Murphy Bed Information
Hardware parts that allow swinging, folding and pushing led to the invention of the Murphy bed in the 20th century. The space saving resting place is also called a hideaway bed. Murphy beds are best known for their ability to transform small quarters into useful living spaces. Does this Spark an idea?
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History
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The name of this bed is linked to its history. In the early 1900s, William L. Murphy set out to maximize the space in a one-room San Francisco apartment. His aim was finding a way to have a larger bed to share with his wife while preserving living space. He was successful, so the hideaway bed is named after him.
Significance
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When you lift a space-saving Murphy bed into its accompanying closet, shutting its doors hides the bed out sight. So when the doors of a hideaway bed close, they not only conceal the bed but also provide an opportunity to utilize the same living space in multiple ways. For example, after hiding the bed, the leftover space can transform into a dining or living room.
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Features
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Murphy beds rest flush up against the wall of the closet where they are stored. When not in use, they rest in a space-saving upright position. Hideaway beds have diverse types of springs, such as box or inner springs, which may be single or double coil. The Murphy bed also features legs that fold up and down on its unattached end, and this feature gives the bed's frame the support it needs to prevent collapsing while it's in use.
Sizes
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Smaller Murphy beds can fit behind a single door construction, while larger ones may have double doors. Murphy bed mattresses come in a variety of standard sizes to transform a living or dining room into a bedroom as necessary.
Considerations
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The Murphy bed is a mechanical version of the European press bed. It is also a close relative of the folding beds used by travelers and settlers. During the 19th century, numerous patents for convertible sofa and chair beds laid the foundation for the emergence of the Murphy bed.
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References
- Photo Credit girl in the bed image by Daria Miroshnikova from Fotolia.com
