Saturday, April 14, 2012

"M" is for Murphy Bed ... It's finished!!!









M ... is for Murphy Bed and it is finally finished and installed! Can I get a Woo Hoo?!

I have been asked quite a few times if I had finished my Murphy Bed, and the resounding answer is ... Yes! 

Let me take you back in time, if I may. I found a Murphy Bed plan on Ana White's website (Ana-White.com) and thought, "I can make that!" I need an extra bed in the guest room for the little ones that come visit and this seemed to be the perfect solution. So began the "journey"...


Making the frame was the easiest part of the process for me, even though I had to adjust the plans to make it sideways instead of up and down.


Before I could attach it to the wall, I needed to paint the room. I had been wanting to do it since we moved in 3 years ago. It was a Salmon color ... but I will tell you all about that later in another post :) 



This is the step that everything fell apart for me! I had this amazing idea (I thought I was going to wow the web world with my brilliance ... HA!) I was going to do a decoupage of Paper bags and these really pretty napkins for the added color. I had the bags already and the napkins I got on sale. Woo Hoo, watch me go!



It seemed like a good idea at the time. If you look at this picture... you might even be impressed. Briefly. In a small area it was really pretty. This process by the way ... takes FOREVER! I cannot tell you the amount of time that it took! Wrinkle up the paper just to lay it out flat again. Ugh! I try not to think of it as wasted time but, "as a learning experience". :) 






This bed front wasn't turning out as I had hoped. I had in my mind's eye what it would look like and this was not it! So I changed plans. DIY people need to think on their feet and change ideas when needed. At least that is what I do :) I found this upholstery fabric at Goodwill for $1.99 and it was just what I wanted. It had that Chevron feel and the colors were perfect for the Guest room.


Decoupage to the rescue again ... This time to adhere the fabric to the bed front.



I wanted this bed to look like a dresser as it was going to be on it's side, and there isn't a  dresser in the room. I will show you the whole room later ... but the short version is, I have a luggage rack for guests. (Just like a Hotel) :) I attached drawer handles on the top two spaces to look like drawers. It also helps with opening and closing. 





I stenciled the corners of the top "drawers" and then added the 
lock. I do not want little ones getting hurt. (I still need to spray paint the lock a bronze color so that it matches the room.)


I attached the front portion of the bed with 4 door hinges.
























I ended up getting a twin mattress and of course covered it with a mattress cover. Waterproof!













Are you ready for the big reveal?! 




I love it! And it works too. I kid you not!!! I already used it just to see, and it is so comfortable. 

So ... comments? questions? observations? Share your thoughts with me.

Hope you had an amazing Saturday. For all of you in the storms today ... you are in my prayers. Stay safe! Hugs,

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37 comments:

  1. That is so cool! I love how you made it look like a dresser. It makes the room feel cozy and cute when it's not in use, but it's so practical for when you have extra guests! I'm pinning this to my home idea board.

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  2. I saw your post over at Hometalk and just had to pop in and say hi! What a great project- I love your faux dresser idea!

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    1. I tried to email you back but it was a no reply. Thank you for stopping by. Don't you just like "Home Talk"? It is great!!!

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    2. I always loved Murphy beds. 1 ? How do u attach it to the wall? I have a extra room w a extra bed making it into a wall bed would b great. I love how U turned it to a dresser. Thanks

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  3. Fantastic!! I could definitely use one of these in one of our spare bedrooms...

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  4. Come make me one. Love it. The dresser guise is clever and it looks great. M is for magnificent.

    ~Bliss~

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  5. one word---AWESOME!!

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  6. I love your bed. Looks great from the outside. Very clever.

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  7. That is an awesome project, and it looks fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing with the newbie party.

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  8. What an amazing and creative idea! It looks fantastic! :)

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  9. Wow! I absolutely love this idea! What a great space saving project. I know murphy beds have been around for decades...but yours has brought this little idea into the 21st century for me.
    I so need one of these in my house!

    ...now my wheels are turning!

