footage.

What it's bad at

The sofa carries a one-year warranty against the bed's ten, which tells you which half Bestar expects to wear out. Minimum ceiling is 91.1 inches.

Our score — 8.5 / 10

Footprint10
Mattress10
Mechanism9
Renter fit2
Value6
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Specifications

Folded footprint
78 in. W (closed depth and height not stated on the listing consulted)
Open footprint
Extends 92 in. from the wall
Clearance in front
Extends 92 in. from the wall with the sofa in place. The sofa stays put; the bed comes down over it.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
60 x 80 in. — a true queen
Mattress
Your own: 8 to 12 in. thick, 60 to 90 lb, 60 x 80 in. No futons.
Fold mechanism
Dual-mount wall bed mechanism, floor and wall anchored
Weight capacity
1,000 lb including the mattress
Assembly
Required, two people. Minimum ceiling height 91.1 in. Leg levelers included.
Renter-safe?
No — anchors to the wall and floor
Price
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Source: Manufacturer listing, bestar.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

04The lightest touch on a rented wall

Lori Beds Vertical Queen Murphy Bed

Lori Beds

An empty apartment room with wooden flooring and a bright window, ready to be furnishedIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

23 inches deep closed and no hydraulics at all — a manual-fold panel bed you assemble flat-packed with ordinary tools.

What it's bad at

Lori is clear that the bed must be anchored to the wall for safety, and it supplies screws for wood and metal studs. It is lighter on your lease than a full cabinet system, but it is not drill-free.

Our score — 8.2 / 10

Footprint10
Mattress9
Mechanism7
Renter fit5
Value8
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Specifications

Folded footprint
64 in. W x 23 in. D x 83 in. H
Open footprint
Extends 86.2 in. from the wall; about 87 in. wall to foot
Clearance in front
Gains 63.2 in. of depth when opened (23 in. to 86.2 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
Takes a standard 60 x 80 in. queen mattress
Mattress
Your own: 12 in. thick or less, 80 lb maximum for the queen
Fold mechanism
Manual fold — no pistons, no springs to service
Weight capacity
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Assembly
Flat-packed, a few hours with common tools per the manufacturer. Printed and video instructions supplied.
Renter-safe?
With caveats — must be anchored to studs; screws for wood and metal studs included
Price
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Source: Manufacturer listing, loribeds.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

05

Arason Creden-ZzZ Queen Cabinet Bed

Arason Enterprises

A small guest room with a made bed and a low chest against the wallIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

The original cabinet bed: 25 inches deep closed, opens to 81 inches, includes its mattress and an 11-inch drawer for the bedding.

What it's bad at

The included mattress is 53 by 75 inches. Arason calls the bed a queen; the sleeping surface is closer to a full, and queen sheets will swim on it.

Our score — 8.1 / 10

Footprint8
Mattress6
Mechanism8
Renter fit10
Value8
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Specifications

Folded footprint
64 in. W x 25 in. D x 39 in. H
Open footprint
Opens to 81 in. deep; 64 in. wide
Clearance in front
Gains 56 in. of depth when opened (25 in. to 81 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
53 x 75 in. — nearer a full than a queen despite the product name
Mattress
Included tri-fold, 6 in.: 4 in. base foam plus 2 in. memory foam
Fold mechanism
Fold-down front, tri-fold mattress on a pull-out platform
Weight capacity
Supports 500 lb
Assembly
Required. 250 lb — freestanding, no bolting to floor or wall. 11 in. storage drawer.
Renter-safe?
Yes — freestanding, explicitly needs no bolting
Price
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Source: Brand listing via Amazon.com and specialist retailers, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

06Rooms that have to be an office too

Bestar Orion 97W Queen Murphy Bed with Fold-Out Desk

Bestar

A small home office with a desk, chair and wall shelving in a single roomIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

Home office by day, queen bed by night, with a pneumatic desk that retracts rather than needing to be cleared.

What it's bad at

The desk holds 50 lb and each shelf 25 lb. That is a laptop and a monitor, not a workstation with two screens and a printer.

Our score — 8.3 / 10

Footprint8
Mattress10
Mechanism9
Renter fit2
Value6
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Specifications

Folded footprint
97 in. W overall (closed depth and height not stated on the listing consulted)
Open footprint
Bed extends 92.7 in. from the wall
Clearance in front
Bed extends 92.7 in. from the wall. The desk must be retracted first — it occupies the same floor the bed lands on.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
60 x 80 in. — a true queen
Mattress
Your own: 8 to 12 in. thick, 60 to 90 lb, 60 x 80 in. No futons.
Fold mechanism
Wall bed mechanism plus pneumatic-cylinder fold-out desk
Weight capacity
1,000 lb including the mattress. Desk 50 lb; each shelf 25 lb.
Assembly
Required, two people. Minimum ceiling height 90.4 in. USB ports and outlets built in.
Renter-safe?
No — anchors to the wall
Price
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Source: Manufacturer listing, bestar.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

07

Bestar Versatile 65W Queen Murphy Bed

Bestar

A minimal bedroom with the bed pushed tight against a plain wallIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

The plainer Bestar: same 1,000 lb rating and a dual piston mechanism, without the LED strip or the price that comes with it.

