Dog beds are a fact of life for pet owners, but their bulky appearance rarely fits a well-decorated home. Instead of hiding your pup’s sleeping spot in a corner, you can build a clever folding bed that stows inside a handsome cabinet. This murphy bed design construction approach gives you a wall-mounted cabinet during the day and a cozy floor-level bed at night. When guests arrive, fold the deck upright, secure it with a locking pin, and the whole thing disappears behind a furniture-grade front. The flat top serves as a display shelf for treats and toys, making it a functional piece rather than an eyesore.
This project requires basic woodworking skills, a few power tools, and about seven hours of shop time. The total material cost comes to roughly $110, far less than most mid-range dog beds. The cuts are straightforward, and the assembly follows a logical sequence of building the cabinet box first, then the folding deck, and finally attaching them with toy-box hinges. A weekend is plenty of time to complete this build.
Sizing Your Dog Murphy Bed Project
Before you buy materials, determine the right size for your dog. The bed should be large enough that your pet can stretch out comfortably, but compact enough that the finished cabinet does not overwhelm the room. A Great Dane will need a much larger cabinet than a French Bulldog, so measure first and build second. The easiest approach is to purchase a dog mattress or pad first and build the frame around it. Check product labels for dimensions that match your breed’s typical sleeping size. If you prefer to let your dog sleep on a folded blanket, measure your dog’s length and width while he is curled up, then add at least six inches to each measurement for wiggle room.
The project detailed here builds a cabinet that is roughly 24 inches wide, 36 inches tall, and 8 inches deep, with a fold-down deck that holds a mattress about 19 by 25 inches. That size fits small to medium breeds comfortably. If you need to adjust the dimensions, scale the cut list up or down proportionally. Pay attention to the interior depth of the cabinet, which must be deep enough to hold the folded mattress and the bed frame. For a murphy desk cabinet conversion, the same principles apply, though your dog bed version will use a shallower depth since the mattress is thinner than a human mattress. The overall height should allow the folded deck to sit within the cabinet without protruding past the front face.
- Measure your dog from nose to tail while sleeping, then add 6 inches for the mattress length.
- Measure your dog’s widest point (usually across the shoulders) and add 6 inches for the mattress width.
- Check that the room has enough floor space for the cabinet footprint plus clearance for the deck to fold down.
- Consider the mattress thickness: a 2 to 3 inch pad folds up more easily inside the cabinet than a thick orthopedic mattress.
Materials and Tools for the Build
The material list splits into two groups: the cabinet itself and the folding bed deck. Both use standard dimensional lumber and plywood available at any home center. The cut list below is for a cabinet sized for small to medium dogs. If you scaled your dimensions in the previous section, adjust these lengths accordingly. For more inspiration on different styles, check out these murphy bed ideas to see how other homeowners have adapted the concept.
| Component | Material | Quantity | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet sides | 1×8 pine | 2 | 35-1/4 inches long |
| Cabinet top | 1×8 pine | 1 | 24 inches long |
| Cabinet crosspieces | 1×4 pine | 4 | 22-1/2 inches long |
| Cabinet header | 1×4 pine | 1 | 24 inches long |
| Cabinet back | 1/4-inch plywood | 1 | 24 x 36 inches |
| Baseboard molding | Pre-primed baseboard | 3 pieces | Cut to length |
| Shoe molding | Shoe molding | 3 pieces | Cut to length |
| Bed frame short sides | 1×4 pine | 2 | 19 inches long |
| Bed frame long sides | 1×4 pine | 2 | 25 inches long |
| Bed frame crosspieces | 1×4 pine | 2 | 19 inches long |
| Stop block | 1×4 pine | 1 | 3 inches long |
You will also need the following tools: a miter saw for cutting the dimensional lumber to length, a circular saw for the plywood back panel, a drill/driver for screws and pilot holes, a pneumatic nailer with 1-1/4 inch finishing nails, a screwdriver, a putty knife, and paint brushes for finishing work. Hardware includes two toy-box hinges, magnetic catches, cabinet knobs, a locking pin knob with threaded pin, trim-head screws, wood glue, wood filler, sandpaper, primer, and semigloss paint.
Building the Cabinet Frame
Start by cutting all the cabinet parts to size using your miter saw. Set up a stop block on the fence to make repeat cuts for pieces that share the same length. Mark each piece on the back after cutting to keep track of your inventory. Use a circular saw with a straightedge guide to cut the 1/4 inch plywood back panel to 24 by 36 inches. When planning similar built-in projects, the space saving solutions with murphy beds approach applies to many types of fold-down furniture around the house.
