Do it yourself: how to build a recessed bed in the wall

A traveler in the 1800’s returning from a trip to Scandinavia wrote: "In Denmark, the people sleep in cupboards."

And so they did! This was a reference to the traditional Danish wall-bed, and it’s not just the Danes who sleep in them. They are also found in Holland (where they are called "Dutch Beds"), and cupboard beds have been popular for centuries in France, Italy, and other European countries. The famous US marshal Wyatt Earp slept in a Dutch Bed in his boyhood home in Pella, Iowa. They are found in lake homes in Wisconsin. In Denmark, they are called "hulseng" — which means ‘hole-bed;’ a family at a tiny cottage in Ribe, Denmark slept six people in one such cupboard bed. In Holland, whole families slept in Dutch Beds sitting upright — but nowadays these beds are built long enough to lay down in comfort.

Not to be confused with Murphy Beds, which are housed in a cupboard and drop out into the living quarters for use, Dutch Beds are built entirely into the wall and you climb into them. They may be open or enclosed, and they have a number of advantages over conventional beds: Dutch Beds take up less floor space; they can be out of sight when not used (so you don’t have to make them up every day); and when the doors or curtains are closed, they retain heat so the rest of the house can be kept cooler, thereby saving on heating costs. But most importantly, Dutch Beds allow the space above and below the bed — normally wasted in a conventional bed — to be used for storage. They are ideal for rooms where space is at a premium: attics, lakeside cabins, or quarters over a garage to name a few.

And they are ineffably cozy. There is nothing like climbing into a cupboard bed on a cold winter night, closing the door, and snuggling down comfortable and warm beneath the blankets.

If you want to build a Dutch Bed, there are a few things to take into consideration. First of all, the bed is not actually built into an existing wall. Rather, a new wall is built out from the existing wall, and storage units are incorporated around the sleeping cupboard.

You should choose the location for this project very carefully. Decide whether you want the Dutch Bed to occupy an interior or exterior wall. If you want an exterior wall, you will need to insulate the sleeping area with Styrofoam insulation, but you will have the advantage of possibly having a small window so you can look outside before getting up in the morning. Such a window should have shutters or doors so you can close it in cold weather or when you want to keep out the light.

The extended wall will take up floor space, so you need a fairly large room. Dutch Beds can be built under a sloping roof, thereby using space that might otherwise be wasted (although your upper cupboards will have a slanted back wall).

Determine the size of mattress you desire for the sleeping compartment. Dutch Beds are traditionally single or double mattress size; a queen or king size bed would take up a lot of space, and space is what you are trying to save here. Accordingly, the existing wall along which you plan to construct your Dutch Bed should be not much longer than the intended sleeping space. Allow room for a built-in shelf at the head of the bed for books, medicine, tissues, etc. If your existing wall is longer than your planned wall-bed, you can construct a closet at one end to use up the left-over space.

Build the structure for the new wall using traditional frame construction. Determine how high you want the bed to be off the floor. Traditionally, Dutch Beds are about 30" to 36" high with a small step-stool for kids to use when climbing in. Reinforce the framework for the sleeping platform with 2" x 6" lumber so it will support your weight.

Dutch Beds are traditionally finished in natural wood, although you could conceivably use painted drywall if you choose. I would recommend using 1/4" tongue-and-groove knotty pine paneling finished with orange shellac (nowadays called "amber shellac"). You can use decorative molding millwork to frame around the sleeping compartment opening, with a 6" carved board along the top. Such millwork can be purchased at lumber dealers like Lowes or Menards.

Use 1" plywood for the sleeping platform itself, put your mattress and some bedding on it, and then sit on top of the blankets to check for headroom to determine the height for the sleeping compartment. Allow extra room for tall people and for moving around. Then frame in the top of the sleeping compartment and build cupboards above in the space from the top of the sleeping area to the ceiling. Insulate the sleeping compartment with 1" Styrofoam insulation if you desire. Make doors for the cupboards using 1" x 4" pine for frames. Inset panels made from the 1/4" tongue-and-groove pine into the frames. Use antique bronze or brass hardware for hinges, handles, and pulls. The space below the sleeping platform can be used either for cupboards with doors or — if you are a particularly good carpenter — you can make pull-out drawers in this area.

If you want an enclosed (rather than open) Dutch Bed, decide whether you want sliding curtains or doors. For a curtain closure, mount a 1" dowel along the top of the opening and attach heavy curtains with wooden drapery rings that will slide along the rod. Or, if you prefer, you can make doors that match the cupboard doors described above and mount them on the sleeping compartment. You will need to construct two short outer walls — one at each end of the compartment — so that the double-doors are not too wide to swing conveniently.

To finish your Dutch Bed, build the book shelves and window shutters inside the sleeping compartment, again using knotty pine lumber. You will, of course, want to mount a reading light at the head of the bed, and I recommend putting in an electric outlet so you can plug in your electric blanket, tape recorder, or radio.