Make Room: The Murphy-bed Solution for Small Spaces

It isn’t often that an antique solution works to solve a modern-day dilemma. But a furniture anomaly invented in 1908 is making its way back into the limelight. The Murphy bed, at the height of its popularity in the 20s and 30s among crowded city dwellers, soon fell out of favor with the onset of suburban sprawl. For years, the “wall bed” suffered the brunt of jokes in comedic television like The Three Stooges, Scooby-Doo, Mickey Mouse and The Pink Panther. It was just a novelty.

All joking aside, it seems the Murphy bed has paid its dues and is gaining popularity once again with urban home makers. Having a bed space that doubles as office, living room or entertainment space is a big bonus. People always want more for less and this hidden bed space can offer that; so Milhaus has partnered with The Bedder Way Company to test market Murphy beds in apartment units at Artistry.

“Urban space is so expensive today,” explains Chris Fahy, vice president at The Bedder Way Co., “that’s why we are seeing a surge in interest for the Murphy bed and the custom cabinetry we build to accompany them. We often design custom rooms that integrate the wall bed with storage units that allow people to optimize their space. Our goal is to help them regain valuable floor space, by creating an attractive way to hide their bed. This way, people can still entertain guests in a small studio apartment and not have their personal bed space exposed. Futons and pull out couches are still good options, but we don’t find them very comfortable long term. Our beds are designed to accommodate twin, full or queen regular mattresses.” The Murphy bed provides attractive real wood furniture by day and a comfortable sleep at night.

Greg McHenry, development associate at Milhaus, explains how they got “in bed” with this unique furniture design concept. “In designing the second phase of Artistry, we were looking for interesting ways to capitalize on the space available in our Eco-suites, 340-400 square foot residences that demand creative storage options. We felt the best way we could market these units was to offer them fully furnished with a convertible sleeping space. We were already talking about Murphy beds when we located the name of a national supplier, literally five miles south of Indianapolis. We went to see The Bedder Way Company’s showroom and their product was simple, attractive and very user-friendly. We decided to try one in a studio apartment in the first phase and someone rented it immediately.”

The Bedder Way Co has been in business in Indianapolis since 2000. Initially a father/son hobby business, it has grown quickly with online marketing, which allows them to offer their product in cities like Chicago and New York, areas challenged by space issues for years. The initial trial run was a clear success and McHenry says that Milhaus plans to use more built-in Murphy beds in phase two of Artistry and in their recently announced project in Oklahoma City's Midtown neighborhood. “We get to offer our residents a great storage solution, supplied by a local manufacturer, which is always a win-win in our opinion.”