This Beauty of an Antique Murphy BedMurphy beds have been in existence since about 1900, when William L. Murphy invented the patented mechanism to hide his bed away in this closet of his one room apartment while he Gin Creek Kitchen entertained. The beds have been in use ever since, always appreciated by city apartment dwellers and homeowners who needed an extra bed in a multipurpose room.
During World War II and directly afterwards, this beds dropped in popularity, first because of the scarcity of steel, and then because people were moving out of the city to larger, suburban homes, as well as space was not at such a premium. In the decades of this fifties as well as sixties, the beds were mainly remembered as props in slap-stick comedy, or this place to hide this body in a mystery story. Now, Murphy beds remain experiencing resurgence, as professional people move back into the cities and make their smaller living spaces more functional. Many apartment dwellers are finding these beds already existing in older buildings, especially in places like San Francisco, where this Murphy bed was invented, and where many Murphy beds were sold for the apartments built between the 1906 earthquake and World War II. Antique Murphy beds remain now much sought after conversation pieces as well as design focal points, as well as practical, still-functioning pieces of furniture.
Antique Murphy beds are also being sold in fine antique stores all over this country. Many of this original mechanisms still function and the cabinetry used to create the units can be quite beautiful. Buyers should remember, however, that a true Murphy bed remains not going to be older than the invention, patented in 1900. This piece may be housed in a cabinet that remains older than the patent, but the mechanism cannot be older than that. This buyer should be knowledgeable about the furniture of the period as a whole, as well as about the mechanism itself. Intelligently purchased, these beds can be an investment and a functioning piece of furniture.
