A Modern Murphy Bed Transforms Your Home into Work From Home or Anything You Need it To Be

The Return of the Murphy Bed

Innovative Ideas for Creating Mixed-Use Work From Home Space

2020 caught many of us off guard. While the telecommuting trend had been slowly growing over the past five years, the pandemic really kicked it into overdrive. Many of us found ourselves forced to work from home. While some of us may have a dedicated home office, for many of us, working from home probably meant sitting at the kitchen island or dining room table with a laptop and a cellphone taking care of business. 

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As schools remained closed, the kids adjusted to remote learning, and the weeks out of the office turned into months. Focusing became a challenge. It was a struggle to adjust to the fact that home, typically the place where you relax, now needed to be a place of concentration and productivity... for everyone in the family!

To be productive, you need a dedicated space away from the distractions of daily chores and excessive breaks. You want to establish a dedicated work “zone” to help you regain focus. If you live in a 5-bedroom house, it might be easy to convert one of the bedrooms into a home office. If you live in a smaller home, an apartment, or have a large family, finding a dedicated workspace might be challenging.

In this post, we're going to give you some quick and easy tips for converting your guest room or your small studio into a multi-use zone that will not only function as a living space but will also keep you productive.

The Return of 1920's State-of-the-Art Sleep Technology

For transforming your home to work for you and your needs, we return to a furniture technology that was enormously popular a hundred years ago... the Murphy bed is back. 

It's definitely not your great grandfathers' Murphy bed!

Today, as more homeowners have added a workspace, the Murphy bed is again gaining popularity. As homes have decreased in size over the years and many of us live in small apartments or studios, a Murphy bed is the perfect solution for transforming a space to meet your needs as you move through the day.  

A Murphy bed offers a lot of benefits. Unlike a sofa bed or futon, you sleep on a real mattress. They're safe, easy to use, and easy to open and close. They are versatile, practical, and look great. Today, many different Murphy bed styles function as a workspace when closed, complete with built-in desks and shelving. You can also purchase ones that function as additional seating so they fold into couches if you don’t want to give up the expensive standing desk you may have already purchased.

The Office Armoire: Hide Your Office in Plain Site

If you're living in a small home and can't give up a bedroom, there are functional and aesthetically beautiful ways to include a dedicated workspace in your home. From Ikea to Pottery Barn to Wayfair, many companies offer a wide range of office armoires that are at home in the living room, dining room, or the landing at the top of the stairs. 

Depending on your needs, office armoires are available that can house your desktop computer and have cubbies and shelves for books and materials, as well as file drawers. They come in a wide range of styles, from traditional to modern, and come in several different materials, wood species, and metals, making them perfect to fit into any décor.

Finding the Space

If you don't have a spare bedroom, you need to look around and choose an alternative space. You don't want to set up your workspace in a living area where your family congregates. Ideally, you want some privacy so you can focus on your work. Sometimes you can find space in the basement or convert the garage, and sometimes it means getting a bit more creative. 

Consider every nook, corner, closet, or yes, if you have it... room. Don't overlook the attic or the basement or even space under the stairs!

As great as a murphy bed is, there additional things you can do to create a work from home space. Here are some alternatives.

• Set Up in the Living Room

If your kids are busy studying in their rooms, you can set up space in the living room. This is the perfect space for an office armoire. Place it in a relatively private corner of the room. Any unused space in your home is a potential home office, even in a common area. With an armoire, you can close the door to your "office" when you're done for the day. Consider adding folding screens or soji screens to create separation of space.

• Set Up Under the Stairs

If you're truly out of space, you need to get creative. Unless the area under your stairs is a structural necessity, you can open the space up for an office. Add a desk, some wall-mounted shelving, and rolling storage bins, and it can provide all the functionality you need to work.

• Unclutter A Spare Closet

If you can't afford or don't want a Murphy bed in the guest room, consider converting the closet into a cozy office. Clear it out, add shelving and a built-in desk, some task lighting, a plug, and a comfortable chair, and you have a workspace. You can either remove the door and have space be an extension of the room, or leave the door on and close it when it's time to call it a day.

• Convert the Attic, Basement or Garage

Not every space needs natural light and bright colors. If it looks like you'll be working from home even when we return to normal, it might be worth your while to finish your basement or attic to create a permanent work from home space. 

When looking for a multi-use work from home space, consider any unused area of your home. Even the smallest area or overlooked space can become your office. With a little creativity, you can create a functional, productive workspace almost anywhere.

Today, as many of us continue working from home, and most likely will be for the foreseeable future, it's crucial to have space in your home where you can focus and be productive. Whether you're taking a DIY approach, or working with a design-build contractor or interior designer, think about your budget, goals, needs, and the resources and space you have available. Do your research and consider how you'll use the space now and into the future. Whether it's adding a Murphy bed in the guest room or converting the space under the stairs, creating a multi-use space is a smart investment.

If you have questions about creating a home office design to meet your needs now and into the future, give the experts at Om Design a call (831) 607-8772. We're always happy to discuss your project, answer your questions, and explain all of your options!