Cabinet Bed vs Murphy Bed (2026): Which Should You Buy in Canada?

Last updated October 2026 by the Forward Furniture team

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.

Choosing for a basement with a low ceiling? Our guide to Murphy beds for Calgary basement suites compares the heights.

And this is not a niche problem: Ontario's median condo has shrunk 32% since the 1970s, so more Canadians than ever need one room to do two jobs. If yours is a home office that also hosts guests, see our small guest room ideas that keep the office.

Smaller households are part of the same shift: 29.3% of Canadian households are now one person living alone (Statistics Canada), the kind of home where a dedicated guest room is a luxury but overnight visitors still happen.

We sell both online, and the Olivia cabinet bed is on the floor at our Kelowna furniture store and our Calgary furniture store. Here is the honest breakdown.

First, here is what a cabinet bed actually does. This is our Olivia going from cabinet to queen bed:

Which is better, a cabinet bed or a murphy bed?

It depends on your home and how you will use the bed.

• You rent or may move: get a cabinet bed. There is no drilling.
• You want a built-in look: get a Murphy bed. It bolts to your wall studs.
• Your room is very tight: get a Murphy bed. Our Heidi is about 16 inches deep closed, the Olivia 24.
• It must be furniture by day: get a cabinet bed. Closed, it looks like a dresser.
• You want a thicker mattress: get a Murphy bed. Our Heidi queen takes up to 10 inches.

What Is the Difference Between a Cabinet Bed and a Murphy Bed?

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. You will also see the term wall bed: it is simply another name for a Murphy bed.

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 with the mattress included, no drilling, and you can take it with you when you move.

Our Olivia queen cabinet bed comes with the mattress included, plus $199 delivery anywhere in Canada. The Olivia is sold on preorder. The current price and delivery month are always on the Olivia product page.

Side-by-side comparison

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: 15.75 to 16.54 inches deep on our Wallie and Heidi, versus 24 inches for the Olivia 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 assemble it once with the paper and video steps, and it works anywhere there is floor space, including against any wall in a rental.

New to cabinet beds? Our step by step guide on how a cabinet bed works shows one opening and closing in a short video.

Real cost. A Murphy bed price is usually the frame only. Our Heidi queen frame is $1,824.99 on its own. Then you add a queen mattress, the anchoring, and often the cabinetry around it. A queen cabinet bed like our Olivia comes with the memory foam mattress included. The Olivia is sold on preorder. The current price and delivery month are always on the Olivia product page.

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. A Murphy bed lifts on pistons, so it takes a regular mattress with limits. Our Heidi allows up to 8 inches thick in twin and double and 10 inches in queen, and the mattress is usually sold separately.

Cabinet beds work another way. They 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. 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 750 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.

One planning note: leave about 83 inches (almost 7 feet) of clear floor in front of the queen cabinet, or 75 inches for the double, so the bed can fold down. After the first assembly, the bed opens in about 30 seconds.

How Big Is Each Bed Closed and Open?

Closed size tells you if the bed fits your wall. Open size tells you how much floor it takes at night. Here are the maker's numbers for every bed we compare in this guide, in inches.

Source: the maker's spec on the Olivia, Wallie and Heidi product pages. The Olivia page lists the double's open size only.

What the table shows:

• The Olivia is about 7.46 to 8.25 inches deeper than our wall beds when closed.
• A vertical Murphy bed is tall when closed. The Wallie stands 79.13 to 84.25 inches, so measure your ceiling first.
• A horizontal Murphy bed is low. The Heidi stands 44.25 to 64.92 inches, so it can sit under a window or a low basement ceiling.
• The Olivia stands 40 inches tall closed, about the height of a dresser, so it works as a console in a living room.
• Open, the queen Olivia reaches 83 inches into the room. The Wallie queen reaches 86.24 inches and the Heidi queen 68.54 inches.

Before you buy either one, check four things:

1. Wall width and ceiling height where the bed will stand.
2. Clear floor in front of it when it is open, plus room to walk around the foot of the bed.
3. For a Murphy bed: studs you are allowed to drill into. Renters usually are not.
4. For a Murphy bed: a mattress inside the thickness and weight limits on the product page.

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 paying for a mattress and an installer on top of the frame does not bother you.

