With a Murphy bed, which folds up into the wall, you can have your home office and sleep in it too. Born in the West--the Murphy Bed Company was founded in San Francisco in 1900--this invention has become increasingly popular as space-conscious homeowners look for ways to make every inch count.
Wall-bed units (although they're widely known as Murphy beds, a number of companies now make them; see sources) were originally intended to save floor space in small rooms. However, their disappearing acts also work well in rooms that serve multiple functions. Because the beds can be housed in freestanding cabinets flanked by bookcases, they're ideal additions to family rooms, exercise rooms, and home offices, as well as children's bedrooms, where they can accommodate sleepovers. The bed mechanisms can also be built into recesses framed into a wall. Plus, as one manufacturer points out, "with a Murphy bed, you'll save yourself over $20,000 by converting a spare bedroom that's empty 97 percent of the time and not having to add on a home office."
The beds are available in all sizes. You may also specify whether the bed folds end-first or from a side. The side-mounted styles are handy for rooms with low ceilings or limited floor space. However, because having only one side accessible is awkward for two people, they're most successful as single beds.
You can order the bed mechanisms alone or with a housing cabinet. Depending on the manufacturer, the units either mount to the floor or secure to the wall behind. The original floor-mounted Murphy bed uses a series of high-tension balancing springs that attach to and counterbalance a steel frame, a system largely unchanged today. Prices for this mechanism range from $600 to $1,000. Another system uses hydraulic pistons that mount to a wood platform. The piston kits cost $259 (you build the platform to fit the mattress; piston kits work for any size bed). Both systems are appropriate for build-it-yourself cabinetry, but the piston style is easier to install and remove.
Complete freestanding bed-and-cabinet units range from $1,800 to $3,500, depending on size and finish. The cabinets can also be purchased without beds from some manufacturers.
SOURCES
Create-A-Bed. Piston system, hardware only. (877) 966-3852 or [XLINK "http://www.wallbed.com" "www.wallbed.com"].
Murphy Bed Company. Bed mechanisms and bed cabinets, either separately or combined. (800) 845-2337 or [XLINK "http://www.murphybedcompany.com" "www.murphybedcompany.com"].
Murphy Bed Products. Mechanism and cabinet, either separately or combined. (888) 730-3003 or [XLINK "http://www.murphybedsdirect.com" "www.murphybedsdirect.com"].
Pocket Systems. Murphy beds, mechanism separately or built into cabinet. (877) 566-7500 or [XLINK "http://www.pocketsystems.com" "www.pocketsystems.com"].
Wilding Wall Beds. Murphy beds built into cabinets in cherry, maple, oak, and alder. (435) 574-2510 or [XLINK "http://www.wallbedsbywilding.com" "www.wallbedsbywilding.com"].
