Collection by Eujin Rhee
Murphy's Law
Flashback to the early 1900s: After trying to woo an opera singer, but having to abide by the strict moral code of a woman entering a man's bedroom, William Lawrence Murphy invented the Murphy Bed, a bed that is attached at one side to store against a wall or inside of a closet or cabinet. With this clever invention, he was able to convert his bedroom into a parlor, which then allowed Murphy to entertain his guests (and get the girl?). Jet back to the modern world where these space-saving folding saviors have been a go-to fixture in small living areas across the globe. Click on the slideshow to view our five fold-down bed finds sourced from the Dwell archives.
The Murphy bed is raised and lowered by a a hand-cranked wheel and pulley.
A common trend among modern Murphy beds is to fold into a cabinet. By lowering the custom Murphy bed and rolling a sliding plywood door, this homeowner creates an instant guest room.
"I think of the bed as intimate space, and putting the bed away—having it out of sight when not in use—is satisfying," says Milan Hughston, who reconfigured his West Village apartment with the help of architect Joel Sanders. This custom-designed Murphy bed, concealed by day behind the gold curtain, is well built; it's ergonomically easy to lower and has a firm sleeping surface.
Milan Hughston's quiet street in Manhattan's West Village is moments from the neighborhood's boutique shopping and nocturnal ruckuses. Architect Joel Sanders made Hughston's space multi-functional; here it's shown as a living room, for relaxing or entertaining friends.
This 450-square-foot apartment includes an origami-like desktop that unfolds to reveal a perforated-steel divider that allows the passage of computer cables hidden inside the office compartment. This transformer-like cabinet helps maximize limited square footage.
The interior of the Murphy bed compartment is lined with a stained cork panel and contains a smaller shelving unit for bedside reading, alarm clock, and reading lamp.
Floor-to-ceiling maple sheathes the storage cabinets and the bottom of the Murphy bed, at right. The concrete ribbon continues as a window seat before becoming a desk.
The Murphy bed in its pulled-down state is backed by mirrors from Sergi's Images Mirrors & Glass to help bounce light from the north-facing windows around the apartment. A cabinet hung at the upper left provides more storage.