What it's bad at

It wants 92 inches of ceiling — three inches more than the Cielo. In an older apartment with 8-foot ceilings, that is the difference between fits and does not fit.

Our score — 8.2 / 10

Footprint9
Mattress10
Mechanism9
Renter fit2
Value8
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Specifications

Folded footprint
65 in. W (depth and height not stated on the listing consulted)
Open footprint
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Clearance in front
Cannot be calculated — no open extension figure is published for this model. Treat it as comparable to Bestar's other queen wall beds and measure before ordering.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
60 x 80 in. — a true queen
Mattress
Your own: 8 to 12 in. thick, 60 to 90 lb, 60 x 80 in.
Fold mechanism
Dual piston lift
Weight capacity
1,000 lb including the mattress
Assembly
Required. Minimum ceiling height 92 in.
Renter-safe?
No — anchors to the wall
Price
Check price on Amazon

Source: Manufacturer listing, bestar.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

08Leases that forbid any drilling at all

Costway Cot Size Murphy Bed with Rolling Storage Cabinet

Costway

A folded foam mattress standing upright against a wall on a bare floorIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

A folding bed inside a cabinet on four castors. It touches no wall, needs no anchor, and you can push it into a corner with one hand.

What it's bad at

Cot size. 34 inches wide and a 4-inch mattress — this is a genuine one-person occasional bed, and calling it a Murphy bed flatters it.

Our score — 7.8 / 10

Footprint10
Mattress4
Mechanism7
Renter fit10
Value8
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Specifications

Folded footprint
34 in. W x 17.5 in. D x 41.5 in. H folded
Open footprint
86.5 in. W x 34 in. D x 41.5 in. H unfolded
Clearance in front
Gains 16.5 in. of depth when unfolded (17.5 in. to 34 in.), but needs 86.5 in. of length to unfold into.
Doorway minimum
Folded section is 34 in. wide and rolls on castors
Sleep surface
Cot size — 34 in. wide
Mattress
Included 4 in.: supportive foam with a memory foam layer, washable cover
Fold mechanism
Manual fold, held closed by a hook-and-loop strap
Weight capacity
485 lb
Assembly
Required. Metal frame with 15 birch slats, anti-slip foot pads, 2 pull handles, 4 castors (2 locking).
Renter-safe?
Yes — freestanding and mobile, nothing is fixed to the building
Price
Check price on Amazon

Source: Manufacturer listing, costway.com, plus the Walmart.com product page, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

A wall bed is the only format on this site that gives you a conventional 8-to-12-inch queen mattress and takes the floor back every morning. That is a genuinely different proposition from a sofa bed, and if it fits your room it is usually the right answer.

Three numbers decide whether it fits, and Bestar — unusually for this category — publishes all three. The closed depth is what the cabinet costs you permanently: 23.5 inches on a Cielo. The extension is what it costs you while someone is asleep: 93.1 inches from the wall. And the minimum ceiling height is the one that rules people out entirely: 88.9 inches, which is 7 ft 5 in, and plenty of older apartments come in under that once you account for a ceiling fan or a bulkhead.

The fourth question is your lease. A dual-mount wall bed anchors to the wall and the floor. If that is not available to you, skip to renter-friendly options — the freestanding cabinet beds on this page are the short answer.

The three numbers, and where to find them

Published figures for the queen wall beds here

Bestar Cielo 66W
65.3 × 23.5 × 85.9 in. closed · extends 93.1 in. · ceiling 88.9 in.
Bestar Pur with sofa 78W
78 in. wide · extends 92 in. · ceiling 91.1 in.
Bestar Orion with desk 97W
97 in. wide · extends 92.7 in. · ceiling 90.4 in.
Bestar Versatile 65W
65 in. wide · ceiling 92 in.
Lori vertical queen
64 × 23 × 83 in. closed · extends 86.2 in.

Measure your ceiling at the wall the bed will go on, not in the middle of the room, and measure to the lowest thing on that wall — a crown molding, a bulkhead, a sprinkler head. A Versatile wants 92 inches; a Cielo wants 88.9. That three-inch spread is the difference between a shortlist and no options.

Then measure out from the wall, past the nearest fixed obstruction. Bestar states 30 to 36 inches of clear movement space around the open bed, so a Cielo needs about 123 to 129 inches — roughly ten and a half feet — of clear depth while the bed is down.

