The Murphy Bed
The Murphy Bed - known generically as a wallbed - was invented by William Murphy at the beginning of the twentieth century. The story goes that his one-bed apartment was too small for him to entertain his friends, so he invented a way of making more space by hiding away the bed flat against the wall. Thus was born a classic piece of bedroom hardware.William went on to found the Murphy Wall Bed Company and produced wallbeds based on his inventions and patents.
What is a Murphy Bed?
Murphy Beds were invented for a simple, practical reason - to conserve space. The bed folds away during the day and is only unfolded when needed. This allows a room to be used for one purpose during the day and then be transformed into a bedroom as required, thus making best use of limited space.
Although we mainly think of Murphy Beds as wall beds, in 1918 William Murphy invented a hardware system that allowed the bed to be attached inside the door of a cupboard or closet and folded down from there. In 1925 the company changed its name to reflect this innovation, becoming the Murphy Door Bed Company, Inc. The word "Door" was dropped in 1990 and the company adopted the name Murphy Bed Co. Inc..
Can You Still Buy Murphy Beds?
We often associate Murphy style wall beds with the early twentieth century. So can you still buy them today?
Definitely! The peak market for wallbeds was back in the nineteen twenties, however the company has continued in the bedroom furniture business ever since. As cities become ever more crowded, the pressure on space increases. People need to do more with less space and space saving beds are an important element of interior design for many people. Despite the ever increasing number of options such as futons and trundle beds, the Murphy style wallbed remains a good choice for many people. There's a wide choice of brands and designs available from many companies as well as the original Murphy.
If you have the skills then you can buid your own DIY wallbed from one of the kits or plans available to buy online. If you take this route then be extremely careful regarding safety - if in doubt, take expert advice on how to proceed.
Designs
There are two main styles of Murphy Bed: panel and closet.
In the original panel style design the whole bed simply folds down from the wall in one go. With the closet style the doors (often bi-fold) are first opened and the bed folded out from within. Both designs have pros and cons. A panel bed has the advantage that with no doors to open less of the valuable bedroom space is taken up. Closets are often better at hiding the bed when not in use, but the doors require extra space and can interfere with the use of other furniture. Consult your dealer or store for information about which is right for you. The bed mechanisms are sometimes sold separately to wall units, closets and cabinets, so make sure you know what you're buying!
The Murphy Bed of today bears little resemblance to the original design of a century ago that appeared in so many slapstick comedies (and which still make me smile!). Wallbeds on the market today include high quality designs with a choice of finishes that can be incorporated as part of a complete system of coordinated wall units - sometimes you can't even tell that the bed is there. Quality mechanisms today usually includes a counterbalancing mechanism to allow for easy raising and lowering. Some models even include extras such as desk units and fold-out night tables.
"Murphy Bed" is a registered trademark of Murphy Bed Co., Inc. This site is not associated with or endorsed by the Murphy Bed Co., Inc. Contact an authorised dealer for pricing and availability information