Great bedding is a luxury in life. Sleep is essential for our mental and physical health. Creating a space where you love to lie down at night practically guarantees a productive morning, and a lot of that comes down to impeccable bedding selection.
Aside from a good bed, the bedding for your mattress matters if you want a comfortable sleep. Some bedding for Murphy beds may work, while others may not give you the same kind of comfort. Let’s explore everything about bedding for a Murphy bed in this guide.
Key Takeaways:
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Bulky bedding may hinder the bed’s proper folding mechanism, causing wear and tear over time.
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Mattress straps prevent bedding from bunching or shifting upon folding the bed, maintaining a tidy appearance all throughout.
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Bamboo or cotton bedding is comfortable, washable, and easy to maintain, making it perfect for Murphy beds' multipurpose nature.
Find the bed you want in our collection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Bedding for Murphy Bed: All the Answers You Need
Top Considerations for Murphy Bedding Selection
Thread Count
Fabric Considerations
Choosing Sheets for a Murphy Bed
Can You Leave Bedding on a Murphy Bed?
How to Keep Bedding in Place When Folding
Best Blankets or Comforters for Murphy Beds
Parting Words
Best Bedding for Murphy Bed: All the Answers You Need
You can use these bedding options for your Murphy bed. All of them help you maximize space and sleep comfortably:
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Fitted sheets, preferably low-profile ones for deep mattresses
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Lightweight comforters or thin, breathable blankets
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Mattress straps to keep bedding in place when the bed folds
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Blankets made of moisture-wicking fabrics like cotton or bamboo
Don’t use multi-layered bedding sets or bulky duvets as much as possible. If you want to add another layer to your bedding, opt for duvet covers instead of heavy quilts.
Whatever bedding you choose, you can get a good night’s sleep without disrupting the function of your Murphy bed furniture.
Top Considerations for Murphy Bedding Selection
Choosing bedding is most often associated with thread count, which, while important, is not the “end all, be all” of selecting the right sheets. Don’t settle for ho-hum bedding. In this article, we’ll discuss how to choose the right sheets for your Murphy bed or any other bed frame.
Thread Count
Thread count is what likely comes to mind when you’re considering bedding. In a marketplace of products that look very similar, thread count helps differentiate between what’s available on store shelves.
Thread count is a measure of how many threads are woven into one square inch of fabric. The yarn is woven in a crisscross pattern, with the vertical strands being referred to as warp weave, and the horizontal pieces are called weft weave, as explained by Sleep Advisor. The total thread count number is calculated by adding up the warp and weft yarns.
Does a higher thread count mean higher quality?
Contrary to popular belief, higher thread count doesn’t necessarily translate to higher quality. Sheets that have a range between 200 and 400 are generally the best — though there are sheets with thread counts into the thousands.
According to Sleep Advisor, anything less than 200 will feel similar to itchy sandpaper, while anything higher will have a much steeper price tag with no real added benefits. It is important to note that some bedding manufacturers inflate thread count numbers, but there is an easy way to spot this tactic.
“In theory, the higher the thread count, the tighter the weave, resulting in a more durable and longer-lasting product," said Beth Arrowood, the creative director at textile company NIBA Collections. “However, it must be noted that some manufacturers use ply to artificially inflate the thread count.”
The ply is the number of threads wound together in a single thread. A good rule of thumb is to look for the highest thread count number you can get from a single-ply rather than the highest thread count overall.
“Most high-quality bed linens are made with single ply, but in some cases, manufacturers will use two-ply to double the numbers and increase the thread count,” she explained.
(Learn more about double Murphy beds next)
Fabric Considerations
Thread count is important, but it’s not the only factor to consider. Some fabrics may suit your preferences better than others. Microfiber and cotton are the most common fabrics used for sheets.
Microfiber sheets are comprised of extremely fine polyester fibers. These sheets aren’t made from old-school itchy polyester fabric. Today’s microfiber sheets are soft, affordable, and resist pilling — or bunching — associated with traditional polyester. However, polyester is less breathable than cotton jersey. It’s probably not the best choice for those with sensitive skin, according to the experts at HGTV.
