Hanson Carlen Architecture and Construction

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Murphy Bed

I like the name, “Murphy Bed”! Nowadays they call this, “Wall Bed” but I still stick with the old name. The bed was invented in the early 1900’s by a guy named, of course, “Murphy”.  According to legend, he was wooing an opera singer. He lived in a one-room apartment in San Francisco, but in the early 1900’s the moral code of the time forbade a woman to enter a man's room where a bed was part of the furniture. Murphy's invention converted his bedroom into a parlor, enabling him to entertain.  For me, somehow I remember when reading to our kids - the first Curious George book when the cute little monkey escaped from a prison guard by a Murphy bed somehow going awry.  

 

Today, these ‘Murphy Beds’ appear to be disappearing! Murphy beds still accomplish much of what they did 115 years ago, giving a room more of a ‘double purpose’. However, they do it with sophistication, style, and even glitz.  

 

Our clients wanted a comfortable place for their grown kids when they come home and stay for a few days. A place of their own with plenty of space and even a spot to put a few things away.  All of this while not looking like a bedroom the rest of the year.   We designed a complete wall with dual wardrobes and yes, a Murphy bed.  Murphy beds these days are not like an old summer camp mattress, but a comfortable, full-fledge regular mattress - one we picked up at Costco.  

 

A cool built-in night stand was incorporated into the assembly with a power station for a clock or phone charger.  Very smart indeed!