Murphy Desks: Wall-Mounted Fold-Out Desks With Cabinet and Monitor Storage

Why there is no sidebar pick on this page

We recommend a product only where we could read the maker's own data. For the Murphy desks on Amazon we found none, so every desk below is marked “Seller data only” and compared by what its listing states. If a plain fold-down top is enough for you, the guide to wall-mounted folding desks has the one desk-capable table with maker data. This page is for the cabinet type: a desk that closes into a shelf unit on the wall.

If you want the listing with the most complete data, start with the HOMCOM convertible Murphy desk^*.

What a Murphy desk is – and what it is not

A Murphy desk is a wall cabinet with a hinged front. Opened, the front becomes the desktop and the cabinet behind it holds shelves, cubbies or a pegboard; closed, the desk is a flat cabinet front, often with a chalkboard. It borrows the name from the Murphy bed, like the Murphy table. The difference: a Murphy table is a fold-down table, usually for dining, that closes into a wall cabinet or flat panel; a fold-out desk with a cabinet is a Murphy desk. How all the designs differ is shown on the page about types of wall-mounted folding tables, and the Murphy table guide covers the dining version.

The Murphy desks compared

Comparison: HOMCOM Convertible Desk, Tangkula “Murphy Table” Desk, YUSING Desk with Shelves, Armocity Murphy Desk

Comparison	Seller data onlyHOMCOM Convertible Desk	Seller data onlyTangkula “Murphy Table” Desk	Seller data onlyYUSING Desk with Shelves	Seller data onlyArmocity Murphy Desk
Type	Convertible cabinet desk (listing)	Foldable wall desk (listing)	Wall cabinet with fold-down desk (listing)	Shelf cabinet with fold-out desk (listing)
Top size	38.5 W x 20 D in desk; 60.25 in tall (listing)	–	Overall 23.5 x 30.5 x 59.5 in (listing)	Not stated; cabinet about 20 x 7.9 x 61 in (listing)
Load rating (as stated)	110 lb on the desktop (listing)	–	44 lb open desk, 4.4 lb per cubby (listing)	–
Mounting (as stated)	Wall cabinet with leg base; wall type not named (listing)	–	Solid walls only; not plasterboard, hollow brick or partition walls (listing)	Must be anchored to the wall (listing)
Folded depth	7.7 in (listing)	–	6.5 in (listing)	About 7.9 in (listing)
Best for	Small rooms that need a desk plus shelves on the wall	Anyone who searched “Murphy table” but actually needs a small desk	A bedroom or hallway desk on a solid wall that should close into a shelf unit	A craft, sewing or homework corner that needs shelves and power on the wall
	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon

The Tangkula listing gives several dimensions that contradict each other; check the size drawing in the listing before you order.

The desks one by one

HOMCOM convertible desk: the most data

The listing names model 836-296WT, made by Aosom LLC. It describes a 38.5 x 20 x 60.25 inch unit of P2-grade MDF with 0.6-inch panels, six upper compartments and three lower shelves, a chalkboard front and a desktop that supports up to 110 lb. Closed, it is 7.7 inches deep. The listing names a leg base, a top-to-bottom support structure and an anti-tipping design, and calls the desk suitable for dual monitors. Weigh that claim against the depth: at 20 inches, a monitor at the back edge sits right at the 20-inch minimum viewing distance OSHA recommends, with no room left for a keyboard in front of it. One screen and a laptop is the realistic setup. The unit weighs 46 lb by the listing, before you fill the shelves.

Tangkula foldable wall desk, sold as “Murphy table”

The Tangkula listing calls the product a “Murphy table”, but by its own description it is a foldable wall desk with a chalkboard, five shelves and hooks, made of P2 MDF. The desktop supports 44 lb when unfolded. That is enough for a laptop, papers and a lamp, not for a monitor arm with a heavy screen plus books. The listing's dimensions are inconsistent.

YUSING desk with shelves: the slimmest when closed

YUSING states 6.5 inches closed depth with a locking latch, two adjustable shelves, fixed cubbies and a cork board. The open desk holds 44 lb and each cubby 4.4 lb. The listing is the only one that says clearly which walls it needs: because of the product's own weight, it must go on solid walls and cannot be mounted on hollow bricks, plasterboard or partition walls. In a drywall house, that means into studs – or a different desk.

Armocity desk with outlets: power at the desk

Armocity sells a tall, slim shelf cabinet with a fold-out desk, built-in outlets and USB ports, a chalkboard and a height-adjustable shelf under the desktop. The listing names a leg base and says the unit must be anchored to the wall against tipping. It gives no desk load and no top size. It suits a craft or sewing corner; check the desk size before planning work on it.

Monitor storage and sit-stand: what the listings do not say

Searches for Murphy desks often ask for “monitor storage”. Of the desks in our data, none states the inside depth of the cabinet, so none confirms that a monitor stays on the desk when you close it. Closed depths of 6.5 to 7.9 inches, measured outside, leave little room. Measure your monitor without its stand, or mount it on a wall arm above the cabinet. We found no wall-mounted fold-away sit-stand desk with an electric lift in our Amazon data.

What to check before you buy

The wall. A Murphy desk carries its own weight and the contents of its shelves all the time, not only when it is open. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It! campaign says anchoring furniture with drawers, doors and shelves to the wall prevents tip-over injuries and deaths. For a hanging cabinet, that means wood studs or a ledger board across them. Wood studs are 16 or 24 inches on center, depending on stud size and load (IRC Table R602.3(5)); measure before you drill. Hollow-wall anchors carry only a fraction of their headline figure: TOGGLER's sheet notes that industry standards recommend one quarter of the ultimate test load.

The desk load. 44 lb is a laptop desk; 110 lb (HOMCOM, listing) leaves room for a monitor. All figures are seller data.

Depth for your screen. OSHA asks for a monitor directly in front of you, at least 20 inches away, and legroom under the desk of generally 20 to 28 inches in height.

Height. For seated work, the desktop belongs at about 29 to 30 inches; the 2010 ADA Standards set 28 to 34 inches for work surfaces. On a cabinet desk, the hinge line sets the desk height, so mark it before you drill. The guide to mounting height shows how.

Installation. The steps from stud finder to level line are in the guide on how to install a wall-mounted folding table.

Typical mistakes

• Searching “Murphy table” for a desk. The terms mean different furniture.
• Counting on monitor storage without measuring. None of the listings gives the inside depth.
• Hanging a loaded cabinet on drywall anchors. YUSING excludes plasterboard outright.
• Overloading a 44 lb desktop. A monitor, a printer and books add up fast.

Verdict

If you want a Murphy desk with the most complete listing data, the HOMCOM convertible desk is the one to check first: 110 lb on the desktop, 7.7 inches closed, anti-tip design. For a slim shelf unit with a light desk, YUSING closes to 6.5 inches – on a solid wall only. Every option here is seller data only, so plan the wall fixing yourself and keep within the stated load. Plain fold-down desks are compared in the wall-mounted folding desk guide, cabinets with a fold-down top for other rooms under tables with storage, and the homepage has the overview by room.