Are you curious to know if Murphy beds are comfortable? Well, there are two ways to answer it, a short one or a long one. Read the article to find them.
When you have a small apartment that does not have enough room to place a dedicated bed to entertain guests or even to use it as your own bed, getting a space-saving bed option will be essential. There are a lot of options out there, but Murphy will be the first to attract your attention towards it in this situation.
If you are not familiar with them, they are a type of bed that you can fold away into an adjacent wall or into a cabinet when you get up. Once you are feeling sleepy again, you pull the bed down and go to sleep on it as you would sleep on a regular one.
Despite their easy to use and being highly space saving, are murphy beds comfortable as compared to normal beds? That is a question usually people have in their mind and you might have it too.
In a nutshell, Murphy beds are just as comfortable as any regular bed if you place a comfortable mattress on them. The mattress on them will decide the comfort level of Murphy beds. That is why if the mattress is comfortable then the bed would also be.
If you want more explanation, read about it more below.
Are Murphy Beds Comfortable?
As already mentioned above, murphy beds are well-designed in order to make your lives comfortable when it comes to sleeping. The experience will be the same as on any regular bed. There are different methods in which Murphy beds achieve this goal. Here are some of them.
They Accommodate Regular Mattresses
There is a common misconception that people usually have about Murphy beds that they are designed in a different way, you have to use a new kind of mattresses on the frame. This is not true and we are talking about the Murphy beds which are a prominent name in the market.
These beds are available in the regular sizes to accommodate mattresses of all regular sizes instead. The sizes of murphy beds are twin, king, full and queen. You can get any of these sizes’ mattress, and you will be able to find matching Murphy beds in the market easily.
It also solves another riddle that users are concerned about that is, comfortability. These beds help you to use regular mattresses, the comfort level is not different as compared to others. So, if your traditional size mattress is comfortable and purchase a bed that fits that mattress, you will enjoy the same comfort when you sleep.
Thick Mattresses (Unlike Thin Futons)
The thickness of the mattress is an important factor when you are looking for a bed comfort. The ideal way to keep in mind it – the thicker the mattress, the more comfortable it becomes to sleep on it. More thickness is a sign that mattress can add more fluffy material inside which results in better accommodation the shape of the person’s body sleeping on it. This also helps the mattress to absorb the pressure in a better at pressure points, and provide a very soothing feel to the sleeper. Many people who consider with space saving bed options including futons report the thin mattresses they have to use with those bedding options. because thin mattresses fail to provide a comforting sleeping experience to its sleeper.
Murphy beds can solve the issue very efficiently by using this much thicker mattresses as compared to thin futons. By using any modern Murphy bed, you can accommodate a mattress of up to 12” in thickness, which is not thin, keeping in view the modern standards. And it does not seem that mattress would have to be thicker in the future too.
So, if you are unsure whether Murphy beds would support thick mattresses or not, be confident because you will not be disappointed in this regard.
Additional Tip: When it comes to getting the right thickness mattress, you should keep your body weight in mind too. If your weight is over 230 lbs. you will have to go for the mattress thicker than 9 inches.
Flat Support for Mattress (No Uncomfortable Bars Underneath)
Traditional beds cannot beat Murphy beds in this area where there is no supportive bar underneath the bed, it happens in most cases. Some Murphy beds come with bars, but underneath them, it has a flat panel that supports the mattress, on the other hands, traditional beds only contain poking bars.
This makes me uncomfortable when I sleep on a bed that contains supporting bars underneath the mattress. Those bars easily poke me on my back. You can also face this if the mattress is not that thick. In addition, if someone is overweight and sleeps on a thicker mattress, the person will experience the same feeling. If someone prefers a comfy sleeping experience, this would be very discomforting for them like my experience.
Murphy beds are also unique in this case as compared to traditional beds as they are without these bars underneath the mattress. Most of these beds come with entirely flat support instead underneath the mattress. They fix the issues in two ways. Firstly, you get an option to use a thick mattress. Secondly, if you prefer the thinnish mattress whatever the reason is, you would not feel the annoying bars poking your back, making your sleeping experience better.
Easy to Open and Close
Many people ask a question regarding the folding of bed – is it difficult to fold up and down? If you are one of them, well, you have good news.
Murphy beds are made in such a way that can make the folding easier. It does not matter which size and thickness of the mattress you use on it, it will not need much effort when it comes to folding it back into the wall. The bed can be folded in a few seconds without any heavy lifting. A larger bed would not be heavier to lift, because the lifting mechanism will also be more powerful when dealing with a larger bed. If you follow the instructions of the manufacturer properly in order to select the mattress, you will not have to face any problems with pulling the bed up or down.
