Can I Add a Desk to a Murphy Bed?
Murphy beds and home offices are a combination as good as peanut butter and jelly; they go together perfectly and coexist with beautiful harmony. There’s very little question as to why, with a little careful planning, you can get a fully functional home office and a guest bedroom to fit in one room without getting cramped or feeling cluttered.
At Wilding Wallbeds we have four unique Murphy bed with a desk solutions that can be tailored to fit your needs, your space, and your style. These four solutions are the Murphy Desk Bed, the Studio Desk Bed, the Drop Down Table, and a custom home office.With all of these options, how could you ever decide which is best for you? It comes down to a few basic questions about how you need your space to function. Simply follow our guide below and you will be well on your way to finding the perfect Murphy bed with a desk.
Option #1: Murphy Desk Beds
In many ways, the Murphy Desk Beds are the best of the best when it comes to home office and Murphy bed combinations. They boasts an enormous workspace, an always-level desktop that never requires you to move your work items, and a very comfortable sleeping experience.
Ideal use case:
The best use-case for a Murphy Desk Bed is any home office that needs to double as a bedroom. These beds are workhorses that you could use as an office and a bed every day of the year. If you plan to use the desk regularly, it is especially advantageous to get a Murphy Desk Bed.
Pros:
- Very large workspace: The desktop on a queen Murphy Desk Bed is 80″W x 24″D, which is plenty of space for a home office setup, including a printer and a monitor or two.
- Every day usage approved: Use the bed, the desk, or both every single day of the year. It’s sturdy and reliable and won’t give you any problems.
- Always level desktop: As the bed folds down, the workspace stays flat, allowing you to leave everything on the desk, even as the bed is in-use.
- Plenty of vertical clearance: There is 17″ of vertical clearance on items on the desktop, which means you can leave any items on your desktop that are up to 17″ tall.
- Many style, color, and layout options: You can build a home office fit for an executive by adding storage, power, lighting, etc.
Cons:
- Parallel sleeping arrangement: For many, sleeping parallel to the wall is not a problem, but for some, the more traditional arrangement of sleeping perpendicular to the wall is preferred. While this is already a small downside, it becomes even smaller when you consider the frequency with which you’ll use the bed. If it’s used a few times a year, focus on the massive desk space rather than the parallel sleeping arrangement.
- Bed and desk usage are mutually exclusive: You cannot use the bed and the desk at the same time, as the desk stows away beneath the bed and actually acts as a form of support for the bed.
Option #2: Studio Desk
The Studio Desk is an optional upgrade that can be added to any of our Studio Series Murphy Beds.
Ideal use case:
The best use-case for the Studio Desk is a room where the desk may be used a little less frequently than and the functionality of the desk is a little less important.
Pros:
- Fairly large workspace: The desktop on a queen Murphy Bed with a Studio Desk is about 21″D x 65.5″W. This is still a fairly large work station and is adequate for nearly all home office setups.
- Always level desktop: Similar to the Murphy Desk Bed, the Studio Desk stays level when the bed is pulled down, so there is no need to clear everything from the desktop.
- Standard sleeping direction: Unlike the Murphy Desk Bed, the Studio Desk allows you to sleep on it perpendicular to the wall like a more traditional bed.
- Many style, color, and layout options: You can build a home office fit for an executive by adding storage, power, lighting, etc.
Cons:
- Limited vertical space: Where the Murphy Desk Bed has a vertical space of 17″, the Studio Desk’s clearance is only 9 inches. This means only items that are less than 9 inches can fit on the desk when the bed is in use. This severely limits what can be stored on the desktop continually.
- Bed and desk usage are mutually exclusive: You cannot use the bed and the desk at the same time, as the desk stows away beneath the bed and actually acts as a form of support for the bed.
Option #3: Drop Down Table
The Drop Down Table is an optional upgrade on many of our Murphy beds or wall beds. This option creates a table that folds down from the face of the bed to be used while the bed is stored.
Ideal use case:
The best use-case for the Drop Down Table is a home office with a Murphy bed where one of the two functions (bed or desk) is used much more frequently than the other. This is because the table has to be folded up in order for the bed to be used.
Pros:
- Usable from three sides: Unlike any of our other options, the drop down table is accessible from 3 sides, which is ideal for certain scenarios, especially a sewing table.
- Standard sleeping direction: Unlike the Murphy Desk Bed, the Studio Desk allows you to sleep on it perpendicular to the wall like a more traditional bed.
- Many style, color, and layout options: You can build a home office fit for an executive by adding storage, power, lighting, etc.
Cons:
- Must be stowed when bed comes down: Every time the bed is opened the desk must be cleared and stowed.
- Smaller desktop: While the Drop Down Table is ideal for certain scenarios (like a sewing table) the actual work space is limited, in some cases as small as 30″x36″.
Option #4: Custom Home Office
A custom home office is the Rolls-Royce of Murphy bed home office solutions. Fully customizable, this option puts you in control to create the home office you need.
Ideal use case:
The best use-case for a custom home office is a very heavily used home office with a need for unlimited storage, a comfortable work surface, and unlimited desk space.
Pros:
- Fully customizable: What kind of office do you need? Do you need storage? Do you need file drawers? Regardless of your unique needs, we can build a home office with a Murphy bed that will fulfill your office needs as well as your Murphy bed needs.
- Unlimited desk space: Because the desktop is separate from the Murphy bed, there are very few restrictions on the desk size or shape. You tell us how large you need and we’ll design something for you.
- Many style, color, and layout options: You can build a home office fit for an executive by adding storage, power, lighting, etc.
- Desk and bed can be used simultaneously: Unlike the other options, usage of the bed and the desk are not mutually exclusive. You can work on a project while somebody is lying in bed.
- Comfortable sleeping: Because this is a regular Murphy bed or wall bed, the comfort will depend on the Murphy bed mattress you choose. You can put the very nicest mattress you can find on this bed.
- Beautiful office: A custom home office is a beautiful thing to see. Custom cabinetry with a matching wall bed is striking and your guests will appreciate the design and forethought that went into the room.
Cons:
- Large footprint: Where the other options share space and take up relatively little space a custom home office has very little overlap between the desk and the bed, so it will take up more space.
- Most costly: This option is understandably the most costly of all the desk Murphy bed options.
There are many options for combining a Murphy Bed and a home office, but by identifying your needs and the unique strengths of each of the options available, it’s easy to find the option that will best suit you and your needs. If you have any questions, we’re always happy to help, just give us a call at (866) 877-7803.
Brandon is the director of corporate sales, which means he oversees the sales staff at each Wilding Wallbeds location. He offers training, provides solutions, and helps our sales team tackle…