apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I am 90% done constructing the Moddi bed and my only obstacle is finding enough studs in the wall to actually hang it. It is a fairly easy project, very sturdy and looks great but there are a couple of mistakes in the instructions and you need time to get the materials ordered and gathered. So make sure you read the instructions carefully before you start. Things I came up against included:
--wrong drillbit size given for one part of the bed. We had to redrill the holes with a larger bit. But not a huge deal.
--wrong layout for the holes to place the Lack tables. the layout was transposed and needed to be flipped. That could have been a big problem
--inconsistent parts numbers on the parts list. I ordered the larger number for each item and that turned out to be correct.
--Home depot will NOT cut the wood to dimensions less than 12" so I ended up having to go to a private lumber yard.
--For city dwellers, remember you'll have to factor in the cost of deliveries and/or vehicle rentals to get the supplies and wood to your place.

BUT all that said, it was surprisingly easy and satisfying. It looks just as good as the pictures. Do note that from a side view you can see the internal frame that holds the mattress but it doesn't look bad. Could be covered, I suppose.

Rebecca


I did it in a weekend with the help of my brother.

Lacking the necessary skills to actually build my own murphy bed, I enlisted the help of a cabinet maker. It probably cost me more than most would be willing to spend (about $1500) but it my case it was a necessary evil. The guy I worked with was very helpful and he even put in a shelf where I can rest an alarm clock, glass of water, etc. Since I live in Detroit I have no resources for you other than to find a carpenter who is adventurous. Good luck!

I got a bed from the More Space Place, and while it was expensive, I think it was worth it. I'm in a studio, so this was a great way to have a full-sized bed that didn't take over my room. I can keep the bedding on, which it looks like you can't with the Moddi (I might be wrong) so it's a good choice if it's your every-night bed. They guys that came to install it were very friendly, quick, and professional.

I'm in NY, but I have to weigh in on this one. When I moved to my new place, I did A LOT of research on Murphy Beds. I need the extra space in my 325 square feet, but I hated the look of the typical cabinetry. I found a place in the city to do an amazing custom design with Shoji style doors at a reasonable price, but went in the opposite direction. I got the basic bedframe with a Murphy mechanism (mounted to the floor since I own) and splurged on a really great mattress. Instead of cabinetry to hide it, I hung floor to ceiling curtains. I am extremely happy with my decision and the fact that I saved thousands of dollars.

There was a very interesting Murphy Bed profiled on the HGTV program Small Space, Big Style which I thought was a great design. Instead of having the bed enclosed behind doors, it was enclosed behind bookshelves set on a rotating mechanism. When you let the bed out, you pull the bookshelves out, rotate the unit, expose the bed on the backside, then fold out the bed.

I did some research and found two manufacturers:

www.flyingbeds.com

www.clei.it

The Clei company was the manufacturer of the bed shown on HGTV. The companies' websites show the operation of the beds.

Hi All,

Our handyman just finished building a Moddi Twin Murphy bed for us. While it works and we are mostly happy with it, the materials cost us very nearly twice the supposed $275, and it took a few full days to build. In addition, the Moddi plans have a handful of errors, some serious. Most important is the need to use 3/4" plywood (NOT MDF) for the supporting structure which is attached to the wall. Also, the gas springs and brackets did not fit together when we ordered them (using the exact part numbers listed on the plans), and it took 2 additional shipments and quite a long time on the phone with MSC Industrial (who are very nice people) to get it right. In addition, note that the latch is not necessary -- you can omit it due to the pressure of the springs keeping the bed firmly up.

Due to their structural weakness and the fact that they add unnecessary width and height to a product which is supposed to save space, you may want to consider not using the Ikea LACK side tables at all. Put the rest of the bed together and you will easily find an attractive alternative for them (paint, paneling, etc..).

Finally, note that the gas springs are VERY strong (200 lbs of pressure each, impossible for the handyman or myself to compress using our own strength. They are probably at least 30-40% stronger than they need to be, and this is the main reason why you need plywood and not MDF. I mention this again because it's a bit unnerving to have so much pressure so close to one's sleeping head, and this is one of my misgivings about the bed. For some, the potential safety issue could be a dealbreaker.

Again, in the end it works and allows us to have a twin bed in a room which would otherwise not accomodate one. Still, it ain't perfect by any means. And good luck with Moddi customer service -- no phone number anywhere, and no reply to my email.