Pick the bed and measure the room. You see how big each murphy bed read is closed, how far it reaches into the room when it is open, and whether your ceiling, wall and floor take it with room to walk past.
Your murphy bed
A queen murphy bed that folds up needs 116.3–124.3″ (9′ 8.3″–10′ 4.3″) of floor in front of the wallthe open bed plus a 30″ walkway · your 144″ (12′) floor and 96″ ceiling take all 3 read
Quick answer: a queen murphy bed that folds up the wall reaches 86.3–94.3″ into the room when it is open, so with Bestar’s 30″ walkway it needs about 116–124″ (9′ 8″–10′ 4″) of floor in front of the wall. Closed, the cabinets read are 62.8–65.9″ wide and 84.1″ tall, and Bestar asks a 90.4″ ceiling for its queen. Bestar’s full opens 84.9″ from the wall; a queen that folds sideways reaches 66.9–76.2″, a twin 47″.
How to use the murphy bed calculator
- Pick the bed: twin, full or queen, and whether it folds up the wall (vertical) or sideways (horizontal).
- Measure the room: the ceiling’s height, and the floor from the wall the bed stands on to the wall or furniture opposite. Add the wall’s width if it is narrow, and change the walkway if you want more than 30″.
- You get how much floor that bed needs open, which beds read fit your ceiling, wall and floor by their makers’ own numbers, and the room drawn from the side.
The rule behind the numbers
A murphy bed asks for three things. The wall must be as wide as its cabinet. The ceiling must clear the cabinet: a vertical bed stands about as tall as the bed is long, 84.1″ for both Lori cabinets, and Bestar prints its own ceiling — 86.4″ for its full, 90.4″ for its queen. The floor must take the open bed and room to walk past it. Bestar’s words for that: “it is best to assign at least 30 inches clearance around the open bed”.
The open bed is what catches people out. Closed, a Lori Bed stands only 15.6″ off the wall; open, the same queen reaches 86.3″ into the room. A horizontal bed is lower and wider, and it reaches less far: Lori’s queen 66.9″, its twin 47″.
Each bed’s size
| Bed | Maker, model | Closed (W × H × D) | Open from the wall | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin, folds up | Lori Beds Lori Bed | 44.7″ × 84.1″ × 15.6″ | 82.6″ | 84.1″+ |
| Twin, folds sideways | Lori Beds Lori Bed | 84.5″ × 45.1″ × 15.6″ | 47″ | 45.1″+ |
| Full, folds up | Bestar Pur | – | 84.9″ | 86.4″+ |
| Full, folds sideways | Bestar Pur Horizontal | – × – × 20.28″ | 64.47″ | – |
| Queen, folds up | Lori Beds Lori Bed | 65.9″ × 84.1″ × 15.6″ | 86.3″ | 84.1″+ |
| Queen, folds up | Lori Beds YouLift 2.0 | 62.8″ × 84.1″ × 24.9″ | 94.3″ | 84.1″+ |
| Queen, folds up | Bestar Orion | – | 92.7″ | 90.4″+ |
| Queen, folds sideways | Lori Beds Lori Bed | 84.5″ × 65.9″ × 15.6″ | 66.9″ | 65.9″+ |
| Queen, folds sideways | Lori Beds YouLift 2.0 | 82.8″ × 65.9″ × 24.9″ | 76.21″ | 65.9″+ |
Each row is the maker’s own product page. Lori Beds prints closed and open sizes for each bed; Bestar prints how far its open bed reaches and its least ceiling, but no cabinet width in its text, so a dash stands there. Where a maker prints no ceiling of its own, the cabinet’s height is the least ceiling. Lori’s YouLift page prints its queen’s closed depth as both 24.1″ and 24.9″; the larger is used.
Five worked examples
A queen that folds up, in a 12′ room with an 8′ ceiling. It takes all three queens read, with 30″ to walk past the open bed.
The same queen in a 10′ room. Only the Lori Bed leaves a 30″ walkway; Bestar’s Orion opens to within 27.3″ of the wall opposite.
A queen under a 7′ 4″ ceiling (88″). Both Lori cabinets fit at 84.1″; Bestar’s Orion asks 90.4″.
A full that folds up. Bestar’s Pur needs 114.9″ of floor with the walkway and an 86.4″ ceiling.
A queen that folds sideways, 100″ of floor. The Lori Bed fits with its walkway; the YouLift leaves 23.8″ to walk past.
Common mistakes
- Measuring the cabinet, not the open bed. A Lori queen stands 15.6″ off the wall closed and reaches 86.3″ open.
- Forgetting the walkway. Bestar asks at least 30″ around the open bed; 30–36″ for its full.
- A low ceiling. A vertical queen needs 84.1–90.4″; under a lower ceiling or a slope, a horizontal bed (65.9″ for Lori’s queen) is the one that fits.
- The wrong mattress. Lori’s Lori Bed takes up to 10″, its YouLift up to 12″; Bestar’s full 8–10″, its queen 8–12″, and never a box spring.
- A loose cabinet. Bestar’s must be anchored “to wood studs or masonry” and to the floor.
Find the sheets and bedding for the mattress with the bedding size calculator, plan a guest room or office around it with the home office layout planner, and draw it to scale in the free 2D planner.
Home office layoutRead next
- Creative murphy bed ideas for small spaces
- Murphy bed desks
- Studio apartment ideas
- Beds for small rooms
Murphy bed size questions
What are the dimensions of a queen murphy bed?
Folding up the wall: Lori’s Lori Bed is 65.9″ wide, 84.1″ tall and 15.6″ deep closed and reaches 86.3″ open; its YouLift 62.8″ × 84.1″ × 24.9″, reaching 94.3″; Bestar’s Orion reaches 92.7″ and asks a 90.4″ ceiling. It takes a 60 × 80″ queen mattress.
What are the dimensions of a full murphy bed?
Bestar’s Pur full reaches 84.9″ from the wall open and asks an 86.4″ ceiling; its horizontal Pur is 20.28″ deep closed and reaches 64.47″. It takes a 54 × 75″ full mattress, 8–10″ thick.
What are the dimensions of a twin murphy bed?
Lori’s twin that folds up is 44.7″ wide, 84.1″ tall and 15.6″ deep closed and reaches 82.6″ open; folding sideways it is 84.5″ wide and 45.1″ tall and reaches 47″.
How much room do you need for a murphy bed?
The open bed plus a walkway: about 116–124″ (9′ 8″–10′ 4″) of floor for a vertical queen with Bestar’s 30″ clearance, 114.9″ for Bestar’s full, 77″ for Lori’s horizontal twin.
What ceiling height do you need for a murphy bed?
For a bed that folds up, at least the cabinet’s height: 84.1″ for Lori’s queen and twin; Bestar asks 86.4″ for its full and 90.4″ for its queen. A horizontal queen needs only 65.9″.
How thick can a murphy bed mattress be?
Up to 10″ for the Lori Bed and 12″ for the YouLift; 8–10″ for Bestar’s full and 8–12″ for its queen. Bestar: “do not use with box spring”.