You’re scrolling through Pinterest or TikTok and you see it. The perfect studio apartment setup. A sleek, modern sofa that, with one smooth motion, transforms into a full-blown queen mattress without moving a single piece of furniture. It looks like Ikea. It feels like Ikea. You head to the Ikea website, type in murphy bed sofa ikea, and... nothing. Or, at least, not what you expected.
It’s frustrating.
Honestly, the "Ikea Murphy bed" is one of the biggest myths in the home furnishing world. While the Swedish giant dominates the small-space market with Malm bed frames and Billy bookcases, they don't actually manufacture a traditional wall bed. If you’re looking for a boxed product that bolts to your wall and has a couch attached, you aren't going to find it in the blue-and-yellow aisles.
But people talk about them constantly. Why? Because the "Ikea Murphy bed" is usually a clever hack or a third-party kit designed to work with Ikea’s existing modular furniture.
The Reality of Small Space Living in 2026
Space is expensive. Whether you're in a tiny flat in London or a "cozy" studio in Brooklyn, every square foot carries a heavy price tag. This is why the search for a murphy bed sofa ikea solution has reached a fever pitch. We want our living rooms to be offices by day, lounges by evening, and bedrooms by night.
Standard sofa beds—the kind where you pull out a thin, springy mattress—usually suck. They’re uncomfortable for sleeping and often bulky as sofas. A Murphy bed (or wall bed) solves this by using a real mattress. But they are notoriously expensive, often costing $3,000 to $5,000 from high-end retailers like Resource Furniture.
Enter the Ikea hackers.
Why Ikea Doesn't Build One (The Safety Factor)
Ikea is obsessed with safety and "flat-packability." A Murphy bed is a giant lever. If it isn't anchored perfectly to wall studs, it can pull the drywall right off the frame. After the massive Malm dresser recall years ago, Ikea has become incredibly cautious about furniture that needs heavy-duty anchoring to stay safe.
A true murphy bed sofa ikea combo would require a level of structural DIY skill that Ikea probably isn't comfortable offloading to the average consumer. Plus, the weight of the pistons or springs needed to lift a heavy mattress is significant. It's not just a few cam locks and an Allen wrench.
How People Actually Get an "Ikea" Murphy Bed
If you see someone online claiming they have one, they usually fell into one of three camps.
- The Ivacoo or Murphy Door Kit: There are companies that sell hardware specifically designed to "skin" a wall bed using Ikea Pax wardrobes. You buy the mechanical frame from a specialist and use the Pax frames to make it look like it’s part of a seamless Ikea wall unit.
- The "Besta" Hack: This involves using the Besta storage system to flank a non-Ikea wall bed. It creates the illusion of a built-in.
- The Sofa Hybrid: This is the most sought-after version. You place a low-profile sofa (like the Vimle or the Söderhamn) in front of a wall bed. When the bed drops down, it clears the back of the sofa.
It's a lot of work. Seriously.
If you aren't handy with a drill and a stud finder, this path is a nightmare. You’ve got to measure the seat height of the sofa against the pivot point of the bed frame. If the bed is too low, it hits the sofa. If it's too high, you need a ladder to get into bed.
The Pax System Workaround
The most common "expert" advice for a murphy bed sofa ikea vibe is using the Pax wardrobe. People take the 92-inch tall Pax units and place them on either side of a standard wall bed.
It’s basically a theater trick.
By using the same cabinet doors on the bed's "bottom" (which faces out when closed) as you do on the flanking wardrobes, the whole wall looks like a uniform storage unit. It's beautiful. It's functional. But the core—the part that keeps the mattress from falling on your head—is almost never from Ikea.
Let's Talk About the "Vimle" Strategy
If you're dead set on the sofa component, the Ikea Vimle series is the gold standard for hackers. Why? Because the cushions are modular.
Some dedicated DIYers have figured out how to remove the back cushions of a Vimle sofa and have a wall bed (usually a kit from a brand like Lori Bed or Rockler) fold down directly over the seat base.
Does it work? Sorta.
The problem is the height. A standard sofa seat is about 17 to 18 inches off the ground. Most wall beds need to land at that same height to be stable. If you don't match them perfectly, you end up with a bed that sits at a weird angle.
The Trade-offs Nobody Mentions
Everyone shows the "after" photos. The "before" is a mess of sawdust and frustration.
