MURPHY BED

The Murphy Bed also known as wallbed, or fold away bed – was named after William Murphy who invented it in the beginning of the twentieth century to make more space in his one-bed apartment to entertain his friends.When not required, the bed folds away vertically into the wall or a closet, allowing the room to be used for other purposes and when required, it unfolds to transform the room into a bedroom.

PARTS OF A MURPHY BED:

• Storage: Murphy beds are stored vertically against a wall or inside a closet or cabinet, as part of a complete system of wall units – sometimes you can’t even tell that the bed is there.

• Mechanism: They usually have a counter-balancing mechanism to allow for easy raising and lowering.You can flip the bed at one of its horizontal edges, generally at the head, to make it stand vertically inside a wall or closet.

• Mattress and frame: The mattress is generally attached to the bed frame, with a lock at each corner and lies on wire mesh instead of box springs.

• Headboard/footboard: Another unique characteristic of the Murphy bed is that, they generally do not have headboards, footboards or bed rails.

• Night tables: Some units include extras such as fold-out night tables.

Twin Murphy beds

TYPES OF MURPHY BEDS:

• The original panel style – where the whole bed simply folds down from the wall in one go.  A panel bed has the advantage that with no doors to open, less space is used.

• The Bi-Fold or Closet style – The Murphy bed is stored inside a closet in the wall of a bedroom or living room. When the doors are opened, the bed folds out from within. Bi-Folds tend to have simpler and lighter operating mechanismsNowadays Murphy beds have been revamped to include modular cabinetry with glass, mirrors, lighting, or additional units for entertainment storage or computer centers.

• Hide-away bed: The hideaway bed is not concealed behind a wall or closet. Instead, the hideaway bed has a dual purpose – it can be used as a shelf or desk. The hide-away desk remains perfectly horizontal in all its movement.  

ADVANTAGES OF MURPHY BEDS:

• Space saver: The biggest advantage of Murphy bed is that it can be easily folded away during the daytime, when not required and you can utilize the space for some other purposes.

• Economical: Murphy beds are economical and pocket friendly. At times, the Murphy beds are found to be cheaper than the regular ones.

• Usefulness:  Murphy beds can be used by anyone including pets!

DISADVANTAGES OF THE MURPHY BED:

• Comfort: In comparison to the regular beds, Murphy beds are not as comfortable or sturdy as regular beds because these beds use wire mesh instead of box springs.

• No Scope For Decoration: Since Murphy beds do not have headboards, footboards, or bed rails, they provide no scope for decoration.

• Tedious Task: Since Murphy beds are used in limited space, you need to fold the bed every morning you get up. This task may become tedious over time.

USAGE OF MURPHY BEDS:

In recent times, the wallbed has not been so popular because of the availability of alternative, space-saving beds such as futons or trundle beds which are a lot more comfortable. However, as cities are getting crowded, the apartments are getting smaller and in such spaces, Murphy beds are the best alternative.

For information on other beds go to:

• BUNK BED
• FUTON BED
• CANOPY BED
• SOFA BED
• TRUNDLE BED
• PLATFORM BED
• SPACE SAVING BEDS