Oak Murphy Bed

Murphy beds are so named because of William Lawrence Murphy, an inventor who refined the fold out or pulldown bed by adding a pivot and counterbalance. Mr. Murphy is said to have created the bed because he was courting an opera singer. In San Francisco in the late 1800s inviting a woman into a bedroom was frowned upon, and Murphy was living in a one-room rental. By adding the Murphy bed, he was able to convert his room into a parlor and was thereby able to entertain his lady friend. An oak Murphy bed is a great way to save daytime floor space.

Oak is a popular material for Murphy beds not only because of its durability but also because of its close grain and its ability to take stain.

If you are inventive and handy, you can create your own Murphy bed. Kits are available that contain all the necessary hardware. However, an improperly installed Murphy bed can lead to accidents, so you would probably be better off purchasing one as a ready-made box that is already fully assembled.

European Queen Size Sonoma Oak Bed

An excellent example of a basic Murphy bed is the European Queen Size Sonoma Oak Bed from Maxima House. The unit comes with a medium hard mattress, all the necessary hardware, and the external box. The set includes hardware to prevent accidental unfolding. The box will need to be fastened securely to a wall. When closed, it looks like a part of the wall or a cabinet.

Storage Murphy Bed

Some Murphy beds come with two side shelves. With this unit, the bed looks like the door to a large closet when it is folded away. When folded down, it becomes a bed with shelf units on either side. While a little pricier than the single unit, the shelving does provide storage for small items while disguising the bed unit.

Bed and Desk Unit

The modern bed and desk unit displays a different style of Murphy bed. Instead of folding up vertically, the bed folds to the side. More than that, when it is folded up, it reveals a desk workspace beneath. The desk is positioned so that everything on its work surface remains undisturbed. This clever scheme helps the space challenged modern home-maker to be able to make double usage of the same space.

Convenient Cupboard Bed

Last but not least, we have a combination of the rollaway cot and Murphy bed concepts. By day, it is a pretty cabinet in a variety of finishes. A favorite is the wedding ring style raised trim, but you can also select from a plain cabinet or a cabinet with louvre doors. For night time use, flip open the top cover and fold out into a queen-sized bed.