Vertical vs. horizontal Murphy bed: vertical is taller and narrower and reaches further into the room; horizontal is shorter and wider and takes less floor depth.
Same bed, turned sideways

Both orientations are the same bed. The difference is which way it folds into the wall, and that decides how much wall height, wall width, and floor depth you need.

Choose vertical if…
  • You have more wall height than width
  • You want to sleep with your head against the wall, like a standard bed
  • You have room in front of the wall for the bed to extend
Choose horizontal if…
  • You’re working around a window, a low or sloped ceiling, or something else on the wall
  • Your room is shallow and floor depth is tight
  • You’re fine with the long side of the bed against the wall (on a Queen, one sleeper is on the wall side)