What do you plan to use the room for? Right now it seems like a guest room but not working well

The thought was that grandkids could sleep in the Murphy bed while parents were in the bedrooms, when it isn’t being used as a bedroom, extra seating for guests as it is adjacent to our bar area. There are pocket doors that close this room off.

Create a conversation area by putting the upholstered sofa on the wall where the murphy bed is. Move the side table next to the murphy bed. Put the little ottoman in front of your sofa and position the chairs at either end of it. Upholster the turquoise chair in same fabric as the sofa. Yes, staining the murphy bed the same as your trim and door would make it fit in better. Also get a large piece of art for over the sofa in this palette but a subject and style you like. Voila! a sitting room/guest room.

"Lake House" Wall Art · More Info

Hanging the art on the Murphy bed?

You could bring in a center cocktail table or ottoman with four chairs.

And since you would like to be able to use the room for a guest room and primarily for grandchildren, an ottoman would be a good choice, and perhaps look into folding chair options for the four chairs.

These chairs can also be used as beds.

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/brayden-studio-rafia-palmar-convertible-chair-w002652019.html?piid=

With the style of this four chair arrangement, I honestly don’t think folding chair styles would be the best, as I continue to consider the options. This style lends itself to comfortable club chairs, can work well with swivel chairs, etc. But your room appears to be a large room. So when you have sleepover guests, perhaps you can leave a couple of the chairs in the room and temporarily relocate other chairs to bar area, etc. Although a dual purpose convertible chair, as I show above, might be a nice option for your purposes, as well.

I get a bit concerned about blocking the walkway to the bedrooms that branch off of this room, but could direct foot traffic to the edges of the room.

I am warming to the idea of using the Murphy bed as a backdrop to the sofa, that hadn’t even crossed my mind. It is a big room and I struggle with scale in this house which is much larger with high ceilings.

right now everything is in the corners or on the walls, in order for people to have a conversation, the furniture needs to be grouped together. you have a sofa and two chairs basically right now. place the sofa closer to the center of the room and place the two chairs flanking the sofa facing each other with a coffee table in the center of the grouping. once that happens you will want side tables and lamps.

I’m wondering if you could move Murphy bed to where chaise is now, and make sitting area where the windows are. I like your choice of fabric on chaise too, looks very nice !

MarleneM - we moved the chaise over in front of the Murphy bed and it is kind of sticking out a bit - it became apparent that we may need to move the Murphy bed - I think you are right! Then, the chaise fits between the windows, two chairs can flank it with either side tables for a lamp or a beverage. Artwork would go above the couch as housegal200 suggested. The two chairs could be moved elsewhere in the house, they may be a little smaller than what works with that chaise - it is really deep.

love the idea too of the sitting area near the windows and moving the Murphy bed to the other wall.

a few ideas for larger scale chairs...

Looks like a nice spot for a games table for cards, puzzles, board games etc.

Like the Murphy bed -- would not change the finish your Dad created for it unless it is damaged and in need of repair -- which it doesn't appear to be.

How do you want to use the room other than as a hallway and guest bedroom space (a/l/a

Murphy bed)?

Is the Murphy bed attached to the exterior wall?

Have you considered moving the Murphy bed to the interior wall where the lounge seat is now located and set a lamp and table on each side of it?

With the Murphy bed moved to the interior wall, you could then focus on creating a usable area by the windows. (seating/conversation/study/game)

In the small corner with the door shown in the fourth pic, you could add a curio cabinet with glass front doors for displaying family photographs and treasures.

You're right that it is a lot of space to not use. Has anyone (including grandchildren) ever slept in this Murphy bed though? Even with doors that close off the space, people getting to the other bedrooms have to walk through the space and that just seems . . . . uncomfortable.

If it isn't likely to get used or will be used VERY infrequently but you can't bear to part with it, put it on the wall where the chaise is. Moving the chaise to the window area would instantly create a reading corner for one and would be more likely to draw people than its current location (who wouldn't prefer a window seat?) Put it on an angle and put the lamp behind it in the corner, add a small table for a beverage and perhaps a plant in the triangular space by the windo. You could then use the wall and the other window to create a small conversation area with just two chairs in the corner nearest the living room. A console table on the wall between the windows would be a nice anchor for a piece of art and perhaps be a spot to park an ottoman for extra seating. A small round table between the two chairs , all pulled away from the wall a bit would complete the set up with perhaps a floor lamp in that corner for ambience.

Good luck with your project!

Consider drawing your room, to scale, on graph paper showing all the doors and windows.

Then also draw, to scale, the Murphy Bed, both closed and open. Place them on your drawing of the room and see what space you have left.

