Electric Lifting Loft Bed vs Hidden Wall Bed

1. What are electric lifting loft beds and hidden wall beds?

The innovative electric lifting loft beds are driven by motors & are adjusted at various heights the same as electric standing desks. Hidden wall beds,  also known as a wall bed, a hideaway bed, or a Murphy bed (Around the year 1900, William Lawrence Murphy invented this type of bed), on the other hand, are designed to be concealed within a wall or cabinet when not in use.

Both types offer a space-saving solution for those with limited living space. By lifting loft beds up or folding up & hiding away the wall beds, both types can create more floor space during the day for other home activities, and expand the sleeping set-up without transforming home space during the night.

2.  What are the differences between an electric lifting loft bed and a hidden wall bed?

1). Structure and principle

    Electric lifting loft bed: usually consists of bed body, lifting system, support base, and other parts. It relies on the electric power drive system, through the motor, linear actuator, and other transmission devices, to realize the loft bed lifting function. The lift operation of this kind of bed is smooth and quiet, and can stay at different heights according to the user’s needs.

    Hidden wall bed: also known as invisible bed, mainly composed of bed frame, bed board, hardware accessories, storage cabinets, and other parts. The principle is to connect the bed board with the cabinet or wall through hardware accessories, and use the principle of leverage or rotary axis and other mechanical structures to realize the folding and unfolding of the bed. Normally, the bed can be hidden in the cabinet or wall, then put down when in use.

2). Space utilization

    Electric lifting loft bed: has a great advantage in the utilization of vertical space. When the bed is raised, the space under the bed can be fully utilized, for example, furniture such as desks, sofas, and closets can be placed to create a multi-functional space. Suitable for spaces with a small flat area of the room, such as small apartments and lofts.

Hidden wall bed: can be completely hidden when not in use, making the whole space look neater and more spacious. For rooms that require multiple function switching, such as living room-cum-bedroom, study-cum-bedroom, etc., the hidden wall bed is able to quickly realize the conversion of space and improve the utilization rate of space.

3). Ease of use

    Electric lifting loft bed: simple to install. If users have a limited budget and cannot afford to hire a professional installation team, the users can install it on their own according to the user instructions and videos. Only 2 men are needed for assembly. The lifting loft bed is equipped with a remote control or control panel, just like operating an air conditioner, users can easily realize the lift control. And, just like electric height adjustable desks, some high-end electric height adjustable loft beds also have a pre-set memory function, which can memorize the user’s common height settings. It’s convenient for the next use. When it’s time to move house, it can be quickly disassembled and delivered to the new house without damaging the wall or floor.

Hidden wall bed: a professional installation team is needed. Its main drawback is the complex installation which requires careful planning and is time-consuming, expensive, and may pose safety issues if not done properly. In daily use, unfolding or retracting it manually or with auxiliary tools is relatively laborious, especially for the weak or physically inconvenienced. When moving house, a professional team is required again for disassembly and reassembly, making it more time-consuming and laborious to use.

4). Comfort

    Electric lift loft bed: the comfort of the lift loft bed is similar to that of an ordinary bed. However, due to its lifting feature, some thicker mattresses may not be very suitable for use in spaces with low ceilings.

Hidden away bed: the comfort mainly depends on the quality of the mattress and the stability of the bed frame. Since the hidden wall bed will generate some pressure and friction on the bed frame and mattress in the process of folding and unfolding, it’ll be better to choose a better quality and durability mattress and hardware accessories. In addition, Murphy beds usually have hard bedboards, which may take some time to get used to for people who are used to sleeping on soft beds.

5). Price and Maintenance

    Electric lift loft bed: the price is relatively high. If the motor fails, the cost of repair/replacement will also be relatively high. The high-quality motors provided by manufacturers with a good reputation can effectively reduce the occurrence of failure rates and extend the service life of the electric rising loft bed.

Hidden away bed: the finished Murphy bed price is more affordable, while the customized Murphy bed price will be higher. However, users also need to consider the cost of installation at a later stage. Murphy bed maintenance is relatively simple, mainly to regularly check the degree of fastening of hardware accessories and the flatness of the bed board, etc.

6). Safety

    Electric lift loft bed: the safety of the electric lifting system is key, and it needs to ensure that the quality of the metal bed frame, control system, and other parts are reliable, as well as the stability of the bed when rising up/down. Our electric rising loft beds are equipped with safety locks and memory for position when powering off to prevent the bed from accidentally falling.

Hidden away bed: users need to pay attention to the quality of hardware accessories and the firmness of the installation to ensure the safety of the bed. Especially when the bed is unfolded and folded, it is important to prevent accidents such as pinching hands. Additionally, if the installation is not done properly, it can lead to safety issues. For safety, a Murphy bed needs to be mounted to a wall to ensure that the bed is being supported while lifted up or lowered down.

In short,  both lifting loft beds and hidden wall beds are suitable for limited spaces such as Minimalist homes, Studio apartments, Multi-purpose spaces, Guest rooms, Den, Home offices, etc. Both serve to double the function of the room. If you’re not planning on using the bed frequently, and your budget is limited, a hidden wall bed will be more suitable for you. If you feel it’s challenging to fold out and put away the wall bed and that they may cause you to have to rearrange your room throughout the day, and you worry about the Murphy bed will hurt the wall, the electric lift loft bed will be a better option for you.

Vaka is proud to be one of the leading ergonomic standing desk China manufacturer and electric adjustable height loft bed innovator.