Folding beds have been around at least since the 1920s. The original Murphy Bed Company still exists and is selling beds today. Other companies making contemporary folding beds are: Modern Wall Beds, whose birch bed is pictured here (prices start at $1795). Bonbon in the U.K. makes elegant folding beds, but they are pricey. Others companies offering folding beds are: Regin Sleep System and Rocker Woodworking and Hardware. A long discussion of folding beds can be found on Apartment Therapy. One reader posted a good overview of designer folding beds. She says:
My spouse and I are murphy bed converts. We were both really skeptical at first, & afraid of breaking our bed, but now we wouldn’t go back even if we had the extra space. We love the open space feel & she uses the extra room for yoga, stretching & playtime with our dog.
Plus our dog isn’t able to lay on the bed all day when we are away. The apartment feels a lot fresher too since you can clean “under the bed” with the regular weekly cleaning. In a studio apartment, a murphy can be a relationship saver– it feels like you are getting an extra room because the space the bed normally takes up isn’t wasted during the day. Plus, you can have parties in a studio apartment & feel like you have space for your guests. I like the idea of making a bed into an entertaining space, but not all apartments really work for this space-wise.
For modern design buffs, you can buy the Clei beds mentioned above at Design & Comfort here in New York City- -440 Park Avenue South at the corner of 30th & Park Avenue South. The London-based Clei will be making a queen size wall bed for export to the U.S. in April. We are ordering one for our new place. These really are the most attractive modern-style Murphy beds on the market & they will take a normal real bed mattress. They aren’t the cheapest, however.
Our former Murphy bed was gorgeous with a mirror on the front– it was regularly mistaken for an armoire. We love it, but it is too classic looking for the style of our new place. The worst part of Murphy beds is how ugly they can be in announcing themselves. No one ever knew our Murphy was there, it felt really organic to the space. These folks offer some alternatives & can accommodate an extra deep mattress to make up for not having a box spring: Bedder Way.
Bedder Way use to deliver & do free installation, but have temporary stopped driving to NYC. (FYI- they plan to start again next year). For those who can’t wait, good news is they ship anywhere in the U.S. for $150! These are quality real wood beds from a company in Indiana. You won’t find stuff like this in NYC, most everything is wood veneer that will warp. Plus, they are way, way cheaper than most anything here in the City.