Choose a cabinet bed if you want a real queen guest bed this month, not after a renovation. It includes the mattress, needs no installer, works in rentals, and moves with you.

Still weighing your options? Browse our full murphy bed collection to compare sizes, finishes and prices.

That practicality is what the Olivia cabinet bed is built around. You assemble it once with the paper and video steps, it opens in about 30 seconds, delivery is $199 anywhere in Canada, and it comes with a lifetime warranty on the cabinet and a 90-day home trial.

It comes in Cherry, Black and White, in queen and double. The Olivia is sold on preorder. The current price and delivery month are always on the Olivia product page. 0% financing is available if you would rather spread the cost.

See it for yourself: visit the Olivia Queen Cabinet Bed page, or browse all cabinet beds in Canada. In Kelowna or Calgary? Come open and close the Olivia at our Kelowna store, 2495 Enterprise Way #105, or our Calgary store, 6125 12 St SE #2.

Murphy Beds and Cabinet Beds We Sell, With Live Prices

Olivia Cabinet Bed
Preorder, charged in full at checkout: see the current price

Freestanding, no wall anchoring; queen or double with a 6 inch mattress.

Heidi Horizontal Murphy Bed
Twin $1,424.99

Sideways folding wall bed in white; takes a standard mattress.

Wallie Vertical Murphy Bed
From $2,099.99

Vertical wall bed in white on pistons, twin or double.

Heidi Murphy Bed, Brown
Queen $1,824.99

The Heidi in brown, queen size.

Prices are live from our catalogue. The Olivia is sold on preorder and charged in full at checkout; its product page shows the current price and delivery month.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to bolt a cabinet bed to the wall like a Murphy bed?

No. The Olivia is fully freestanding, so there is no drilling and nothing anchored into studs. It works against any wall, including in a rental.

How much room do I need to open it?

Leave about 83 inches of clear floor in front of the queen Olivia, or 75 inches for the double. Closed it is only 24 inches deep, so it tucks against the wall the rest of the time.

Is a cabinet bed comfortable enough to sleep on regularly?

Yes. The Olivia includes a 6 inch memory foam queen mattress. It is built for nightly guest use, though it is not trying to replace a 14 inch primary-bedroom mattress.

What does it cost all in, and can I finance it?

The Olivia is sold on preorder. The current price and delivery month are always on the Olivia product page. The mattress is included, and delivery is $199 anywhere in Canada. 0% financing is available, and the Olivia is backed by a lifetime warranty on the cabinet and a 90-day home trial.

Which is cheaper, a Murphy bed or a cabinet bed?

The frame alone can be cheaper as a Murphy bed: our Heidi twin is $1,424.99. Once you add a mattress and installation to a queen wall unit, the gap closes, because the Olivia includes its mattress and needs no installer.

Can a cabinet bed be used every night?

Yes. The Olivia's 6 inch memory foam mattress is built for regular use and the frame is rated to 750 lbs. It is a guest bed first, so a thick pillow top primary mattress will still feel softer.

Is a Murphy cabinet bed the same as a cabinet bed?

Yes. Murphy cabinet bed, cabinet Murphy bed and cabinet bed are names for the same thing: a freestanding cabinet with a folding mattress inside. Our Olivia queen Murphy cabinet bed is one. A wall bed is a different thing: it is another name for a Murphy bed that bolts to the wall.

What does a Murphy bed look like closed and open?

Closed, a vertical Murphy bed like our Wallie is a tall panel about 15.75 inches deep and 79.13 to 84.25 inches tall. Open, the bed folds down and reaches 82.13 to 86.24 inches into the room.

Keep reading

• Top 5 Murphy Beds in Canada
• The Best Cabinet Beds in Canada
• Are Cabinet Murphy Beds Comfortable?

What to do next

If you are weighing one of these up, the Olivia queen cabinet bed is the freestanding one that needs no wall anchoring, and the murphy bed range covers the wall mounted sizes. We are a Canadian company with stores in Kelowna, Calgary and Edmonton. The Olivia is on the floor in Kelowna and Calgary, so if you would rather try it before you buy, find your nearest store.

Related reading: Common questions about Murphy beds, How does a Murphy bed work?.