Murphy Bed Units
Posted: Wednesday, September 20, 2006
by Eddie Tobey
A Murphy bed is a bed that folds or swings into a closet for concealment when it is not being used. William Murphy patented this product around the 1900s, and then started his company called the Murphy Wall Bed Company, which began the production of these beds in San Francisco. It was not until 1990 that the company changed its name to Murphy Bed Co. Inc. The main purpose of a Murphy bed is to save space in a room.
These beds have made several appearances in movies as part of slapstick humor scenes, where people get folded along with the bed into the wall. The popularity of these beds peaked during the 1920s and 1930s. However, their production was limited during World War II due to the rationing of steel to support the war efforts. After the war, the manufacturing of these beds remained low due to the fact that people did not have as much use for them as before. Due to the influx of returning war veterans, single family homes became popular. These homes were available at a low mortgage. Equipped with the capacity to buy larger homes, people had less need for the space-saving Murphy bed.
Popularity Turn-around
It was not until the 1970s that these beds regained their popularity. With the turmoil that surrounded this time, the lifestyle of Americans changed dramatically, focusing once again on the need to make the most use out of limited space. This was due to the fact that families of this period found it difficult to move into larger homes because of financial constraints. During the 1980s, the sales of these beds grew steadily. This newly found popularity gave Murphy Bed Co. Inc., the inspiration to become more innovative with the next batch of beds it produced.
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