If what you put in the seating area by the windows is easily movable, you'd only need to leave a traffic area through the room immediately beside the Murphy Bed along the interior wall.

As you furnish the area by the windows, do also keep in mind how much room you'd need if you actually do use the Murphy bed and how easily you can move those furnishings.

suezbell - I was just thinking that I am going to have to be careful to not get the space too full, that is a great idea to avoid that. The chair ideas from Theresa Janssen are really helpful. It is a little hard to nail down a style to be cohesive with that chaise. I thought maybe a couple of gray chairs, one on each side of the chaise between the windows. I also like the idea from Elizabeth Minish Design of the two chairs on one side - it is time to start moving furniture around and plotting this out to get a better visual. Thank you so much!

you have a lot of grey in the room already, seems like you have grey carpet, I was thinking to bring out a lighter color from the chaise for chairs. I liked the channel and tufted options as they have a bit of a vintage flair and thought that would work with the chaise.

Yes, too much gray, I was looking at chairs in a tweady charcoal, but maybe still too much gray.

charcoal is grey in the end, how do you like yellowish gold?

I love it. Yellow is one of my favs, in most any tone, not sure why I wasn’t going there. I use a lot of solids and that print on the chaise is bold for me, I am out of my comfort zone! Rooms that draw me in have prints and textures.

a few goldish yellowish chairs...

Gold chairs would look lovely with your chaise. A chesterfield style chair would complement the style of it.

I think this chair would be fun !

i really like the chesterfield style and the fun channel back.

There are color palettes that I find very soothing, here is one of them, I think I could work with this and bring in the yellow chairs. Ideally, I could find a pair I could reupholster - I think a nubby, textured fabric would be really cool, but I may find them, too. I like the twist of something that isn’t straight up traditional, but I also want a comfortable home.

Post pics of the Murphy Bed on the opposite wall which I also think is a good idea. Maybe you could build shelves to the right of it going into the corner so it looks like a library wall. That might make it look less like a sore thumb in the room. Having the sitting area by the windows will be conversational and inviting.

that is a very soothing and sophisticated pallet, just fabulous. are you saying you want that kind of pallet in this room? i love the idea of finding some vintage chairs to reupholster. maybe something in a faux leather or velvet.

I would love that pallet in this room, the lower right-hand fabric is a bit like the couch, I have a hard time visualizing without “seeing” something.

I saw that and can see the vision. your room has a bit of a casual feel to it with the light oak wood, so the end product will look a little different because of the Murphy bed. I am thinking you are good with that since the bed is so sentimental. it will just be more eclectic feeling.

I think staining the bed darker is in the cards...it just weighs a TON and is bulky, but there are patio doors in the walk out room next to it that make it a bit easier.

can you take a pic of the Murphy bed with the chaise near it, not sure if you moved it back? if you moved it back, dont worry about it.

Here is the chaise in front of the Murphy bed. There is 51” on either side of the chaise (measuring side of chaise to the wall).

got it. heres a couple chairs with faux leather with a rust like metal. you may not like the modern style, but it would eclectic. you could bring the metal into side tables or a coffee table... you have that arc lamp that brings in a modern feel too. can bring in traditional in wall art or accent tables

a few.additional ideas for side tables and coffee tables

houzz comments · More Info

houzz comments · More Info

I like your idea to find pair of chairs to reupholster. To be honest I don’t picture modern looking chairs looking right, and also while searching for examples I found because MCM and gold/mustard are popular, most choices lean that way. You would be able to pick your furniture style and fabric, win win!
After seeing your nice palette preference I feel you wouldn’t be comfortable with a bold yellow or mustard fabric, but do feel you should go with a bit bolder than a beige or grey. A toned down gold like below perhaps.
https://www.houzz.com/products/colfax-accent-chair-yellow-prvw-vr~108976817

Just thinking outside the box. You seem to have a lovely sitting area in adjacent room along with a fireplace. Consider if you set this up as another sitting area and spending a fair amount doing do so, will it be used very much.

Maybe consider a space to enjoy tv/PlayStation, games table, foosball, etc. and can be a great spot for the grandkids but with bar area nearby, it will a spot enjoyed by the adults as well. We had a small pool table and it was pretty popular.

Table below has multiple uses and can be easily stored against the wall. Bean bags are pretty flexible and can moved around when room being used as a guest bedroom ir when not in use for better flow. A floor plan will also be easy to work with - if you moved the Murphy bed to wall where couch is, the entire other side of room is now useable space as the leisure area - tv on low unit between windows in a wood tone to match bed

MarleneM - I was looking at chairs that lean more in that buff/yellow look, a very calming palette. I would love the texture like a boucle/nubby type fabric.