The folding mechanism of Murphy beds is becoming easier. Almost all these beds are designed with sophisticated piston-loaded or spring loaded mechanisms that make the opening and closing of the bed effortless. It is as easy as you can perform it with one hand.
Methods to Ensure Comfort on Murphy Beds
Until now, we have focused on the importance of selecting the right mattress. The main question to answer here is – how can I know which mattress is the best for your Murphy bed? Which type is best? What about thickness?
We have covered the much-needed information in the following sections to help you with it.
Get a Proper Type of Mattress
When you go through the market, you will see that people talk about three types of mattress when dealing with Murphy beds.
- Memory foam mattresses
- Innerspring mattresses
- Latex-foam mattresses
All of these mattresses are not equally good. They can be different in terms of price, comfortability, longevity and convenience. So, take a look at the following information to learn which type of Murphy bed mattress would be best for your specific situation.
1. Memory Foam Mattresses
All beds, especially Murphy beds, memory foam mattresses are the ideal ones. If you want to enjoy the comfortable sleeping experience with your folding bed, you should consider this type of mattress.
These mattresses can adapt to your natural body shape when you sleep on them more. The top layer and the support core of a memory foam mattress for people under 150 lbs would be more comfortable.
After using it for a few days, the foam will sink in to offer you pressure relief on your shoulders as well as hips in order to enjoy a comfortable sleep.
If your weight is more than 200 lbs. you should get a firmer memory foam mattress that has a supportive spring core. It will ensure that your body does not shrink too deep into it. Do not miss this factor if you are suffering from hip pain, back pain, or any posture problem.
Innerspring Mattresses
If you are looking for a budget-friendly option, consider getting an innerspring mattress for your Murphy bed as these mattresses tend to be less costly than their memory foam counterparts. These mattresses come with an upholstered top layer with natural fillings that make the top layer more comfortable. Additionally, they contain arrays of spring inside and they are put in an organized way, making the bed more flexible when someone is sleeping on the top.
When you compare it to memory foam, the comfortability level won’t be the same. But still, they can be considered as the best alternative to memory foam mattresses for murphy beds.
Latex Mattresses
Latex mattresses would be the most durable alternative. But this option might not provide you the maximum comfort when you need it for your small bed setup. These mattresses are heavier that is the reason they are not ideal for Murphy beds as the other two options we have already shared above.
When you need pressure relief, these mattresses would not be good enough than the memory foam. The reason is memory foam mattresses would enable the curves of your body to sink deeply into them, on the other hand, latex enables the sinking of the shape of your body (overall), rather than details. That is why pressure relief on these mattresses are good, but they cannot compete with memory foam in terms of performance.
However, the cause behind not recommending these mattresses for Murphy beds is that the bed would be closed for longer periods, in a standing position. They are designed with more flexible and heavier materials, so, there are high chances that their shape gets distorted over time because of being put in a standing position for such prolonged periods.
Go for a Mattress of Proper Size and Thickness
Now you have made up your mind about which mattress type you should choose, selecting the right thickness is the next thing. Generally, mattresses for murphy beds come in 6-12 inches. You need to keep in mind your bed size, the recommendation of the manufacturer, and your body weight in order to choose the right thickness.
If you are an average person who weighs below 200 lbs. you won’t require over 8 inches of thickness. Individuals more than 200 lbs. need to get a thicker mattress.
In addition, if the bed is for a couple, you should consider a thicker mattress to make sure equal comfort for each person.
The main thing is to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations in this regard.
Get a Proper Weight Mattress
The thickness of the mattress can check this factor automatically. In order to ensure everything goes well, take into account the manufacturer’s recommendation before you finally get a mattress.
The mattress’ weight will affect the convenience of opening and folding of the bed. It should not be too heavy to fold up, and it should not be too lightweight so it closes up automatically.
Murphy Bed Recommendations
After having a discussion on Murphy beds for this long, it would be very good to include some recommendations too. So, here are some ready-to-assemble Murphy beds which are our recommendation.
Last Words
To conclude everything, Murphy beds can be same as any regular bed in terms of comfort. The folding mechanism and unique form factor of it do not make it an uncomfortable option for bed if you select the bed of the right size and an ideal mattress as per your requirement.
So, if someone puts forward this question that are murphy beds comfortable? Whether for an opinion or recommendation, you now have a lot of insights after reading this article to tell them.
What’s Next
Murphy beds are considered the expensive ones, here you can learn why they are expensive.