The Return Of Fold Away Furniture In Modern Interiors 

There’s something undeniably brilliant about a full Murphy bed disappearing into the wall like it was never even there. One moment your small room feels like a big living area, the next it becomes a cozy bedroom. No renovation required.  

This kind of everyday magic is exactly why fold-away furniture is making a big comeback in modern interiors. As more people live in compact homes, work from multifunctional rooms (online), and search for beautiful but practical design, fold-away pieces have evolved from temporary fixes into stylish, high-quality essentials. 

The global folding furniture market is projected to reach $7.61 billion by 2030. 

So, let’s take a look at the reasoning behind this current trend and then review some very popular types, including how they work and why people love them. 

Why Fold-Away Furniture Is Making a Comeback? 

Foldaway furniture is increasing in popularity for several important reasons: 

Smaller living spaces 

More and more people are moving into cities, and apartments are getting smaller. Even micro-apartments are becoming more popular. Fold-away furniture makes people feel like they have more room than they do. It’s a great, practical solution. 

Plus, in many places, people are living alone more often. For example, on January 1, 2025, 36.3% of households were one-person households in Belgium. 

Flexible lifestyles 

With remote work, co-living, renting, and frequent moves, people want pieces that are easy to adapt, fold, rearrange, or take with them. 

Better design 

Modern fold-away furniture bears absolutely no resemblance to the awkward, uncomfortable fold-away furniture we know. Designs today are all about comfort, durability, and aesthetics. 

Multifunctionality 

One piece now often replaces two or three: a bed + storage, a desk + shelf, a sofa + guest bed. That’s perfect for people who don’t have the luxury of extra rooms.   

Types of Fold-Away Furniture 

If you’re interested in this kind of furniture, there are many types to choose from. Here are some examples: 

• Murphy Beds (Wall Beds) 

The Murphy bed is a great piece of fold-away furniture. Mounted to a wall or cabinet, it can lift vertically, helping you save space. But modern versions go so much further than that basic “bed in the wall” idea. Many have built-in shelves, soft-close doors, hidden lighting, and even fold-down desks that stay down while the bed moves.  

Thanks to better mechanisms, lifting a modern Murphy bed feels almost weightless. And because they’re designed for actual mattresses, they give you all the comfort of a real bed. A Murphy bed can turn a living room into a bedroom, or an office into a guest suite, in the blink of an eye. 

• Sofa Beds and Futons 

The name says it all: a sofa bed is quite literally a couch by day and a bed by night. They’ve come a long way in comfort and style.  

Instead of thin mattresses and clunky metal frames, modern sofa beds are more apt to use hybrid mattresses, smooth pull-out mechanisms, and beautiful designs that look like high-end sofas. They’re ideal for people who have small apartments, studios, or someone who wants to have guests over every now and then without dedicating a whole room to sleeping space.  

• Wall-Mounted Fold-Down Desks 

This type of furniture became especially popular with the rise of remote work. These desks mount directly to the wall and fold out when you need a workspace. When closed, they look like a compact cabinet or shelf.  

Some include cubbies for notebooks, a pegboard for organizing small items, hidden LED lighting, or USB charging ports. They’re perfect for small bedrooms, living rooms, or studio apartments where a permanent desk would feel too overwhelming. 

• Drop-Leaf and Folding Dining Tables 

Drop-leaf tables have hinged sides (or “leaves”) that fold down when you don’t need them and lift up when you want extra dining space. Folding dining tables (that can fold up completely) can be stored against a wall or in a closet.  

• Nesting Tables and Collapsible Chairs 

Nesting tables are available in sets of two or three and fit perfectly under one another, making them perfect for small living rooms. You can pull them out for snacks, drinks, work, or guests and then slide them back into place.  

Collapsible chairs work similarly: they fold flat and can be tucked away in a closet or hung on a rack. These pieces shine when you need extra furniture (but only sometimes), like when hosting friends, doing art projects, or creating temporary workstations at home. 

Why People Love Fold-Away Furniture 

This is becoming a trend for many reasons: 

• It makes people feel less cramped. 
  

• It allows rooms to serve more than one purpose. 
  

• It helps to reduce clutter by concealing big pieces when not in use. 
  

• It encourages a neat, very minimalistic, spacious look, even in small homes. 
  

• It accommodates changes in lifestyle without renovation. 
  

Quick Tips for Choosing Fold-Away Furniture 

Do you want to add some fold-away pieces to your interior? Here are some tips: 

• Measure first. You probably know this, but whenever you’re working on your decor, measuring is everything. With this type of furniture, pay attention to the floor-to-ceiling height, clearance for opening, and walking space when the piece is deployed, so you know what to expect. 

• Test the mechanism out. Smooth, quiet lifting and solid locking hardware matter – they’re the difference between something that feels cheap and something that feels built to last. 

• Prioritize comfort for sleep pieces. If you are getting a Murphy bed or sofa bed, make sure to check mattress thickness and support – a good mattress is everything. 

• Look for multifunctionality. Pieces that offer storage, lighting, or a desk make the price more worthwhile.