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If you need a real bed for guests but do not have a spare room to give up, you have probably narrowed it down to two options: a Murphy bed or a cabinet bed. They solve the same problem in very different ways, and picking the wrong one is an expensive mistake.
We sell both at our Kelowna showroom, and we help Canadians choose between them every week. Here is the honest breakdown.
First, here is what a cabinet bed actually does. This is our Olivia going from cabinet to queen bed:
The short answer
A Murphy bed is a bed that folds up into a frame bolted to your wall. A cabinet bed is a freestanding piece of furniture, about the size of a dresser, with a real bed folded inside it.
If you own your home, want a built-in look, and do not mind paying for professional installation, a Murphy bed can be a beautiful permanent fixture. For almost everyone else, a cabinet bed gets you the same result for less money, with no drilling, and you can take it with you when you move.
Side-by-side comparison
| Cabinet bed | Murphy bed | |
|---|---|---|
| Attaches to wall | No, freestanding | Yes, bolted to studs |
| Installation | Easy setup, about an hour | Professional install, often $500 or more |
| Total cost (queen, all-in) | About $2,100 to $2,700 | $3,000 to $6,000 or more installed |
| Mattress | Usually included | Usually sold separately |
| Can you move it later | Yes, any time | No |
| Renter friendly | Yes | Usually not allowed |
| Footprint when closed | About 24 inches deep | About 16 to 20 inches deep |
| Best for | Guest rooms, home offices, condos, downsizing | Permanent built-ins, dedicated renovations |
Where the Murphy bed wins
Fair is fair, so let us start there.
Slimmer profile. A wall-mounted Murphy bed sits flatter against the wall when closed, typically 16 to 20 inches deep versus about 24 inches for a cabinet bed. In a truly tiny room, those inches matter.
Built-in look. A properly installed Murphy bed with surrounding cabinetry looks like custom millwork. If you are doing a full renovation and want that finish, nothing else matches it.
Size range. Wall units come in configurations cabinet beds do not, like vertical king setups or units with fold-down desks.
Where the cabinet bed wins
No installation, no drilling. A Murphy bed must be anchored into wall studs. That means finding the studs, committing to a permanent location, and usually paying an installer. A cabinet bed arrives, you set it up in about an hour, and it works anywhere there is floor space, including against any wall in a rental.
Real cost. Murphy bed pricing is deceptive. The frame is only the start; add the mattress, the installation, and often the surrounding cabinetry, and a queen setup commonly lands between $3,000 and $6,000. A queen cabinet bed like our Olivia is $2,099.99 with the memory foam mattress included.
You can move it. Change rooms, change homes, or sell it later. A Murphy bed is a renovation; a cabinet bed is furniture.
It is furniture when closed. Closed, a cabinet bed reads as a dresser or console. You can put a TV, plants or a lamp on top (you just lift them off before opening the bed). A closed Murphy bed is a large panel on your wall.
The mattress question
This is the detail most buyers miss. Murphy beds fold vertically, so they need a specific mattress depth and usually sell the mattress separately. Cabinet beds use a tri-fold mattress designed for the cabinet. The Olivia includes a 6 inch memory foam queen mattress that folds with the bed, so there is nothing extra to buy and no compatibility guesswork.
One honest caveat that applies to both: a folding mattress is a 6 inch mattress, not a 14 inch pillow-top. Our customers consistently tell us it sleeps well for nightly use, and it is dramatically better than any air mattress, sofa bed or futon. But if you are comparing it to a luxury primary-bedroom mattress, that is not the category.
Will it fit? Dimensions and weight rating
A quality cabinet bed is not flimsy. The Olivia has a real hardwood frame rated to 500 lbs. Closed, it is 62.5 inches wide, 24 inches deep and 40 inches tall. Open, it is a full queen at 62.5 by 83 inches. It fits through standard doorways, which is why it works in condos and basements where a Murphy bed install crew would struggle.
Which one should you buy?
Choose a Murphy bed if you own your home, you are renovating anyway, you want a built-in look, and the extra $1,000 to $3,000 does not bother you.
Choose a cabinet bed if you want a real queen guest bed this month, not after a renovation. It costs less all-in, includes the mattress, needs no installer, works in rentals, and moves with you.
That practicality is why the Olivia cabinet bed is our best-selling product across Canada. It sets up in about an hour, opens in under 30 seconds, ships anywhere in Canada for a flat $149.99, and comes with a 3-year warranty and a 90-day home trial.
See it for yourself: visit the Olivia Queen Cabinet Bed page, or browse all cabinet beds in Canada. In the Okanagan? Come open and close one at our Kelowna showroom, 2495 Enterprise Way #105.
