Are Cabinet Beds Worth It? Pros, Cons & Who They're For

Are cabinet beds worth it? For most people who host guests a few times a year and can't spare a whole room for them, yes. You get a real mattress on a solid platform, no wall mounting, and a cabinet that earns its place as everyday furniture. The trade-offs are price, weight and a thinner mattress than a standard bed.

We sell cabinet beds every day, and the same few questions decide almost every purchase. Whether a cabinet bed is worth it for you comes down to how often it'll be slept on, how much floor you have, and what you'd otherwise buy instead.

Are Cabinet Beds Worth It for the Price?

Our cabinet beds run from $1,297 for a Night and Day Orion twin sold as the cabinet only, up to $3,283 for the Night and Day Louvre queen Complete Set. Most queens with a mattress land between $1,897 and $3,000, and you can see every option side by side in our cabinet Murphy bed collection.

That price buys more than a folding frame. Night and Day builds most of its cabinets from rubberwood and backs models like the Murphy Cube, Orion and credenza queens with a limited 10-year warranty, plus 3 years on the mattress. Arason includes a 6-inch tri-fold foam mattress with every Creden-ZzZ, and many models in both lines add a storage drawer and built-in outlets with USB ports. For a deeper look at what drives the price from one model to the next, our cabinet bed cost guide breaks it down by brand and size.

Cabinet Bed Pros and Cons at a Glance

The Pros of a Cabinet Bed

For a space-saving guest room, the biggest advantage is that nothing gets bolted to the wall. Every cabinet bed we carry is freestanding, which suits renters because there's nothing to install, and it comes with you when you move. Closed, the Night and Day credenza queens take up about 10 square feet and the Murphy Cube about 11.75.

Comfort on a cabinet-style Murphy bed is better than many people expect. Arason builds its Creden-ZzZ around a solid sleeping platform, so there are no springs to feel, no bar in your back and no rolling to the middle with two sleepers. Night and Day's credenza queens rest the mattress on 7 slats, and both makers rate their beds for about 500 pounds, enough for two adults.

Then there's everything the cabinet does when it isn't a bed. A TV can stay on top of the Night and Day Clover, Daisy and Sagebrush even with the bed folded out. The Arason flip top opens without clearing it first, so lamps and photos can live there full time. Storage drawers hold the bedding, and built-in outlets and USB ports mean guests don't have to hunt for a charger at midnight.

The Cons of a Murphy Cabinet Bed

Price is the first hurdle. A cabinet bed costs more than an air mattress or an entry-level futon, and our futon collection starts at $485, so the jump is easiest to justify when the bed gets regular use or replaces a piece of furniture you'd have bought anyway.

The mattress is the second. A tri-fold mattress has to be thin to fold into the cabinet, 4 inches on the Orion and 6 inches on Arason models and the Vintage White Murphy Cube. That's comfortable for guests, but anyone used to a thick pillow-top will notice the difference on night one. For nightly sleepers, Night and Day's hybrid pocket coil upgrade on the Murphy Cube and credenza queens is built for every-night use and adds $200 to the Complete Set.

Weight and floor space round out the list. Arason lists most of its queens at 240 pounds and the Key West at 264, so these aren't pieces you'll slide around on a whim. Open, the bed reaches 76 to 83 inches from the wall depending on the model, and every Murphy bed cabinet we carry tops out at queen. If you need a king, a cabinet bed isn't the right fit.

It's also worth reading the return terms before you order. Night and Day requires an RMA number and applies a 15% restocking fee, with return freight paid by the customer, and Arason won't accept returns on opened mattresses. Measuring first matters more here than with most furniture.

Are Murphy Beds Worth It Compared With Other Guest Beds?

The pros and cons of Murphy beds depend on which kind of folding bed you mean. When people weigh Murphy beds vs cabinet beds, the biggest difference is installation. A traditional wall bed has to be fastened to the wall, which makes it a bigger commitment for renters and harder to take with you, while a freestanding Murphy cabinet bed stands on its own like any other piece of furniture. Both are a hidden bed at heart, and both are designed to give your living space back during the day.

Against a sofa bed, the cabinet bed usually wins on sleep and loses on seating. A sofa bed gives you somewhere to sit every day, though your guests end up sleeping on a mattress that spends the rest of its life folded inside a couch frame. A cabinet bed gives up the seating and puts guests on a flat platform instead. We compare the two directly in our Murphy bed vs sofa bed guide. An air mattress is the cheapest option of all.

Is a Cabinet Bed Comfortable Enough for Every Night?

A cabinet Murphy bed can be, with the right mattress. Arason describes its Creden-ZzZ as comfortable and durable enough for everyday use in a studio apartment, and Night and Day's hybrid pocket coil set is designed for nightly sleep. The standard gel memory foam mattress set is aimed at guest rooms and occasional use.

When you compare mattresses, look past the word "firm" on the label. The Polyurethane Foam Association's foam performance guide explains that density and firmness are separate measures, and density is the one tied more closely to how long foam holds up.

How to Work Out Whether One Is Worth It for You

Once you've weighed the cabinet bed pros and cons, the quickest way to decide is to count the nights. A Murphy bed that hosts family for two long visits a year and the odd friend after a late dinner might see 20 or 30 nights of use, and every one of those nights is spent on a real platform with a proper mattress. If you'd otherwise furnish a spare room with a bed frame, mattress and nightstand you rarely use, a cabinet bed puts that money into one piece and gives the room back for everything else.

Then count what the cabinet replaces. If it takes the place of a TV console, a chest of drawers or a desk you were going to buy anyway, part of its price is already in your budget. The Siesta and Artisan desk beds are the clearest example, since you'd pay for a desk either way.

Finally, measure. If the room has 76 to 83 inches of clear depth out from the wall for the open bed, the numbers usually work. If it doesn't, no amount of convenience will make the bed pleasant to use, and a daybed or futon will serve you better.

When Are Cabinet Beds Worth It? Who They're For

Cabinet beds make the most sense for:

• Renters and anyone who moves every few years, since nothing is fixed to the wall.

• Studio and one-bedroom apartments, where the bed has to hide during the day.

• A home office or hobby room that doubles as a guest room a handful of times a year.

• Vacation rentals and beach condos, where an extra bed adds a sleeping spot without adding a room.

Who Should Skip a Cabinet Bed

A cabinet bed probably isn't worth it if you need a king, if the room can't spare 76 to 83 inches out from the wall for the open bed, or if the budget is under a thousand dollars and the bed will only be used once or twice a year. In those cases a regular bed, a daybed, or a quality air mattress is the more sensible buy, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you the wrong piece.

Talk It Through With Us

Still deciding whether a cabinet Murphy bed fits? Call us at (916)-262-7257. Delivery is free on orders over $199, even for bulky freight, and 0% APR financing through Shop Pay lets you spread the cost. Find the exact same bed advertised for less within 30 days of buying, and we'll beat that price by 1%. You can browse the rest of the room at Archic Furniture's whole-home furniture store.