apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Brilliant! and good looking!

oh that is, good looking! just one question, how strong is the support given that they'd be hung on sheetrock!

i just don't get this. i think it would be much more practical and space saving to have an air mattress. then you could use the wall for actual storage.

Hi all--This is Rebecca. You need to have at least 4 studs to attach the (full size) bed to. I have fully assembled my bed (did it over a weekend) but haven't actually hung it on the wall yet because I can only reliably find 3 in my plaster/lathe wall. A contractor friend says I can get sufficiently large/strong toggle bolts to handle the rest of the load. So I plan to try that this weekend. I'll let you know how it works out! And as for why not an air bed--well this is my one and only bed. Air mattresses are NOT comfortable in the long term. I've been on the couch for a few months and this was the best solution for my studio.

BY the way please be advised that there are a couple of typos and mistakes in the Moddi plans so read them carefully before you start. It's just a regular person who made them up so I suppose that's to be expected. And--you really DO need a box of colored pencils :-) I had to run out to buy them at the last minute

Looks amazing! I wish it worked for a double, because I would do it in my bedroom.

Hi Rebecca, can you provide a link that lets you purchase the plans? I saw the Moddi on Ikeahacker earlier and loved the idea. Unfortunately the link on the website seems to be dead, and I haven't heard back from the Moddi people after emailing. Thanks!

As for the support, my understanding is that it's hung on a french cleat, which attaches to the studs. Given some of the cabinets I've seen in workshops that were hung on french cleats, I doubt weight's a big issue.

The fact that this looks more than decent for about 1/10th of the price of any other Murphy bed I would consider buying still amazes me.

That's amazing! How far does it stick out from the wall when closed?

I had to sleep on an air mattress for about 4 months when I moved back to CA and my living situation was unsettled (topic for a book!!) and my stuff was waiting to be shipped from NYC. The air mattress for that time is NOT that great. This is genius for a small space--I lived in about 450 SF for 9 years with a Queen bed that I gave to a friend's mom when I left. (Now I have over 1500SF and can't believe how much fun my cats have running around, but it's about 2x what I really need.)

I saw my neighbor's Moddi and thought it was the coolest thing. I didn't even know it was a bed at first. It looked like a really expensive cabinet or something. When she showed me what it was, I was so amazed. I'm a big IkeaHacker fan and this was the most clever idea I've seen. I've done a little more research and I convinced myself to build one. I just bought the plans and they are very user-friendly instructions with nice diagrams and tips.

Claymover, I measured my neighbor's and it sticks out about 11.5 inches.

hi all, sorry I haven't been here in a week or so.
the moddi link is:
http://moddidaypeople.com/murphy_bed_wall_bed/murphy_bed.html

AND among the things I found problematic was getting a hold of this part. I ordered it directly from Stanley, eventually:
http://www.drillspot.com/products/419234/Stanley_Hardware_808873_White_Fence_Gate_Latch

I saw this on AT and spent the last 2 days making a full size one for a guest "room," actually a small space that was otherwise unusable. For some reason they have you make the bed frame even though the instructions later call it the "Lillehammer." Since the frame was a major pain to make, and feels somewhat unsturdy, I recommend buying the Lillehammer if you can.

The instructions are pretty good, and the shopping list is great. I don't really recommend their homemade drill guide, because I spent forever looking for the right washers (thinking they were needed for the structure itself) and was annoyed that they only use (most of the washers) for a drill guide that is too big anyway.

They use MDF, which is an iffy material. I would have used plywood if I knew how the MDF would bulge and react to drilling, etc. It does seem fairly sturdy but for frequent use I would substitute quality 3/4" plywood. And it is important to predrill all the holes using MDF to prevent cracking and bulging. Don't be lazy.

The bed looks really sweet and I'm glad I did it. You need a lot of room to make it, a lot of patience, and some skill. Moddi's website wins the Worst Site of the Year award -- love the FAQs that have Qs but no A's (it would have taken an extra 3 minutes to actually type in the answer)....

Oh, one more thing. The site doesn't give you actual dimensions of the finished bed (even though that is a question on their "FAQ"). I can't remember off the top of my head but it is roughly 12 inches wider than the bed frame-- 6 inches extending from each side. I hung my cleat 8 inches from the side wall to give me an extra couple inches, and it was fine. You also don't have to hang the cleat at the level they say, but you need to adjust the length of the legs up or down to compensate for raising or lowering the cleat. (I raised the cleat 3 inches to not cover the outlets, and added 3 inches to their 7 7/8 leg size.

Hi - I am enamored with this murphy bed and purchased the full/double kit from Moddi. But for as easy as everyone says it is, it looks a little complicated to me - I don't think I have quite the experience or patience to get it done. Is there anyone on this board who would build it for a fee? or could recommend a contractor to do it?

loved the look of the moddi and want to put it in my guest room! Purchased the full/double plan two days ago, but instead of downloading after entering my info in PayPal, it said I wd receive an email w/ download info in 30 minutes...it's been two days, still have not received plans, emailed Moddi...no reply...any one else run into this issue?? I have paid but did not get the plans! Anyone have a phone number for Moddi?

Follow up here....As I said above I had reservations about using MDF, which were confirmed this weekend when the Moddi cam crashing down, pulling apart the MDF frame. I am going to re-make the frame (the U-shaped structure that rests above the cleat and holds the bed onto the wall) out fo 3/4 plywood, which I think should do the trick. Other re-hack : put the latch in the middle of the bed, not on one side (which causes significant twisting due to uneven distribution of weight). It is a good design, but I am puzzled about the use of MDF. Use plywood.

I too, just purchased the Moddi design on May 3rd, 2008 and have yet to receive it. It was just as jenbrimm said in her comments. There is no way to contact this person other than email. I opened a complaint with Paypal to try and resolve this issue. It looks great, but poor communication. I am highly disappointed with the customer service. Does anyone else have a copy of the plans???

If anyone can help me out with plans for the single bed or how to contact the Moddi people contact me at: srh579121atgmaildotcom

With the help of Pay pal, Moddi finally emailed me with the download link for the plans. They apologized for the technical difficulties and thanked me for my patience. Time to build a bed...

Wow...this is very very cool -- anythoughts on why a queen sized bed would be inappropriate? Is it a weight issue...it can't be that much heavier than a full or is the fact that the lack tables would not provide enough overhang to hide a queensize?

Thoughts?

Wow. This is beautiful, however Murphy Bed installations are not for the faint of heart. I purchased mine from Murphy Bed Depot, and the directions were off. Luckily a kind friend and I had the common sense to know when NOT to follow the directions. I love the horizontal mounting, takes up less space in the middle of the room. I was lucky enough to have an older apt with double doors built in to conceal my Murphy Bed. I love it, and it provides me extra space in my home office/living area.

Check out pics!

www.dcrinteriors.com

I really am loving the looks of this bed, I've ordered the plans and I am ready to start. But first, I was hoping all of you who have navigated these waters before could help me.

I'm not an expert craftsman, I'm exactly the person who they are marketing this project for...a beginner. So, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions any of you have. Any modifications you made, any errors you found...because I certainly won't find them until its too late!

I am going with the 3/4" plywood rather than the MDF. I'm willing to spend the extra money if it means my bed is staying on the wall.

I'm planning on having Home Depot cut my wood to specification. What else to I NEED to know!?!?!?