5 Creative Ways to Use a Murphy Bed in a Small Apartment
Living in a small apartment doesn't mean you have to compromise on comfort or functionality. With the right furniture, one room can serve several purposes throughout the day.
A Murphy bed, also known as a wall bed, is one of the most effective space-saving solutions for compact homes. Instead of permanently dedicating valuable floor space to a traditional bed, you can simply fold your sleeping area away when it isn't needed.
From creating a home office and bedroom in the same room to combining a comfortable sofa with a full-size bed, here are five clever ways to make the most of your space with a Murphy bed.
1. Create a Home Office and Bedroom in One Room
Working from home can be challenging when space is limited. A Murphy bed with a desk allows one room to function as both a productive workspace and a comfortable bedroom.
During the day, the bed remains stored vertically inside the cabinet, leaving you with more usable floor space and a dedicated area for working. When it's time to sleep, the room can quickly be transformed back into a bedroom.
This is particularly useful in small apartments, studio flats and spare rooms where creating a separate home office simply isn't possible.
➡️ Browse Murphy beds with desks at Phantom Furniture
2. Turn Your Living Room into a Bedroom at Night
Imagine having a comfortable living room during the day and a full-size bedroom at night — without needing two separate rooms.
A Murphy bed with a sofa makes exactly that possible. During the day, the sofa provides a comfortable place to relax, watch television or entertain guests. When you need the bed, the sleeping area folds down from the wall unit and transforms the space into a bedroom.
It's an ideal solution for compact apartments where the living room needs to perform more than one function. One piece of furniture. Two completely different rooms.
3. Make a Studio Apartment Feel Bigger
In a studio apartment, every square metre matters. A traditional bed permanently occupies a significant amount of floor space, even though it may only be used for around eight hours each day.
A space-saving Murphy bed allows you to reclaim that area. Fold the bed away in the morning and suddenly the same space can become a dining area, workout zone, workspace or simply a larger and more comfortable living area. At night, simply lower the bed and your living space becomes a bedroom again.
For studio apartments, this flexibility can completely change how spacious the property feels.
4. Create a Guest Bedroom Without Sacrificing a Room
A guest bedroom is useful — but dedicating an entire room to occasional visitors isn't always practical. A wall bed provides a smarter alternative.
Install a Murphy bed in a home office, study or multifunctional room and keep it folded away when it isn't needed. The room remains fully usable throughout the year while still providing a proper sleeping area whenever friends or family stay overnight.
This makes Murphy beds particularly useful for modern homes where every room needs to earn its space.
➡️ Read more Murphy bed ideas and inspiration
5. Give Children More Space to Play
Children's bedrooms need to accommodate sleeping, playing, studying and storage — often within a relatively small area. A wall bed can help free up valuable floor space during the day.
Once the bed is folded away, children have significantly more room to play, study or enjoy their hobbies. At night, the bed can be lowered again to create a comfortable sleeping area.
Models with integrated desks, shelving or wardrobes can provide even more functionality while helping keep books, toys and everyday essentials organised.
➡️ Explore Kids' Room Ideas on our blog
Why Choose a Murphy Bed for a Small Apartment?
The biggest advantage of a Murphy bed is simple: one room can perform several different functions.
Instead of designing your home around a permanently open bed, you can adapt your space throughout the day. A living room can become a bedroom. A home office can become a guest room. A studio apartment can provide separate-feeling spaces for sleeping, working and relaxing — without adding a single square metre.
Modern Murphy beds also offer much more than a simple fold-away sleeping platform. Depending on the configuration, they can incorporate sofas, desks, shelving and wardrobes to create a complete multifunctional furniture system.
Discover Space-Saving Murphy Beds at Phantom Furniture
At Phantom Furniture, we offer a range of Murphy beds and space-saving furniture designed for modern UK homes.
Whether you're furnishing a compact apartment, studio flat, guest room or multifunctional home office, our Murphy bed systems allow you to make better use of the space you already have.
Choose from different bed sizes, colours and configurations, including Murphy beds with sofas, desks, shelving and matching wardrobes, to create a solution that works around your home and lifestyle.
Ready to turn one room into two?