Through both time and culture many are
the instances where the bed was not a permanent, stand-alone piece of
furniture. From the 20th century minimalist roll-up
futons to the 17th century Dutch sleeping cupboards to the
American Indian blanket, these beds were not in the way during the
day. Whether William L. Murphy really designed his bed to disappear
in order to avoid the impropriety of bringing a lady to his small San
Francisco apartment might be debatable, but it's function of saving
space certainly is not.
This particular bed allowed an office to double as a guest room. I used Create-A-Bed hardware,
which was well-machined, operated perfectly the first time, and in no
way utilized Murphy's Law. I took some liberties with their plans,
however, such as making the bed header (top) assembly a single
finished piece of woodwork that required no crown molding. This
simplifies both assembly and disassembly but requires strict
adherence to the plan dimensions. The kickboard is not shown but
screws onto the sides at the base thus avoiding the use of a
nailed-on baseboard. C.A.B., Inc. makes their own hinges which allow
two of the pull blocks to not only rotate into legs but also cleverly
release the safety latches at the top.
Interestingly, as of 1989, the name
Murphy Bed is no longer proprietary and has entered our language as a
common word to describe any pull-down or wall bed, making Mr. Murphy
just as famous as Mr. Kleenex.
Singular wooden ware + hand carved teaspoons at: FlyingCircusStudios.Etsy.com
