{"id":7320,"date":"2017-06-13T18:26:44","date_gmt":"2017-06-13T17:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.darlingsofchelsea.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7320"},"modified":"2023-10-17T17:56:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T16:56:45","slug":"sofa-bed-shootout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.darlingsofchelsea.co.uk\/blog\/sofa-bed-shootout","title":{"rendered":"Sofa Bed Shootout"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days most of us live in much smaller properties than previous generations and, with space at such a premium, living rooms and studies tend to double up as bedrooms when we have guests to stay. It\u2019s no wonder, then, that there is an ever-expanding range of different options for temporary and foldaway beds. In this blog post, we see how all the options stack up against a classic or corner sofa bed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sofa bed vs Murphy bed<\/h2>\n

What is it? A Murphy bed is a bed that folds down from the wall. In the down position, it is more or less an ordinary bed, except that it is connected to the wall with hinges and levers that allow it to be raised up and pushed flat against the wall when not in use. Many are placed with cupboards or shelves on either side to provide a recess in which the bed can rest when folded up. These kinds of beds can even have false cupboard doors on the bottom so they are completely disguised when not in use, or else they can be built into a cupboard which can be closed when they are folded up.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Black and Milk | Interior Design | London\u00a0<\/small><\/div>\n

The advantages? One of the best things about Murphy beds is how easy it is to put them out or put them away, simply by swinging them down from the wall or pushing them back up again. They can even have all of the bedding left in place, often just secured with elastic straps to stop it sliding down when folded up. This makes them particularly popular as a bed that is used every day, for example in a small studio flat. Unlike the majority of sofa beds, most Murphy beds can also use a regular full-thickness mattress as there is no requirement for the mattress itself to fold.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Caitlin & Caitlin Design Co.<\/small><\/div>\n

The disadvantages? The main disadvantage of a Murphy bed compared to a sofa bed<\/a> is that when not in use, a Murphy bed simply takes up valuable cupboard space without doing anything useful. They are also more labour-intensive to install and, unlike a sofa bed, very difficult to move around if your needs or room layout changes at some point in the future.<\/p>\n

Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sofa bed<\/p>\n