A Dramatic Murphy Bed Turned a Bland Dining Room into an Art Deco Multifunctional Space

Functionality was the motivation behind every design decision Mika made in this space. “I wanted the Murphy bed to be completely concealed, not like a typical bulky Murphy bed system, but like an elegant built-in bookshelf wall that just so happened to hide a queen-size bed,” Mika explains. 

After developing the overall layout and determining how the space would serve as an office, dining room, and guest room, and have ample storage, Mika began the “aesthetic design phase.” 

“I sketched ideas, gathered inspiration photos, selected hardware, and worked closely with the Murphy bed company to refine proportions and details like the arches, shelf spacing, trim profiles, and cabinet fronts,” Mika describes. 

Mika worked with the Murphy bed company to source materials — particularly the walnut shelving. She had leftover walnut butcher block from a previous project that worked perfectly for the lower shelving and was exactly enough material. But she worked with the company’s contractor to source matching wood for the remaining shelves.  

“Hardware selection was another detail I obsessed over,” Mika adds. She chose brass knobs and pulls from Rejuvenation to tie into the Art Deco and modern Victorian feel she already had in the condo. 

“For the Murphy bed itself, I intentionally selected oversized brass appliance pulls,” Mika says. “Functionally, they provide a sturdy and comfortable grip for pulling the bed down, and aesthetically, they help disguise the bed as cabinetry.”

“The hardest part was working within the realities of a 100-year-old condo,” Mika shares. “As luck would have it, the wall I chose for the Murphy bed sits over one of the most stable structural areas in the building, making it an ideal location for the installation.” 

Even though it was the most stable area of the condo, the floors, walls, and ceilings still weren’t level. It required precise measuring to make the built-ins appear perfectly straight and safely attached to the wall. The contractor and crew worked closely with Mika to make the room’s design come to life the way she had imagined. 

Throughout the process, Mika worked with the crew to reduce labor costs and time. “They let me assist with painting, hardware installation, and parts of the finishing process, which helped reduce labor time while teaching me valuable construction skills,” Mika says.

They first painted the cabinets in another room with natural light, using Behr’s “Dragonfly.” However, the lighting made the color look much more vibrant than she had wanted, creating a brief moment of panic.

“But once everything was installed in the dining room’s softer lighting, the color deepened into the dramatic tone I had envisioned,” Mika comments. “It ended up becoming one of my favorite elements in the space and was a major ‘trust the process’ moment.”

With the cabinets and Murphy bed installed, Mika was able to style and decorate the space. She added York Wallcoverings’ Judarn Floral Mural wallpaper to the wall behind the Murphy bed as a surprise moment for when she pulls it down for guests. She also added LED lights to add convenience for guests and a mural spotlight.

“My favorite part is the sense of surprise. Most people assume the built-ins are simply decorative bookshelves and cabinets — until I pull down the bed,” Mika notes. “The reaction is always priceless.”

Plus, the room now feels deeply personal and reflects how Mika actually lives and spends her time in her home. It changed Mika’s relationship with her condo and made her fall in love with her home all over again because she was able to use her design instincts and express her creativity. 

Rather than using a traditional floor plan that says Mika’s “supposed” to use the room as just a dining room, the multifunctional space reflects her personality, routines, and creativity. “There is a lot of pressure to keep your home palatable for hypothetical future buyers instead of designing for yourself,” Mika comments. But “ironically, those bold personal choices are often the things that make a space the most memorable and valuable.”

Now, Mika can transform the room from a guest bedroom to dinner-party-ready in less than 10 minutes with her extendable dining table that also acts as her desk — or use the entire floor space for yoga and creative projects. 

“That flexibility completely changed how I live in my home,” Mika shares. 

Inspired? Submit your own project here.

• Paint
  • Behr’s “Dragonfly”
• Products
  • Extendable Dining Room Table in Scandinavian Oak from Transformer Table
  • Unfinished Solid Wood Butcher Block Countertop from The Home Depot
  • Manhattan Comfort Folding Black Rattan Chairs from Amazon
  • Zenus Cooling Memory Foam Queen Mattress from Amazon
  • Low Profile Under Cabinet LED Light from The Home Depot
  • York Wallcoverings Judarn Floral Mural from Anthropologie
  • Ekena Millwork Primed Ceiling Medallion from Amazon
  • FIDGRA Black Retractable Fandelier from Amazon
  • Howell Cabinet Knobs from Rejuvenation
  • Howell Appliance Pull from Rejuvenation