Cotton jersey sheets are also reasonably priced and are often likened to sleeping on a soft, worn-in t-shirt. Jersey cotton sheets are knit rather than woven, making them very breathable, stretchy, and sometimes a bit clingy.
Another option is woven cotton sheets, which have a cool, crisp quality. For example, if you like to flip your pillows to the cool side all night long? Then you're better off looking at an inexpensive cotton percale, the HGTV pros noted.
Flannel is another popular choice, especially during cold months. Flannel is soft, warm, and cozy, except the material tends to pil and can be on the bulky side.
(Does a Murphy bed require wall mounting? Visit this post next to find out)
Choosing Sheets for a Murphy Bed
The good news is that you don’t need special sheets or bedding to accommodate a Murphy bed. All the bedding basics discussed above will serve you well, no matter what type of mattress you sleep on at night.
Standard bedding and sheet sizes, like twin, queen, and king, usually fit Murphy beds. However, let's say you have an extra-deep bed frame or a high mattress. Then, you might consider buying sheets one size larger than your mattress.
For example, king-size sheets for a queen-size mattress so that you can tuck the fabric fully under the mattress, according to the bedding experts at Mattress Nut. Most of the time, you will not need to do this with standard Murphy beds. This includes the Lori Bed!
Additional bedding selection considerations
Keep in mind that you’ll want to make sure that all the bedding and pillows aren’t too bulky, so they fit into the wall bed cabinet when it’s in the upright position. Each Murphy bed cabinet can accommodate a specific maximum thickness for both your mattress and bedding.
Keep in mind that if you’ll be storing linens and possibly pillows, it may increase the thickness of your mattress by an inch or two. The Lori Bed can accommodate any mattress that is 12 inches tall (a relatively thick mattress) or less.
If you prefer fuller fabrics, pillows, or comforters, consider storing the bedding on the shelves or hanging rods on the front-facing cabinet when the bed is in an upright position. If you choose to remove fluffier bedding, you should still keep the fitted sheet on to protect your mattress from dust particles.
Bedding selection for your Murphy bed — and any other mattress — all comes down to what makes you feel the most comfortable. Finding the sheets that feel good to the touch will help you get the restful night’s sleep you deserve.
Choose the bed you want to add to your home.
Can You Leave Bedding on a Murphy Bed?
Yes, you can. However, it depends on these factors:
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Bed Type: A queen Murphy bed and other vertically mounted models provide more clearance than horizontal ones. Thin sheets and light blankets don’t slip in these beds.
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Mattress Depth: A deep mattress can lessen the available space when you fold the bed. You may have to remove thick comforters or heavy bedding sets.
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Frame Clearance: A bed with no box spring can give more room to arrange a light blanket and a fitted sheet.
If you want to use a Murphy bed as a guest bed, keep the basic bedding on and add throw pillows or folded blankets near the bed.
How to Keep Bedding in Place When Folding
If you’re folding up the bed every day, keep it neat by:
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Using adjustable straps to keep the blanket and fitted sheet secured when you fold up the bed.
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Tucking your covers and sheets tightly under the edges of Murphy bed mattresses to prevent shifting.
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Using slimline sheets and duvet covers to keep your bed comfortable with reduced bulk.
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Removing multi-layered bedding sets before folding the bed.
Sticking to these small habits can make using the space-saving Murphy bed easier, especially if you have a senior member in the family who wants a low-maintenance setup.
Best Blankets or Comforters for Murphy Beds
Take note of these features when choosing comforters or blankets for Murphy beds:
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Breathable Fabrics: Cotton or bamboo regulates temperature while you sleep.
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Lightweight Comforters: Microfiber styles keep you warm without any bulk.
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Duvet Covers: They should be washable and paired with a thin comforter so you can use them for every season of the year.
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Minimalist Bedding: Use neutral tones and simple textures made of easy-to-care materials to complement your house’s decor.
Parting Words
Selecting the best bedding for your Murphy bed balances comfort and practicality. Choosing low-profile sheets, lightweight blankets, and breathable fabrics helps you sleep better at night without disrupting the bed’s function. These choices can turn your Murphy bed into a cozy place to rest.
Did you learn a lot from this post about bedding selection?
Here are two more posts to read next:
This post was first published in 2021. It was updated in 2025 just for you.
