Small Space Hack: DIY Murphy Bed Cabinet Build

Five years ago I built my first Murphy bed…and it was a disaster. I cried, I swore I’d never build one again, and honestly, I thought Murphy beds and I were done for good.

But here we are. This time, I’m building a Murphy bed for a military family using Rockler’s Horizontal Murphy Bed kit, and spoiler alert…it went way better the second time around.

I’m sharing the story of revisiting the project that once made me want to quit woodworking, and how challenging myself to try again turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had in the shop.

If you’ve ever wanted to build a DIY Murphy bed, or you just need some encouragement to take on a tough project, this project is for you.

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

If you want to see how my last Murphy Bed build went you can check it out here on the blog, or on the channel!

Tools + Materials

Tools

Materials

5 years ago, I built what I swore would be my first and last Murphy bed. And let me tell you, it was rough. It challenged me so much that I literally cried, almost quit woodworking altogether, and promised myself I would never attempt this build again. But here we are.

Prepping the Box

This time we’re doing things a bit differently. I’m using Rockler’s horizontal Murphy bed kit. And instead of having to basically engineer an entire bed frame system from scratch, this particular kit comes with a metal frame and hardware.

So, my job is to build a custom box around it, which I can totally handle, right?

And I’m not going to lie, if this project were for literally anybody other than the person that I’m building it for, I would have been like, “No thank you, sir. I’m not doing another Murphy bed.” But listen, I’m all about second chances. So let’s jump into it.

Who doesn’t love edgebanding? You know your girl loves using that iron!

I also sanded and stained the wood to get it fully ready for assembly.

Assemble the Frame

Next I was tasked with putting together the frame kit. This is the point in the last Murphy bed where I was ready to call it quits. But this Rockler Kit made it much less complicated than building the frame from scratch.

It actually was so much easier to assemble this bed frame than the last one that I built. Mostly because all of these pieces are super robust and they were already cut to size.

The first time I clicked everything into place and it all actually fit and worked, I was like, “Wait, did I just do that in one try?” So satisfying!

Side note, the last Murphy bed that I built was a vertical one, but this one is horizontal because the ceilings are super low in this space.

Building something that is slightly taller than me instead of a lot taller is so much easier. This platform one only took me thirty minutes. Huge win.

Doors

The kit was so intuitive and very easy to use, such a contrast to my first Murphy bed experience. This just felt like very smooth sailing, which honestly lowkey concerned me because I was really skeptical about the fact that this thing was going a little too well at this point.

Assemble the Bed frame

Once most of the hardware was installed it was time to assemble the bed frame.

I’m kind of good at building boxes. And that’s definitely the mantra I have to continue to remind myself of, it’s just a giant box. You can do it. It’s four pieces of wood. You’ve got this.

Mounting the Cabinet & Bed frame

But honestly, yes it was kind of just a box, but this still wasn’t easy. Big projects never are, they’re supposed to be challenging. But this time around, instead of freaking out like I did the last time, I just went with the flow.

I used my multitool to remove the trim on the wall where we were mounting the bed.

Time for a fun fact as show you how I used my my stud finder to find the studs to mount into and then drilled into them.

The Murphy bed was actually invented in the early 1900s by a guy named, you guessed it, William Murphy. He lived in a one-room apartment in California, and at the time it was considered totally scandalous to invite a woman into your bedroom. So what did he do? He invented a bed that folded into the wall, instantly transforming his bedroom into a parlor or hangout area.

Basically, the Murphy bed was the OG small-space living life hack, all in the name of dating. Which, for the record, is not what this Murphy bed build of mine is for. But honestly, it’s a pretty genius invention.

Once we got the bed frame installed I could feel how sturdy it was. I don’t know why I was surprised.

Install the Doors

Once the cabinet pulls were in it was time to get the doors ready with my cabinet hardware jig.

I really built this up in my head as the monster project, like Murphy bed equals doom. But facing it again, honestly, it wasn’t half as scary as I remembered.

I feel like sometimes the hardest part isn’t the project itself, but convincing yourself to try something hard again.

Coming back to this almost same build years later, I realize it’s not about avoiding mistakes. It’s not about mistakes at all.

It’s really about how you move forward when you’re working on a challenging project. And it’s also about sharing how challenging that is with other people and being real about it.

I am by no means a perfect maker or woodworker. Making mistakes is part of the process.

Sam from five years ago would get so down on herself and so frustrated about the mistakes she was making in her Murphy bed project. Present-day Sam is like, “Ah, that was stupid. Nice try. We can fix that in five minutes.”

It really is all about perspective, and that’s a big lesson I learned by tackling this project again.

If that goofy grin on my face didn’t give it away, this round of Murphy bed building clearly went a lot smoother than the first.

Finishing Touches

All that was left was adding storage shelves and some other finishing touches.

We always need something green.

I’m so happy that this worked this time. Here’s what I learned. Sometimes the projects that almost break you are the ones worth revisiting.

In my case, that first Murphy bed build broke me emotionally, spiritually, and, let’s be real, a little bit physically. But that’s in the past. The truth is, the projects that almost break you aren’t worth revisiting because they magically get easier. (Yes, this one was easier the second time around). But the real value is in seeing how far you’ve come.

I built my first Murphy bed five years ago, when I was still learning so much. This time felt completely different, I would even say it was refreshing. And dare I say it, I could totally see myself building another one of these in the future.

So if you have your own version of a Murphy bed, whether it’s cooking, running a marathon, or just trying to fold a fitted sheet (seriously, why are they so hard to fold?), don’t be afraid to try again. You might just nail it the second time around. And if not, at least you’ll have a funny story about a guy named Murphy to share with the internet.