Photo from Wilding Wallbeds

Originally Posted On: https://www.wallbedsbywilding.com/how-to-size-a-closet-for-a-murphy-frame/

The Murphy frame is a great option for getting a bed into multi-purpose room or opening a guestroom to get more use. The Murphy frame is designed to sit in a closet behind the closet doors making it completely hidden. The main trick is to make sure the closet is sized correctly for the size of bed you want to use.

Minimum Closet Opening

These closet minimums are the absolute smallest the opening for the closet can be with the doors, jams, and any threshold in place. To be on the safe side it is always wise to build closet slightly larger to ensure that you have enough space. There is no harm in the closet being slightly larger than these minimums.  Because a standard door in an 8’ room is 80” you will notice that the Queen size will require taller than normal closet doors. This is due to the standard length of a Queen size mattress.

The Murphy Frame is designed to mount to the wall through the baseboard directly into the stud plate in your room, so your closet doesn’t require any special bracing or any special construction techniques. If for some reason you don’t want to mount the frame to the wall there are also holes in the mounting bracket which allow you to mount it into the floor. The Murphy frame sits on top of the flooring and against the finished wall, so the closet needs to be finished before you install the frame.

This video shows how the Murphy frame works. Note that the frame isn’t in a closet in the video to give you a better view of the entire frame and how it works.