Best Budget-Friendly: Bestar Full Murphy Bed

Let’s talk Murphy beds!

Invented around 1900 by William Lawrence Murphy, the Murphy bed was first called an “In-A-Door Bed.” Murphy was living in a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco at the time he invented it. 

Although fold-up beds pre-dated the Murphy bed, Murphy’s innovation was to add counterbalance weights and a pivot joint the bed. He patented these improvements in 1912 and 1916.

Murphy beds are great as a space saver in small bedrooms, apartments and dorm rooms. More modern designs now have decorative shelving, USB recharging plugs and more. 

A fixture in comedy movies, Murphy beds play the comic foil in movies like Abbott and Costello’s “Hit the Ice” (1943), Charlie Chaplin’s “One AM” (1916) and Laurel and Hardy’s “Be Big” (1930).

Yes, Murphy beds can be pricey—but we found one brand (Bestar) that was recommended by our readers and is easy on the wallet. Here’s more:

What We Liked

• Sturdy.

• Easy to assemble.

• Affordable.

• Full-size with slat mattress foundation.

• Made in Canada.

• Dual piston design makes it easy to pull down and release.

What Needs Work

• Sharp edges.

• Even with mattress, bed legs may not touch the ground. (One suggestion: go for a mattress that weighs at least 60 lbs.).

Best With Desk: Full Wall Bed with Desk

Most Murphy beds simply fold up into cabinet that just takes up space (albeit less space than with the bed pulled out, but still). What we liked about this model is the built-in desk—when folded, you get a usable work space, letting you turn that spare room into an office on the fly.

What We Liked

• Easy assemble.

• Includes 2 LED lights with dimmer switch—very nice.

• Dual piston system makes setting up easy.

• Looks impressive.

• Good quality.

• Wood mattress slats.

What Needs Work

• A bit pricey.

• Bed must be anchored to the wall. This isn’t a major negative, but just another step required in installation.

Best Chest-Style Bed: BOWERY HILL Full Size Murphy Bed Chest

Most Murphy beds fold up into a tall cabinet and require you to purchase a mattress separately. This model is cleverly designed to fold into a chest—and yes, it includes a six-inch, memory foam mattress. Most impressive!

What We Liked

• 2 built-in charging ports.

• Includes mattress.

• Nice looking cabinet looks like a dresser.

• Satin finish hardware gives it a nice finish.

What Needs Work

• A bit pricey.

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!