squeezed for space? why not tuck into a murphy bed?
6 minute read
murphy beds are a way to reclaim floor space while still offering a place to sleep, says ilona beed, sales manager at california closets in vancouver.
california closet company, inc.
whether you want a home office to pull double duty as a bedroom, or you live in a cramped condo that craves more space, a murphy bed has you covered. just as the guy who invented it discovered.
in the late 1800s, william murphy, as the story goes, wanted to entertain a pretty young opera singer. but he lived in a studio apartment with his bed right out in the open, like an invitation. social norms of the day would have set his san francisco neighbours’ tongues a-wagging. so he designed a way to slap a mattress on a metal frame that would fold up and, abracadabra, disappear behind a closet door, instantly transforming his one-room apartment into two rooms — parlour by day, bedroom by night.
a twin bed tucked away and ready for an overnight houseguest.
california closet company, inc.
in fact, when he got the idea in 1911 to build a company around his magically burrowing bunk, he first called it the “disappearing bed”. when he later obtained a patent for his invention, he changed it to the more pragmatic but pedestrian “in-a-door bed”. but everyone kept calling it the “murphy bed”, so much so that by 1989 an appeals court cancelled the trademark and ruled the term generic.
more than a hundred years later we’re still calling them murphy beds, or wall beds, and these handy hideaways are still very much in use. but they’ve undergone quite a few changes since the heavy, unwieldy ropes and pulleys used to stash them away at the turn of the century.
remaking the bed
darryl adrian, co-owner of murphy wall-beds of canada in victoria, says the depth of his murphy beds, at 16 inches, do not intrude into a room. “there are some systems that can be 22 or 24 inches or more, but that defeats the purpose. we also have a single bed that folds down in a hallway.”
murphy wall beds inc
today’s wall beds are lighter, easier, fancier and flexibly designed with optional add-ons like cabinets, night tables, shelves and desks.
darryl adrian, co-owner of murphy wall-beds of canada in victoria, says his company’s spring system units make it easy for just about anyone “from seven to 97. you can lift it with one finger in a second or two, even fully made with sheets, blankets and pillows.”
he says the depth of his murphy beds, at 16 inches, do not intrude into a room. “there are some systems that can be 22 or 24 inches or more, but that defeats the purpose. we also have a single bed that folds down in a hallway. we’ve even taken two single beds and stacked them to make murphy beds into bunk beds.”
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ilona beed, sales manager at california closets in vancouver, says customers consider murphy beds as a way to reclaim floor space while still offering a place to sleep.
she says that while sales have always been brisk, they really got a bump during covid when many people were turning second bedrooms into home offices. “they still wanted the bed with nightstand and cabinets to store linens, but they also wanted the space to work at a desk with shelves. a murphy bed gives them both. and people have visitors throughout the year — for the summer, christmas, thanksgiving — there’s not a time of the year when people aren’t thinking about creating multi-functional rooms and freeing up valuable floor space.”
which style for which space?
a range of bed sizes and styles are designed to fit within specific room sizes and configurations.
murphy wall beds inc
both beed and adrian offer a free consultation that includes designers coming to your home, taking measurements, making note of your storage needs, and listening to your goals and requirements. they’ll then create a virtual model using 3d software, so you can visualize how your bed will fit into your space.
once you’ve chosen your style of bed, cabinetry and finishes, they’ll custom craft it and professionally install your murphy bed.
a range of bed sizes and styles are designed to fit within specific room sizes and configurations. a vertical tilt bed stores upright along the height of the wall, requiring adequate ceiling clearance, and opens downward, extending further into the room.
a horizontal side-tilt bed stores sideways along the width of the wall and looks like a built-in console when closed. they tend to work best in limited space with low ceilings. and because they sit lower to the floor, they’re ideal for kids, seniors or those with mobility issues.
beds can be designed with concealed nightstands or desks, pullout drawers and side tables that double as a nightstand, as well as built-in bookshelves or cabinets around the bed for linen or clothing.
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can you do it yourself?
surrey’s murphy wall-beds hardware inc., which began as a supplier of murphy bed hardware back in 1975, now offers do-it-yourself wall bed kits for order online. the company doesn’t offer consultations; customers instead rely on step-by-step instructions, detailed faqs, blogs and videos to guide them through assembly and installation.
“we have our interactive build-a-bed tool which allows people to build their bed based on the specifications that we offer,” says chelsea williams, sales manager. “the pictures, prices and dimensions are all there.”
she says customers peruse their site, select their bed orientation based on their room dimensions, choose size, finish and cabinetry, then place their order. “we manufacture everything (based on that information) and ship direct to them and they install it themselves.”
although you don’t need an engineering degree to embed the bed, she says it is time-consuming. “most people who struggle with it are trying to do it as a saturday afternoon project and it’s definitely more of a two-day, two-person project. if you are prepared to put in the time required, it’s not complicated.”
murphy wall-beds of canada also offers diy kits, but beed says california closets does not, relying instead on professional installers. “the weight of the mattress determines the size of the pistons that are put on and whether they need adjusting. our installers are trained in that so they bring different sized pistons to make sure they can put on the correct ones to keep the bed light.”
designing around the murphy
this basement space doubles as an exercise studio by day and a bedroom by night.
murphy wall beds inc
when choosing furniture to complement your murphy bed, designers often suggest opting for ottomans, chairs, coffee tables, etc., that are built on castors to easily roll around the room, depending on whether your bed is up or down.
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dining chairs that are lightweight and can be stacked and out of the way are also a good idea. nesting tables, ottomans with hidden storage, and fold-down desks also save space.
decorative moulding and trim options can blend your bed seamlessly into its space using complementary colours and textures, from veneered wood to custom-coloured glass. if the wall bed has a dark wood finish, for example, you can pair it with warm neutrals or soft accent tones like sage or cream. for a lighter, white or grey wall bed, bold artwork or colourful accessories around the bed can liven up the room.
this space doubles as a home office during the day and sleeping quarters at night.
california closet company, inc.
you can personalize the surrounding cabinets and shelving with paintings, photos, books and other keepsakes. you can even decorate the wall bed’s folded-up front surface with framed art, wall sconces or a mirror that reflects light and makes the room feel larger.
adrian says he attached a barre and mirror onto a bed front for a young ballet dancer. “but you cannot mount a regular mirror on the front of a murphy bed because mirrors are very rigid and they can crack and break. we used a plastic mirror. a murphy bed is designed to bend and flex and a plastic mirror can bend and flex with the bed.”
for lighting, consider combining task lighting like desk lamps or reading lights with ambient lighting such as sconces or pendant fixtures to create mood. you can even install led lights underneath shelving or around the bed frame for warmth and depth.
regardless of your choice of wall bed, you’ll be able to turn one room into two, and gain some space. it certainly worked out for mr. murphy. not only did he famously design a magically disappearing bed, he bewitched his parlour guest into saying “i do”.
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