The Small Bedroom Solution — Space-Saving Beds That Actually Work

New Zealand homes are getting smaller. The average floor area of new builds has been declining steadily, and apartments and terraced housing now make up a growing share of new housing stock — particularly in Auckland and Wellington. The spare room that used to be permanently set up as a guest bedroom is now often expected to serve as a home office, exercise room or study the other 350 days of the year.

The good news is that there are well-designed solutions for every variation of this problem. Here's a practical guide to space-saving beds, organised by the situation you're most likely dealing with.

The home office that needs to become a spare bedroom

This is the most common scenario: you have one room that needs to work as a home office by day and a guest bedroom occasionally. A murphy bed or wall bed is the cleanest solution. The bed folds flush into a timber cabinet when not in use, leaving the desk, bookshelf and chair fully accessible. When guests arrive, the cabinet opens and the bed folds down in seconds — no assembly, no moving furniture.

Mazon's murphy beds and space savers range includes vertical fold-down options available online with 1–2 business day shipping. Cabinet dimensions vary by model — measure your ceiling height and floor clearance before ordering.

What to check: ceiling height, minimum approximately 2.2m for most vertical fold-down beds, floor space in front of the wall for the bed to fold down into, and whether your wall can support a wall-mounted unit, timber frame vs concrete.

The bedroom that needs more floor space

If the room is primarily a bedroom but feels cramped, the issue is usually the bed base. A standard bed base with no storage underneath occupies its full footprint and contributes nothing but sleep surface.

A storage bed base uses the space under the mattress for drawers or lift-up storage, eliminating the need for a separate chest of drawers or wardrobe in smaller rooms. Mazon's storage base range includes options in standard NZ sizes — queen and king — with underbed drawers on the sides.

This is particularly useful in apartments where built-in wardrobes are limited and adding freestanding furniture makes the room feel even smaller.

The kids' room with two children and not much floor space

Bunk beds double the sleep capacity of a single-child bedroom without increasing the floor footprint. Mazon's bunk sets range is designed for New Zealand safety standards, with ladder access and appropriate rail heights for the upper bunk.

A bunk set works best in rooms with a ceiling height of at least 2.2m — enough clearance for a child to sit up comfortably in the upper bunk without hitting their head. Measure before buying.

The sleepout or minor dwelling

A standalone sleepout — whether a converted garage, a garden studio or a purpose-built unit — often has a single multi-purpose room. A hideaway bed or murphy bed allows the space to function as a living area or workspace during the day and a comfortable bedroom at night.

For sleepouts used as longer-term accommodation, an older teenager's space or a self-contained guest unit, a storage base rather than a fold-down bed is often more practical — it provides a permanent, comfortable sleeping surface without the daily mechanism of folding up and down.

The adjustable base for a medical or accessibility requirement

For bedrooms where one or both sleepers benefit from an adjustable sleeping position — for medical reasons, post-surgery recovery, or simply preference — adjustable bed bases work with compatible mattresses from the Smart-Coil, Eco-Coil and Hybrid ranges. Adjustable bases can be split so each partner controls their own side independently.

Practical tips before you buy

Draw your room to scale before choosing a bed type. A floor plan doesn't need to be precise — a rough sketch with measured dimensions will tell you whether a fold-down bed has enough clear floor space, whether a bunk bed clears the ceiling, or whether the drawers on a storage base can open without hitting the opposite wall.

If you're unsure, contact us before ordering. Our team can advise on the right configuration for your specific room dimensions and requirements. Most of the Mazon range ships nationwide, and the hide-a-bed and space-saver options are available online with fast delivery.