What is a Murphy bed?

A Murphy bed stores the mattress upright in a cabinet mounted to the wall. You lose the cabinet depth off the wall permanently — usually around 35–45 cm — but get the floor back when it is folded up. Wall bed, pull-down bed, and hide-a-bed are the same idea under different names; retailers in NZ use all of them.

NZ retailers & where to buy

We index fold-down wall beds from NZ specialists including Easy Fold Murphy Bed, Wall Beds Online, Mazon Group, Ward Manufacturing, and Tiltaway Beds — all deliver nationwide online. Most units are made to order with lead times of a few weeks; check each listing for current pricing and sale offers. For sofa beds and trundles as alternatives, see our foldaway beds guide.

Typical wall bed dimensions in NZ

Cabinet width follows mattress size: single and king single units often sit between about 95 cm and 135 cm wide; double cabinets around 145–155 cm; queen around 165–175 cm. Folded depth is commonly 35–45 cm from the wall — measure this as your space depth on FurnitureFit. Closed height varies: horizontal-fold units can be under 130 cm tall; vertical-fold cabinets may reach 210–235 cm, which clears most NZ ceilings (typically 2.4 m) but not all — always check your ceiling height before ordering.

Room clearance you need

Plan for three zones: the cabinet sticking out from the wall (about 40 cm), clear floor in front for the mattress when down (203 cm for a queen length, plus walking margin), and enough wall width for the closed cabinet plus any side trim. Leave space for the bed to swing down without hitting a pendant light, shelf, or window sill. In a combined bedroom-office, check that a desk chair still fits when the bed is folded up.

Pros & cons for small NZ apartments

Pros: you reclaim floor space during the day — genuinely useful in Auckland and Wellington studios and townhouse spare rooms; many NZ models include a desk or sofa front for dual-purpose rooms; no daily sofa-bed folding. Cons: permanent wall fixing (check with your landlord); cabinet depth is lost off the wall even when folded; made-to-order lead times; typically higher cost than a standard bed frame. For renters or occasional guests, a sofa bed may be simpler — we compare both in our foldaway beds guide.

How to search wall beds on FurnitureFit

Compact wall beds for studios & offices

Single, king single, and long single wall beds keep the cabinet under about 135 cm wide — the easiest fit for a narrow home office wall or a studio alcove. Sorted narrowest first.

Double & queen wall beds

If the room needs a proper guest bed, double and queen wall beds fold flat against the wall and drop down when needed. These are the full range we index from NZ retailers, with cabinet dimensions so you can plan the wall run.

Murphy bed with desk or couch?

Some wall-bed units combine a fold-down bed with a desk front or sofa/couch face so a home office or lounge works by day. Product names and notes vary — look for desk, sofa, or couch language on the retailer listing, then measure the closed cabinet carefully (combo fronts are often a little deeper).

Sofa beds & fold-out alternatives

If a fixed wall cabinet is too permanent, a sofa bed or fold-out sleeper keeps guest sleeping without drilling into studs. We do not currently index dedicated rollaway beds; for lounge sleepers, these compact sofa beds from NZ retailers are the closest fold-out option in the catalogue. For trundle beds and a wider foldaway shortlist, see our foldaway and space-saving beds guide — and for more lounge sizing, see our small sofas guide.