The Murphy Bed Law

Murphy’s Law is a widely known rule that if something can go wrong, it will. It has even given the same implication for anything with the name Murphy. In that case, wouldn’t a Murphy bed be something to be avoided? Not so. Even though it has the name Murphy in it, it is certainly not linked to the Murphy of Murphy’s Law. Murphy beds have been around for a much longer period.

A History Overview of the Murphy bed

Lawrence William Murphy was an Irish immigrant who lived in New York and desired more room in his one-bedroom apartment. There is a legend that says he was interested in an opera singer but due to the moral code of the day, she was not allowed into his one-bedroom San Francisco apartment. Once again, mere legend and not likely. Murphy decided to create a way to be able to host more people while saving room.

While trundle beds existed during this time, Murphy’s invention used hinges and counterbalance. His patent was approved on June 18, 1912. The patent reads:

The present invention relates to improvements in disappearing beds, the object of the invention being to provide an apparatus used for moving the bed from one position to another which shall be simple in character and convenient in operation, and particularly in which a bed of ordinary full width can be passed through an opening of much less width and concealed by the door closing said opening.

As the patent points out, a disappearing bed wasn’t a totally novel idea but he had improved upon the idea to be able to create a more inviting stay. Today, the Murphy bed has long been in common vernacular that to the point that it can refer to any bed that folds up, regardless of the manufacturer.

But how can this Murphy bed be effective today in modern homes?

More Guests for Same Space

Mister Murphy had wanted to be able to entertain people when he developed his bed, but also wanted a place for said company to be able to sleep. The bed would be able to be hidden functionally, not just folded up and stuck in a corner. In essence, one would not be able to tell that there was such a bed in a space given.

A Murphy bed can add several people to a home, which can have several benefits such as cut down on the guests' cost for lodging. A one-bedroom home can go from housing just two, to potentially four, depending on the location of the Murphy bed and size of the home. There have been instances where two Murphy beds have taken place in a condo that upped the number of guests from a few to several.

This is effective if one wishes to rent their home or condo out. By applying the Murphy bed, it is more attractive to potential renters and thus more valuable to them. It increases the value of any space, regardless if one intends to rent it out. It might be said that the Murphy Bed Law is: more space in the same space.