To assemble the cabinet, set the two 1×8 sides on edge and sandwich two 1×4 crosspieces between them on the flat, with one crosspiece flush at each end. Drive 1-1/4 inch trim-head screws through the sides into the edges of the crosspieces. Add a third 1×4 crosspiece flush with one end of the sides, which will become the bottom of the cabinet. Sandwich the fourth crosspiece between the sides with its top edge set 1-1/2 inches below the top of the cabinet. This creates a strong, square box frame. Apply wood glue to the three top edges, set the 1×8 top panel in place, and secure it with 1-1/4 inch finishing nails driven through the top into the frame below.
Next, lay the cabinet faceup and place the 1×4 header flat against the front, flush with the top and sides. Nail it in place with the pneumatic nailer. This header provides a nailing surface for the decorative molding. Cut the baseboard molding with opposing 45-degree miters at the corners. Apply wood glue and nail the mitered pieces to the header, starting with the front piece and working around to the sides. Layer the shoe molding on top of the baseboard using the same mitering pattern. Drill pilot holes through the shoe molding every 12 inches with a 1/16 inch bit to prevent splitting, especially given the small size of this cabinet where a split piece is hard to hide or replace.
Constructing the Bed Deck and Drawer Foot
The bed deck is the folding heart of this project. It consists of a rectangular 1×4 frame that holds the dog mattress, attached to the back side of two cabinet doors and a false drawer front. The doors fold down to form the deck surface, while the drawer folds up to act as the foot of the Murphy bed, preventing the mattress from sliding off. Understanding how the language of your construction company communicates quality to clients is similar to how the details of this assembly communicate craftsmanship in the final piece.
Begin by building the bed frame. Apply wood glue to the cut edges of the two 1×4 short sides, then sandwich them between the two 1×4 long sides to form a rectangle. Drive 1-1/4 inch screws through the long sides into the edges of the short sides. Place two 1×4 crosspieces on the flat between the long sides, butted against the inside surfaces of the short sides, and secure them with screws through the long sides. Attach the 3-inch stop block to the outside of one long side, flush with the top; this will receive the locking pin later.
Now lay the two cabinet doors and the drawer front facedown on a work surface. Use 1/4 inch shims between them to create even gaps. Center the bed frame on top of the doors and drawer, positioning it so the top edge of the frame sits 3-3/4 inches below the top of the drawer. Trace the outline of the frame onto the doors and drawer. Remove the frame, drill pilot holes through the frame’s crosspieces into the thicker top and bottom rails of the doors, and drive 1-inch screws to fasten the frame to the doors. Do not screw into the drawer yet. Attach a toy-box hinge to the back side of the drawer where it meets the top face of the bed frame, using the included screws. Remove the shims. The deck is now complete: the doors form the main surface and the drawer flips up to become the foot.
Final Assembly and Finishing Touches
With the cabinet and deck complete, join them. Lay the cabinet faceup and set the deck on top so the bed frame fits within the cabinet opening. Use shims to create even spacing between the top edge of the drawer and the header, and between the sides of the doors and drawer and the cabinet sides. Position a toy-box hinge on the cabinet’s lower crosspiece where it meets the bottom edge of the cabinet doors. Secure the hinge with the included screws. Depending on the width, you may need two hinges spaced evenly across the bottom. This hinge allows the entire deck to pivot down when in use and fold up when stowed.
Attach magnetic catches to the bottom edge of the cabinet’s upper crosspiece. Place the magnets on the catches, fold the deck upright, and mark where the magnets contact the back of the drawer. Fold the deck down and screw the magnet plates to the drawer at those marks. These magnets hold the deck securely in the upright position. When implementing larger construction safety program standards on job sites, the same attention to secure locking mechanisms applies to protecting workers and equipment.
- Turn the cabinet facedown and nail the plywood back panel in place with 3/4 inch finishing nails.
- Drill pilot holes and install cabinet knobs or pulls on the doors and drawer front.
- Fill all nail holes and joints with wood filler using a putty knife. Let it dry completely.
- Sand the entire assembly inside and out with 220-grit sandpaper until smooth.
- Apply a coat of primer followed by semigloss paint in your color of choice.
- Drill a 3/8 inch pilot hole through the cabinet side into the stop block on the bed frame. Insert a knob with a 1-3/4 inch threaded pin to serve as the locking pin.
Place your dog’s mattress inside the bed frame, fold the deck upright, and secure it with the locking pin. The cabinet now looks like a tidy piece of built-in furniture. When it is time for your dog to nap, pull the pin, fold the deck down, and watch your pup claim his new bed. For more outdoor and home projects, this raised wooden garden bed tutorial follows a similar approach to building functional, attractive structures that improve your living space.