Murphy Bed Mechanism

A Murphy bed is designed in such a way that it can be folded into a cabinet or a closet, when not in use. An American, William Lawrence Murphy (1876-1959), invented the Murphy bed mechanism. The Murphy bed was patented in 1916. The story behind its invention is very interesting: Mr. Murphy lived in a one-room apartment in San Francisco, where a standard bed occupied most of the floor space. He wanted to entertain his girlfriend, but knew that she would refuse to enter his multi-functional room. In order to solve this problem, he experimented with the idea of a folding bed and invented the Murphy bed mechanism.

What is Murphy Bed Mechanism

A Murphy bed is also called a wall bed or a fold-up bed. The Murphy bed mechanism allows it to be used as a comfortable bed at night, as well as attractive furniture during the day. If you need an extra bed, maybe for your guests, but don’t have enough space, then a Murphy bed is the best option. A Murphy bed is generally used for space-saving purposes in mobile homes, apartments and hotels.

The working of a Murphy bed mechanism is very simple: a box (containing the bed and mattress) is fitted in a cabinet, which is attached to the wall. The box has legs that rotate in or out, depending upon the position of the bed. A Murphy bed is provided with springs for storing it upright and for folding it easily. The bed can be surrounded with cabinetry of one's own choice. When folded, it occupies a small space (less than 2 feet) that leaves the rest of the room free for other uses.

Usually, a Murphy bed is made up of wood; however, the frame of the bed can also be made of steel or aluminum. Since its invention, the material and design of a Murphy bed has changed tremendously. You can opt for a Murphy bed of a single mattress or a king size mattress.

Types of Murphy Beds

Murphy beds are of two types, namely panel beds and bi-fold beds. The main design includes a bed and cabinets. The old style Murphy bed is of panel type, in which there is only one door that opens the cabinet directly. In case of bi-fold type, the doors open first, by pulling on the sides, and then the bed is lowered. Of the two types, the panel type bed has more advantages as one can access the side cabinets when the bed is still open, whereas this is not so in case of a bi-fold type.

The accompanying cabinets that hold the bed can be used as open shelves or storage cupboards. Depending upon the needs of each person, one can have additional features such as table, sofa and drawer box along with the bed.

Different Murphy bed kits and plans are available based on their sizes and price range. The kits consist of hardware required for supporting the mattress and for fixing the bed in the wall. The kits comes with a step-by-step instruction booklet and an assembly video. You can easily build your own Murphy bed; all you need to do is follow the provided instructions. Imagine, building your own bed will allow you to choose the desired color and design that will match with rest of your bedroom furniture.