A Murphy bed is a useful alternative to a standard bed. You'll often find them in studio apartments and tiny homes where space is at a premium. As they fold into the wall, you get loads of room for entertaining friends or hanging out when you don't feel like lounging in bed.
Though some think of them in terms of convertible couches and sofa beds, a Murphy bed is a little different. You can learn more about them and how they compare to traditional beds below!
“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation." – Michael Jordan
Where Do Murphy Beds Come From
You might hear the term Murphy bed and wonder what it means. This is a bed designed to tuck into the wall, which is why the inventor originally called it a wall bed. William L. Murphy created the first bed named after him in 1894 while living in an efficiency apartment.
His design featured a cabinet attached to the wall with doors that opened and closed to hide the bed frame. The frame tucked inside the cabinet and became part of the wall when he didn't need it. Opening the doors allowed him to pull out the bed and use it. Most modern beds have the same features, except for the doors.
Murphy Bed Installation
When you compare a Murphy bed to a standard bed, you'll notice that they require different types of installation. With a traditional bed, you can pick out a bed and have the store deliver it to your home. While you can pay for them to set it up, you can also set up the bed yourself with just a few basic tools.
A Murphy bed installation service provides similar help. Once you pick out the right type of bed, they can come to your home and install a cabinet or another piece that holds the bed when you're not using it. They'll also make sure that the bed works properly and that it is secured in place.
Reasons to Choose a Murphy Bed
There are many reasons to choose a Murphy bed. The most popular one is that you want to save space. Though you can leave the bed open whenever you want, you can also tuck it out of the way and get more room when you need.
Murphy beds give you more room for all of the things that you need to do such as work out or work from home. You'll also find that most of these beds are affordable enough for any budget.
Whether you live in a house or an apartment, you can choose from a variety of pull down beds. There are designs that let you incorporate other types of furniture too, such as a sofa or a bookcase.
For those who don’t have the space for a guest bedroom, a wall bed installation can be the perfect solution. It can be installed on the living room and kept out of sight, and only pulled down when you have guests over.
Murphy Beds vs. Other Options
You can choose the right size of bed for your home, whether it’s a standard or a wall bed. While a twin bed is great if you have limited space, queen or king beds are perfect for those with more room. However, traditional beds take up more space than Murphy beds do and can limit what you can do in your home.
Another option is a convertible sofa, which is similar to a futon. Most have both backs and arms that you can fold in different ways to create a double bed or a couch. Sleeper sofas have a bed hidden inside that folds in and out as needed.
Though these options usually don't require assembly, they aren't nearly as comfortable as a Murphy bed.
Design Choices
One good reason to choose a Murphy bed is that you can pick the design choice that works for you. Though cabinet models are the most popular, you can also go with a Murphy bed with couch. The couch sits in front of the bed and has a back that folds flat when you open the bed. This lets you use it without having to move the couch first.
Another option is one with an attached desk. The desk sits on the front of the cabinet and tucks under the bed when you want to get some sleep. You may like a design that replaces the standard cabinet with shelves for your books and decorations.
There are also designs that use two twin beds rather than a larger single bed.
No matter which design you choose, you'll find that Murphy bed installation can work in places where standard beds do not.
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