The Beauty of an Antique Murphy Bed
By Eddie
Tobey
Editor's Summary: Antique Murphy beds are enjoying a
new popularity as people are more interested in making their small
living spaces more functional and interesting at the same time.
This article discusses the history of the Murphy bed and some expert
buying advice.
Murphy beds have been in existence since about 1900, when William
L. Murphy invented the patented mechanism to hide his bed away in
the closet of his one room apartment while he entertained. The beds
have been in use ever since, always appreciated by city apartment
dwellers and homeowners who needed an extra bed in a multipurpose
room.
During World War II and directly afterwards, the beds dropped in
popularity, first because of the scarcity of steel, and then because
people were moving out of the city to larger, suburban homes, and
space was not at such a premium. In the decades of the fifties and
sixties, the beds were mainly remembered as props in slap-stick
comedy, or the place to hide the body in a mystery story.
Now, Murphy beds are experiencing resurgence, as professional people
move back into the cities and make their smaller living spaces more
functional. Many apartment dwellers are finding these beds already
existing in older buildings, especially in places like San Francisco,
where the Murphy bed was invented, and where many Murphy beds were
sold for the apartments built between the 1906 earthquake and World
War II. Antique Murphy beds are now much sought after conversation
pieces and design focal points, as well as practical, still-functioning
pieces of furniture.
Antique Murphy beds are also being sold in fine antique stores
all over the country. Many of the original mechanisms still function
and the cabinetry used to create the units can be quite beautiful.
Buyers should remember, however, that a true Murphy bed is not going
to be older than the invention, patented in 1900. The piece may
be housed in a cabinet that is older than the patent, but the mechanism
cannot be older than that. The buyer should be knowledgeable about
the furniture of the period as a whole, and about the mechanism
itself. Intelligently purchased, these beds can be an investment
and a functioning piece of furniture.
Murphy Beds
Info provides detailed information on murphy beds, murphy bed
plans, wall beds, bed libraries, and antique beds. Murphy Beds Info
is the sister site of Bunk
Beds Web.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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