ORIGIN OF THE MURPHY BED

[bobhenry]

I unearthed a little snippet of history this morning regarding the origin of the Murphy bed.

It seem William Lawrence Murphy was extremely fond of an opera star who performed in his building. As in the 1900 it was not only morally incorrect but was concidered a direct insult to invite a woman into a mans bedroom. As Mr Murphy resided in a one room flat that little fact became a severe problem. To eliminate the possibility of insult he built a box and with weights and pulleys was able to store the bed out of sight when entertaining.

[SmokeyBob]

Bobhenry
Thanks for the history lesson. Many years ago I worked and lived in a hotel that had this type of bed. Mine would raise up and swing around into a closet. I always thought that it was just about saving space. Now I know the rest of the story.

Thanks for sharing .

[GuitarPhotog]

An apartment I lived in once had a murphy bed when I moved in, but the frame soon broke and the landlord removed it. The resulting closet made a spacious "cubby" workshop and desk.

<Chas>

[rebapuck]

A Murphy bed was the solution for my sewing/guest room. I only need a guest room a couple of times a year. Need a sewing room 24/7.

Many years ago, in an antique store, I saw a Murphy dining table. Bench seating for 6 and table just folded away.

[ctstaas]

Hi Bob, I saw a compact kitchen online and tried to find more info. The kitchen had a two foot square footprint and was a tower with everything you would need in a kitchen. Its not on the market yet but is made by CLEI. I went on their site to find out more about the kitchen and found they make very high end, compact, furniture. Lots of nice Murphy beds. Some of their ideas could have TD implications/ applications. Its worth looking at. Sorry no link. Enjoy, Chris