    Pat

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  10. What an amazing project! I love this idea and it would be perfect for the playroom! I want to pin it, but I wanted to check with you first! Thanks for sharing and have an incredible day!

    blessings,
    karianne

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  11. How cool! Love that you can't even tell it's a bed when not in use. If you have some time I'd love it if you'd stop by my blog to check out the giveaway I'm having for a Ramsign Home Sign!

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  12. OMG - you made that? Incredible - fabulous idea to make it appear as a dresser when not in use. You rocked it!!

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  13. Now that is just too cool! You did a wonderful job!!!

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  14. That is awesome! I love that it is turned on the side and looks like a dresser. I am now thinking of doing this in one of my kids rooms so they'd have more floor space to play. Thanks for sharing and getting my wheels turning on a project like this.

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  15. This is totally fabulous!! I was searching for a "sideways" murphy bed for my sewing room/guest room, and this is exactly the ticket!!! Now I need to figure out what steps you had to do to turn it on its side. It is GREAT!!! And I LOVE the idea of disguising it as a dresser!!! BRILLIANCE!!!

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  16. I love it! What a great idea. I saw this on FB. Jean

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  17. Please, please, please...share the instructions!! Please??? Pretty please???

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  18. Very nice! Don't you love it when a project turns out like you wanted?!

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  19. looks like my comment is MIA.

    I was curious if the handles cause the front facing "drawers" to not lie flat and if that causes any problems

    I love this idea and am thinking of trying it with a full size bed.

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    1. Because it is on carpet ... it is no problem at all for me. If on a hardwood floor I might change it to another method, like a leather handle? Those look cute :)

      Hope this helps,
      Bj

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    2. Thanks!
      Today I created a model using your sideways inspiration and some tweaking to see what a full on it's side raised up would be like. :-)

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  20. I am wondering if I can get a copy of your measurements and such. I would love to make a few of these for each of my children's rooms. They are tiny, and these would clear up floor space.

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  21. Yes, I would love to know your dimensions as well. I'm thinking of doing this exact same thing! You made it look easy! (Hopefully it is too!)

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    1. Width 82 X Height 44.5 and yes ... it was easy :)

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  22. The website that I got the plans from ... is in the original post above. Click on Murphy Bed Plan and it will take you to the plans that I used to make this Murphy bed. Thank you Ana White!
    Hugs,
    Bj

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  23. Holy cow! AWESOME! You DO make it looks easy. I am in love! Must do this somewhere or for someone! lol! I'm going to include a link back in this week's highlights. Thank you so much for sharing your hard work and creativity. I.love.it!

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  24. What a wonderful job and a fabulous idea.... that is just what I have been looking for. I do have one question... what do you think of if I added feet to the dresser/bed. Then it would be a bit higher off the floor. Oh yes then I guess that I would have to figure out just how to add feet to the front of the dresser/bed. Now I am off to measure and ask my husband for some help.... wish me luck.

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  25. I found you on HomeTalk and can't get off your blog! I almost didn't check this out because I thought a Murphy Bed would be out of my league. You made it looks so easy that I am defineately going to do this. I have a room that I want to make my everything room, office/guest room that has to be done top to bottom and this is a MUST. Thank you for sharing!
    ~pat

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  26. hi BJ - what a great idea. it turned out so well.
    cheers Fiona

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  27. found your site via DIY Show Off, what an incredible and practical concept. I love that it is out of sight but ready whenever an unexpected visitor stays over. tfs!

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    1. So glad that you liked what you saw ... I am now anxious to use it for real (not just a trial run) :)

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  28. Woo Hoo! That Murphy bed is unbelievable… And, you did it all by yourself! After all those trial and error moments, you totally nailed that bed. Look at that! I take my hat off to you, my friend. If I'll be visiting your house and enter your room, I wouldn’t have guessed that elegant cabinet-looking furniture is a Murphy bed. Good job! :D

    Lara Bathurst

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  29. Do you by chance know what changes you made to the original plans? I am planning on doing this myself. Do you know the length of all the cuts you made

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  30. BJ,
    What pivoting hardware did you use?

    Thanks,
    Kristina

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I just LOVE comments, questions, thoughts ... and will respond via email to them all. (If I do not have your email info I will respond on the post right below your comment. So check back!)

Thank you for stopping by!
Hugs,
Bj