Thanks everyone for your opinions and advice. The ZZZ chest is an interesting alternative, but I think since the mattress folds up, it may not be any more comfortable than a sofabed. Also more complicated to set up and break down than the Murphy bed especially for independent older folks who don't like to ask for help. The newer sofabed mattresses with the air mattress on top seems like an improvement over the old thin hard sofabed mattress, but we have a couple of Aerobeds and they are fine for younger people for a night or two, but for an 85 year old visiting for two weeks or more, I really want a very nice pillowtop mattress. So I guess I will go with the Murphy bed. But we still need to put the computer someplace. We think if we use two 18" file cabinets as the base for a laminate countertop going wall to wall with two 30" wall cabinets above we can make the 60" closet space look like we designed it to be a computer/office alcove and not like a closet with no doors.

Wow, I didn't expect a post of mine from three years ago to get brought back to life. We still have and still love the Murphy Bed (and I still show it off a lot). But $600? Ouch. I don't know. Certainly not with the materials I used ($1,250). The only way I could imagine it with the kit I used (which is $300 itself) is if you made it with particle board and already owned a standard queen mattress and all the bedding. But even then I'm not sure you could do it for under $600. My advice would be to call the company (I received very good customer service from them), tell them what your goal is, and ask for the supply list on the particle board version of the queen bed so you can price it out locally. Consider also that, while the version I built is easiest to install version I encountered, it does require that you screw four long screws into the studs to mount the puppy. Would your prospective landlord allow such a thing? Are the "charming, historic" walls built in such a way that this is an easy task? Finally, take a peek at the time lapse between my first post (12/07/04) and my "I did it" post (3/26/05). This project takes some time (an experienced person could have probably banged it out more quickly). It also takes some space (do you have access to a workshop?) and some tools (heck, a compound sliding miter saw alone would blow your budget). I've talked my husband into all sorts of craziness over the years, but if "winning" involved us sleeping on the floor in a very cramped apartment while I spent months building a bed in and amongst the boxes with the neighbors complaining about the noise of my power tools... well, it would probably be cited as an example of "why I should never get my way" for the rest of my life. It might possibly be done, just make sure you have your ducks in a row first, as ducks have a way of wreaking havoc when trapped in charming apartments with very small bedrooms. ;o) Good luck!

I realize that because I put a photo of my kitchen as the first photo for the "feel" I want to continue in the office, my title and accompanying photo maybe confusing. Just giving this a **BUMP**

I love love murphy beds. Let's face it, sofa beds are hard as a rock for a sofa and impossible to sleep on those awful mattresses. The only sofa bed worth anything is from American Leather, which is on the high end. You get the best of both worlds with murphy beds because it has a very comfortable regular mattress which is made up before closing and saves an incredible amount of space. I specify them all the time and my favorite is Clei available from Resource Furniture. The Clei system has a beautiful sofa and the bed comes down over it. Available in different style sofas and wall units with lights and storage. If floor space is an issue, take a look at murphy beds which come out horizontally. The projection when opened extends 70" into the room as opposed to a 90" for a vertical bed (the head at the wall). The horizontal bed is only about 67" in height and not to the ceiling, so the cabinet is not so imposing. Another approach is to search craigslist in your area. People are always moving up from a studio and deals are to be had! The cost of a murphy bed is in the mechanism, it's very easy to have a carpenter build a cabinet around it. https://www.clei.co.uk/clei/atoll_000.htm# https://resourcefurniture.com/product-category/transforming-wall-beds-by-clei/ https://bredabeds.com/horizontal-urban-murphy-bed.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpPHoBRC3ARIsALfx-_Kq1pcwEFUX69h6XJBj0I_7P3DmWay9E0qVwQBgdY71YVGCR1j5Dm0aAuQZEALw_wcB