- Wall Anchoring: Most modern apartments have metal studs or "crumbly" plaster. You cannot just screw a Murphy bed into these. You often need to build a header or a "stringer" across several studs to distribute the load.
- The Mattress Weight: You can't just throw a 12-inch memory foam mattress on a DIY Murphy bed. It'll be too heavy for the pistons. You end up needing a lighter, thinner mattress, which kind of defeats the purpose of avoiding a sofa sleeper.
- The Gap: There is always a gap. Between the bed and the wall, between the sofa and the frame. Dust bunnies love these gaps.
Better Alternatives for the Non-Hacker
If you aren't prepared to spend forty hours in your garage, there are actual Ikea products that fill the gap of a murphy bed sofa ikea search.
The Utåker Stackable Bed
It's not a sofa, but it's a genius "space-saver." It's two solid pine bed frames stacked. By day, it’s a daybed or a couch with some pillows. By night, you slide the top one off and you have two twin beds or one king. It’s cheap. It’s safe. It’s pure Ikea.
The Vallentuna Series
This is probably the closest Ikea gets to a modular sofa bed. Each "module" can be a bed. You can string three together to make a giant sofa, and each one folds out into a single sleeper. It’s pricey for Ikea, but it's way easier than building a wall bed.
The Cost Comparison
Let’s be real. Money matters.
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A DIY murphy bed sofa ikea project usually breaks down like this:
- Wall bed mechanism kit: $500 - $800
- Wood/MDF for the cabinet: $300
- Ikea Pax or Besta cabinets for the "look": $600
- Low-profile Ikea sofa: $500 - $900
- Total: $1,900 - $2,600
At that price point, you are approaching the territory of professional wall bed companies. The only reason to go the Ikea route is if you absolutely love the aesthetic or you already own the Ikea furniture and want to adapt it.
Is It Worth It?
Honestly? It depends on your patience.
If you're the type of person who enjoys the "solve" of a complex project, hacking a murphy bed sofa ikea setup is incredibly rewarding. There’s a certain smugness that comes from having a custom-looking "hidden" bed for half the price of a designer version.
But if you just want a place to sleep? Get a high-quality sofa bed like the Friheten or the Vimle sleeper. They aren't as "cool" as a wall bed, but they won't require you to structural engineer your living room.
Expert Tip: The Piston vs. Spring Debate
If you do go the DIY route using Ikea parts, choose a piston-based mechanism. Springs are old school. They lose tension over time. Gas pistons (like the ones that hold up a car's trunk) are much smoother and quieter. This is crucial if you're trying to hide the fact that your "office" is actually a bedroom.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Small Space
Don't start by buying a sofa. Start by measuring your wall.
- Check your studs: Use a high-quality stud finder. If you have 24-inch spacing or metal studs, rethink the Murphy bed. You need 16-inch center wood studs for most kits.
- Floor Clearance: Tape out the footprint of the bed when it's open. People always forget that a queen bed takes up nearly 7 feet of floor space when down. Can you still walk to the bathroom?
- The "Sofa Height" Test: If you're buying a sofa to put in front of a wall bed, measure the "folded" height of the bed kit. Most kits specify a maximum sofa height (usually around 30-35 inches for the backrest).
- Research the "Lori Bed": If you want the wood look without the complex pistons, look at the Lori Bed. It’s a manual lift. It’s much easier to integrate with Ikea shelving because it doesn't have the heavy mechanical requirements.
The dream of the murphy bed sofa ikea is a beautiful one. It represents the ultimate efficiency. Just remember that in the world of furniture, "some assembly required" usually means a lot more than you think when gravity is involved.
Building a "hybrid" system is a commitment. It's a weekend-killer. But for that one moment when you pull the handle and your living room disappears into a cozy bedroom? It’s almost worth the headache.
Almost.
Stick to the modular systems if you value your sanity, or go full-hacker if you value the "wow" factor. Just please, for the love of Swedish design, make sure you bolt it to the wall properly.
Practical Checklist for the Ikea Murphy Hack:
- Mechanism: Rockler or Create-a-Bed.
- Sofa: Vimle (without arms) or Söderhamn.
- Cabinetry: Pax 92" for the "built-in" look.
- Mattress: Maximum 10-inch thickness (usually).
- Tooling: Impact driver, level, and a friend to help lift.