Wall Bed vs Murphy Bed | Same Design, Two Names

A wall bed and a Murphy bed are the same product: a bed that folds vertically into a wall cabinet to save floor space.

For the full breakdown, see our best Wall Bed guide.

Walk into any furniture showroom and you’ll hear both terms thrown around as if they describe different things. They don’t. The distinction between a wall bed vs Murphy bed is mostly naming — one is the consumer-friendly label, the other is the broader retail term. What actually matters is construction quality, installation, and safety, not which word the manufacturer printed on the box.

Why The Same Bed Has Two Names

The name “Murphy bed” traces back to William Lawrence Murphy, who patented a fold-down bed design in the early 1900s to fit more living space into cramped San Francisco apartments. The term stuck, and in US consumer usage it’s still the more common phrase today.

“Wall bed” is the broader industry term that covers Murphy beds plus similar fold-away designs, including models with desks, sofas, or shelving built into the cabinet. Retailers like Murphy Wall-Beds — which markets its line as “The world’s best wall beds” — and Murphy Bed Depot use both terms interchangeably in their catalogs. If you’re shopping, treat the words as synonyms and focus your comparison on hardware quality, mattress size, and the cabinet finish.

The one real difference you’ll encounter is regional. In the UK and parts of Europe, “wall bed” is standard and Murphy-style products are priced and sized differently — For US buyers, the terms mean the same thing.

Are There Real Differences Worth Paying For?

Not in the name — but yes in the build. The difference that matters is the lifting mechanism and mounting hardware, which separates a bed that lasts decades from one that sags after a few years.

Budget wall beds typically use a simple spring-and-piston system. Higher-end units use gas pistons or counterbalanced mechanisms that make opening and closing smooth enough for one person to manage. Custom builds, like those Murphy Wall-Beds offers through its Build-A-Bed online configurator, let you adjust the cabinet size, finish, and mechanism to match your room.

Price follows the mechanism. Custom configurations from specialty manufacturers run higher, and that’s before delivery and installation. Whatever you choose, the bed itself is only half the purchase — the wall it mounts to matters just as much.

Installation And Safety: What Most Owners Get Wrong

The most common mistake is skipping proper anchoring. Health Canada’s safety guidance warns that foldaway beds can cause injury or death if not properly installed, secured, and maintained. These beds are heavy — a queen mattress and mechanism can weigh several hundred pounds — and they must be bolted into wall studs or other structural components, never drywall alone.

That’s not a suggestion. Assembly instructions for Murphy beds explicitly state the frame must be fully secured to the wall before the bed is released, and that concrete, wood, or steel studs are used for fastening. Plan on professional installation if you’re not comfortable finding studs and anchoring a heavy cabinet. If you do it yourself, you’ll need at least two people — some larger models require four — and keep children, pets, and anyone else away during assembly.

The same safety rules apply every day the bed is in use:

• Check the bed’s weight limit and don’t exceed it.
• Keep children from operating the bed unsupervised.
• Clear obstructions from the path before opening or closing.
• Engage the locking mechanism if your model has one.
• Inspect regularly for loose bolts or worn hardware.

Health Canada also advises stopping use immediately if you find any damage, and never forcing the bed open or closed. Some models come with a safety latch that automatically locks the bed closed when not in use — worth asking about when you buy.

Which One Should You Buy?

Since the two terms describe the same product, the buying decision comes down to room size, mattress preference, and your comfort with installation. A wall bed makes sense when a room serves double duty — a home office that becomes a guest room, or a studio where floor space is precious.

Measure your room before you shop. Murphy beds need clearance in front of the cabinet for the mattress to fold down fully, and the cabinet itself sticks out roughly 12 to 16 inches from the wall. Check the ceiling height too, since some mechanisms require extra room to pivot.

If you’re ready to compare specific models, our tested roundup of the best wall beds on the market lays out the top options side by side.

Whichever name you use, the critical steps are the same: buy from a manufacturer with real hardware, anchor to studs, and follow the safety rules. Health Canada’s foldaway bed safety guidance covers the key risks in detail and is worth a read before you install.