Why are hallways so boring? The upstairs hall leading to my kids’ rooms is so long and kinda dreary. The walls are currently empty and there is a door to a linen closet that we never use at the end of the hall. I was determined to spruce it up a little and have some fun at the same time. I decided to DIY a Murphy Door bookcase to liven up the hall.

What is a Murphy Door?

A Murphy Door is a door masquerading as a bookcase, a painting, or something similar. When it is a bookcase it is recessed into the wall which requires the door to swing open using a 360 degree hinge. One side of the bookcase will swing backward into the doorway when the door is opened. I found this hinge on Amazon and it came with everything I needed for a working 360 degree hinge.

First Things First

What comes first? Always demo. I started with taking off the door and then removing the doorframe. To remove moulding like doorframes and baseboards, it’s so much easier to have a utility knife and a prybar. First I use the utility knife to cut the caulk between the wall and the moulding. After that’s done, wedge the prybar in between the moulding and the wall and work it along the moulding in small sections. It should easily pull the moulding off.

Building the Bookcase

I know they sell kits at the big hardware stores, but I wanted to build the bookcase myself. It seemed really simple to build and as a bonus would save me a lot of $$$ over buying a kit. After measuring the doorway without the frame I built the bookcase to have about an inch of clearance on the sides. Bookcase depth determines the amount of clearance needed between the door frame and the bookcase. In the workshop I built the bookcase out of plywood, added shelves, and built simple drawer boxes and fronts. I added the fluted panels to the front of the drawers to give the whole piece a little texture.

Mounting the Murphy Door

Remember the hinge I bought on Amazon? It’s a 360 degree hinge. Instead of attaching on the side of the door, it attaches to the top and bottom of the door as well as the floor and the top of the doorframe. For the pieces that would attach to the bookcase I had to create a space for them to fit into. I used a hammer and chisel to make a spot for the hinge piece to sit in. Then I attached the pieces to the floor and top of the doorframe and also to the bookcase using the hardware included with the hinge. I am so happy that it fits and swings open and closed with ease!

Now What?

The bookcase is mounted in and functions as a door, but there are huge gaps on either side and at the top, how do I cover those up? The simple answer is trim. I used flat trim to create a frame for the bookcase and it overlays those gaps nicely. Once the trim was on, I prepped the whole thing for paint using caulk and wood filler. I made sure to sink the finishing nails using a nail setter and a hammer then filled the nail holes with wood filler. Then I sanded and wiped the door down so I could caulk seams and corners to really give the murphy door a finished look.

Ready to Paint

I seem to tend toward blues and greens in my home and I spent a long time trying to decide what color I wanted to paint the murphy door. Finally, I chose a color and prepped the area for paint. I wanted a pop of color because that hallway feels so dreary. I picked Benjamin Moore’s New London Burgundy for the murphy door. This color is well outside of my usual palette, but I love the moody vibe it gives. I used my new Wagner FLEXiO 3550 paint sprayer, and I love how this paint went on so smoothly and hid the seams so well.

Styling the Murphy Door

Part of the reason I wanted a murphy door bookcase at the end of the hall, was to have a chance for some cute decor. I found the coolest “books” on Amazon, they’re just boxes with book covers, so they’re light and were a lot less pricey than thrifting cute books. There were cute vases, like this one, and some eucalyptus leaves to add some coordinating color. I also really love these rattan boxes that I found. It all came together so well, but I know what you’re thinking. It’s a bookcase, but it’s also a door. Won’t everything slide around when you open and close the door? That’s where this museum putty comes in. Just stick some to the bottom of your decor and it won’t move! It’s also reusable so one pack will last forever.

Best Bookcase Ever

I am so happy about how this project turned out. It was so much fun to learn as I went along on it and I loved the challenge of building this murphy door from scratch. The bookcase is so unique and adds a fun element to an otherwise boring hallway. I almost want to see where else I can add such a unique and fun element in my house!