Where the depth argument is won

That 93 inches is only committed while somebody is asleep. The rest of the time the cabinet is 23.5 inches deep. A sleeper sofa at 43 inches open is only 34 inches closed, but it is 34 inches all day, every day, and it is a worse mattress.

The mattress rules are strict and they are not suggestions

A wall bed holds the mattress in place with straps while the bed is vertical, and the lift mechanism is balanced for a mattress weight range. Get either wrong and the bed is either impossible to lift or comes down faster than you want.

Bestar’s stated requirement across the Cielo, Pur and Orion lines is the same: 8 to 12 inches thick, 60 to 90 pounds, 60 by 80 inches, and no box spring. The Pur sofa model adds “no futons.” Lori’s queen requirement is 12 inches or less and 80 pounds maximum.

Read that as a hard spec. A 14-inch pillow-top queen will not fit inside the cabinet and a 120-pound hybrid is outside the mechanism’s balance range. The mattresses that work are covered in Murphy bed mattresses.

Cabinet beds: the format that needs nothing drilled

A cabinet bed is a credenza with a tri-fold mattress inside it. Nothing anchors to anything. The Night & Day Cube is 64.1 by 26.4 by 36.6 inches closed — about ten square feet of floor — and opens to 80.3 inches deep with a queen sleeping surface. The Arason Creden-ZzZ is 64 by 25 by 39 inches closed, opens to 81 inches, supports 500 pounds, and includes an 11-inch storage drawer for the bedding.

Two honest caveats. First, weight: the Cube is 170 pounds assembled and the Creden-ZzZ is 250, and neither comes apart again — getting one into a third-floor walk-up is the real constraint on this format. Second, the Creden-ZzZ’s included mattress is 53 by 75 inches, which Arason calls queen and which is nearer a full. The Cube’s optional mattress is 80 by 63 by 6 inches, which is closer to honest.

Full treatment in the best Murphy bed cabinets.

Wall beds that are also something else

In a studio the interesting configurations are the ones where the bed shares its floor with a second function.

With a sofa. The Bestar Pur 78W drops a queen bed over a sofa that does not have to move. It needs 91.1 inches of ceiling and extends 92 inches. Worth knowing: the bed carries a ten-year warranty and the sofa one year, which tells you which half Bestar expects to wear out. Sofa combos.

With a desk. The Bestar Orion 97W retracts a pneumatic-cylinder desk so the bed can come down over it. Desk rated to 50 pounds, shelves 25 pounds each, ceiling 90.4 inches. That is a laptop and a monitor, not a two-screen workstation. Desk combos.

When a wall bed is the wrong answer

Three cases where we would tell you to buy something else.

Your ceiling is under about 7 ft 5 in at the wall. A horizontal wall bed is the workaround — a Lori horizontal queen is 64 inches tall instead of 83 — but it needs 84 inches of uninterrupted wall instead. Horizontal wall beds.

Your lease forbids fixings. Take a freestanding cabinet bed, or the Costway rolling cabinet if the room is small enough for cot size. Renter-friendly options.

It is for occasional guests only. The cost and the install are hard to justify for six nights a year. A sleeper sofa or a daybed is the proportionate answer, and Murphy bed vs sleeper sofa lays the trade-off out properly.

Answers

Common questions

What ceiling height do you need for a Murphy bed?
It varies by model and the manufacturers publish it. Bestar's Cielo queen needs a minimum ceiling height of 88.9 inches, the Orion 90.4 inches, the Pur with sofa 91.1 inches and the Versatile 92 inches. Measure at the wall the cabinet will be anchored to, and measure to the lowest obstruction on that wall.
How far does a Murphy bed stick out when open?
About 86 to 93 inches from the wall for a queen. A Bestar Cielo extends 93.1 inches, the Orion 92.7, the Pur with sofa 92, and a Lori vertical queen 86.2. Bestar recommends 30 to 36 inches of clear movement space around the open bed on top of that.
How deep is a Murphy bed when closed?
23 to 26.4 inches on the models here: 23.5 inches for a Bestar Cielo, 23 inches for a Lori, 25 inches for an Arason Creden-ZzZ cabinet bed and 26.4 inches for a Night & Day Cube. That is the figure that costs you floor permanently.
What mattress can you use in a Murphy bed?
Bestar specifies 8 to 12 inches thick, 60 to 90 pounds, 60 by 80 inches, and no box spring — and no futons on the sofa model. Lori specifies 12 inches or less and 80 pounds maximum for a queen. These are mechanism-balance limits, not preferences, so a 14-inch pillow-top is genuinely not an option.
How much weight can a Murphy bed hold?
Bestar rates the Cielo, Pur and Orion queen wall beds at 1,000 pounds including the mattress. An Arason Creden-ZzZ cabinet bed supports 500 pounds, and a Costway rolling cabinet bed 485. Lori does not publish a capacity figure for its queen beds.

Sources

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