We have a guest bedroom that is only used a few nights a year, and we wanted to set up a home gym, so we figured a Murphy bed would serve both purposes. I bought a kit that comes with all the hardware and plans, and it ended up being pretty straight-forward.
First I taped off on the wall roughly where we wanted it to go.
The build wasn't terribly exciting. Basically building a frame to hold the mattress and then a cabinet frame, and it came together very quickly.
After I finished the mattress frame, I moved it back into the house to get it out of the garage. I also pulled off the baseboard trim, and some of the trim around the build in shelves. It seemed like a waste to completely cover over the built in bookcase, so I left a couple of the shelves at the top. I also ran the electrical for the lights that would get installed later.
Carrie made the upholstered headboard and helped me with getting the mattress frame installed in the outer cabinet, attaching the header, and getting the whole thing attached to the wall.
Here is the Murphy bed part mostly finished, and attached to the wall.
We debated for a while about whether we should leave it wood colored or paint it, but then Carrie had the great idea to wallpaper it. This went on very easily and looks fantastic.
After that, we plopped the mattress into the frame, attached the gas struts, and installed the overhead lights.
Next I built bookcases on either side of the bed cabinet.
I also made a couple drawers on each side for bed linens and whatever else needs to go with the bed. Here is the finished product.
And here it is with the bed made up. We're considering putting a framed picture in the empty space next to the built in bookcase, but it's not a high priority since the bed is closed most of the time.
