Did you know that murphy beds were originally designed to sidestep the social rules of the time? Back then, appearances mattered, and most living spaces were small, so being able to tuck a bed out of sight offered both privacy and practicality.
As cities got more crowded and apartments got smaller, space saving furniture became a necessity leading to a bed that could instantly disappear into the wall. This transformed a bedroom into a living room, a workspace, or a spot to entertain guests, making the room feel bigger, more stylish, and open floor space compared to a regular bed.
By 1925, the Murphy Door Bed Company, Inc. was officially incorporated in New York, turning this space saving solution into a thriving business. The company continued evolving with the times, and decades later, a U.S. court ruled that the term “murphy bed” had become so widely used that it could no longer be trademarked.
Rather than slowing things down, the ruling transformed the term “murphy bed” into a part of everyday language and created a new chapter for these beds.
Murphy beds remain popular more than a century later, because great design never goes out of style. From sleek built-ins with shelving and lighting to modern setups paired with desks, sofas, and storage, even options that hide inside of a piano, modern murphy beds prove that saving space doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or design.
Below, you’ll learn about the origins of the Murphy bed and its evolution over the years:
- 18th Century
- 19th Century
- 20th Century
- 21st Century
18th Century
In the 1700s, European homes began to shift toward comfort, privacy, and efficiency. This sparked the furniture ideas that laid the foundation for today’s multifunctional furniture, including Murphy beds.
Throughout this century, important innovations emerged:
- Sofa beds made their debut in wealthy homes during the 1700s. They quickly grew in popularity and became a household favorite by the end of the century.
- Between 1700 - 1720, bureau bedsteads first appeared in Europe. This furniture resembled a cabinet and could be converted into a bed.
- In 1775, field bedsteads were designed to fold into compact bundles for easy transportation by military personnel.
This trend continued into the 19th century, where fold-away beds became officially patented.
19th Century
In the 1800s, furniture makers were selling and patenting sofa-beds, chair beds, and cabinet beds, and even disguising beds as pianos. These innovations made the murphy bed possible:
- The first Pullman car was patented in 1864 and featured folding upper berths and seats that converted into lower beds.
- Sanford S. Burr patented the Burr Parlor Folding Bed in 1868, one of the earliest fold-away beds in America.
- Sarah E. Goode patented her “cabinet bed” in 1885, which transformed from a bed into a desk.
- In 1899, Leonard C. Bailey filed a patent for a folding bed frame, a design that contributed to the development of the modern murphy bed.
All of these 19th-century inventions bring us closer to the murphy bed we know today. In the early 1900s, a young inventor in San Francisco would transform these beds into a pop culture icon.
20th Century
With the 20th century came rapid urban growth, shifting social customs, and a demand for efficient living spaces. William Lawrence Murphy emerged as a pivotal figure in the evolution of multifunctional furniture.
- In the early 1900s, William Lawrence Murphy lived in a small San Francisco studio apartment. Because social customs frowned upon a woman visiting a man’s bedroom, he devised a bed that could fold up into the wall, transforming his room from a sleeping space into a parlor.
- William patented his “Disappearing Bed” in 1912.
- The "In-A-Door Bed" was then patented by William in 1916.
- In the 1920s, apartment advertisements proudly featured hidden beds that could transform a “bedroom” into a “parlor,” and thousands were sold each month.
- William incorporated the Murphy Door Bed Company, Inc. in New York in 1925.
- After World War II, suburban homes grew larger, giving families more living space. As a result, murphy beds declined in popularity, while other space saving options, like sofa beds and futons, took their place in the market.
- William’s grandson, Clark Murphy, took over the Murphy Door Bed Company in 1983.
- In 1989, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit determined that the “murphy bed” had become so widely used in everyday language that it could no longer qualify for trademark protection.
As the 20th century came to a close, the murphy bed had left its mark on American living. However, its story was far from over.
21st Century
The murphy bed has seen a strong resurgence in urban living, micro-apartments, and the need to make your space serve multiple purposes (sleeping, working, living). These beds are integrated into cabinetry, desks, shelving units, and multi-functional rooms (office space + guest room).
- In 2014 - 2018, new murphy and cabinet bed patents were still being filed.
- Between 2020 and 2023, the pandemic turned homes into offices, classrooms, and everything in between. As remote and hybrid work stuck around long after the lockdowns ended, people continued seeking furniture that helps a room serve multiple purposes.
- In 2022 - 2023, Murphy beds began to be used in hotels, like Disney, Hilton, and JW Marriott Essex House.
The constant demand for more functional homes has lead furniture designers, including us, to come up with unique combinations like the murphy bed and couch combination perfect for turning dens and living rooms into guest bedrooms, wall beds with desks so a studio apartment can transform from a sleeping area to an eating and study room, and murphy beds that swivel and rotate to have extra shelving and even mount a tv on one side, then a comfortable bed on the other.
More than 100 years since its creation, the murphy bed is still here and better than ever. It has been updated, redesigned, and modernized to meet today's needs. Whether it’s hiding behind bookshelves, paired with a desk, or built into custom cabinetry, the murphy bed continues to show that space saving design is timeless.
