Photo: YouTube Screenshot / Nate Murphy
There are countless space-saving solutions you can implement in your van. One of my favorite ones is the Murphy bed. Today, I’m looking at a custom camper van with a Murphy bed and an uncommon yet efficient layout.
Meet Mia Hawk and her self-built tiny home on wheels, a 2016 Peugeot Boxer with a long wheelbase. Mia is a multidisciplinary artist—her creativity definitely helped her come up with this awesome, uncommon layout. By the way, keep in mind this is a UK van, so the passenger side is on the left. I wanted to mention that so you don’t get confused when I talk about the interior arrangement.
There’s not much to say about the van’s exterior. It looks standard, with no noticeable exterior accessories hinting toward its “camper DNA.” That means this rig is certainly suitable for stealth camping. The only upgrades Mia installed are on the roof: two skylights and three solar panels bolted directly to the vehicle with a total capacity of 540 W.
Slide the door open, and a simple yet elegant living space will greet you. Mia opted for a dark aesthetic, with black cabinetry, grey flooring, and white shiplap walls.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot / Nate Murphy
You’ll notice a closed layout, meaning a wall separates the driver’s cabin from the rest of the interior. This setup makes the living space feel a bit smaller, but it also makes it feel more like a home since you don’t constantly see the driver’s cabin. By the way, since this van doesn’t have a fixed bed, you can also enter through the rear.
As you enter through the side of the van, Mia fitted a small storage cabinet on your left, which houses an 11-liter propane canister. Dead ahead, you’ll find the rig’s bathroom.
The bathroom is surprisingly spacious. It doesn’t look as good as other camper van bathrooms I’ve discussed, but it’s certainly practical. It boasts simple, white wet room wall panels, a shower, and a tiny vent. Mia also opted to install a bidet head rather than a standard shower head to lower water consumption.
On the opposite side, you’ll discover a storage area with four cabinets with rattan inserts. Underneath, Mia installed a propane-powered Truma heater and various light switches.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot / Nate Murphy
Next, we have the kitchen, located on the driver’s side of the interior. It’s small, yet it does the job. Specifically, it features a deep stainless steel sink, an oven/two-burner stove combo, and two pull-out storage compartments. Furthermore, the cabinet underneath the sink houses a water pump and an accumulator connected to a 70-liter (18-gallon) freshwater tank. All the water she uses drains in an under-mounted 90-liter (24-gallon) greywater tank.
If you’re unfamiliar with camper vans and Murphy beds, there’s a high chance you’ll mistake this van’s Murphy bed for a wall. Mia explicitly wanted it to look like a wall—she even attached a painting. Above it, she devised three cabinets to fully use all the available space.
To lower the double-sized Murphy bed, Mia undoes two latches and simply pulls it down, while the panel that holds the painting acts as a leg to support the bed. Mis shared that the bed was the only thing she didn’t build herself. She designed it but paid someone to weld a steel frame.
The frame that holds the bed is screwed and bolted to the van’s skeleton. Moreover, the space underneath the bed houses the rig’s power system. Its highlights are a 430 Ah battery bank, an inverter, and a charge controller connected to the solar panels on the roof.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot / Nate Murphy
Opposite the bed, Mia devised a long couch. Its top panel can be lifted to reveal additional storage space. This is also where she works, paints, and eats, with the use of a removable swivel table.
I love the small aesthetic touches people come up with for their camper vans. My favorite custom elements in this rig are the rear window tambour blinds. Mia built them herself, and they turned out lovely.
There are just three things I’m not a huge fan of. First, there’s no toilet, which is quite weird, as most vans with showers also have toilets. Second, there’s not a lot of light shining inside, which might bother some people – luckily, the two skylights help with that. Finally, Mia opted for a cooler instead of a fridge.
Still, these are just some relatively minor issues. All in all, this is an awesome tiny home on wheels with a genius layout. And the fact that Mia did the works almsot solely by herself makes the project even more impressive.
