Murphy's Bed

I have never seen this bed in person, but have seen this in old movies and tv shows, such as "I Love Lucy". It wasn't till a few months ago that I found out what this bed is called. Furthermore, I was surprised to find out that this bed is still around. Murphy Bed was patented around 1900 by William L. Murphy (b 1876). He started the "Murphy Wall Bed Company" in California in that year. In 1918 the first Murphy Bed was manufactured in SF. The Murphy bed was most popular during the 1920's and 1930's. The company moved to NYC in 1925 where they changed their name to "Murphy Door Bed Company, Inc Production". During the WWII the production was slow because of the military need for steel. After the war, many people didn't need small space anymore, which affected the Murphy beds production. In the 1970's when the oil recession and the embargo were going on, lots of people couldn't afford big places again. The Murphy company started to florish again into the 80's and the 90's. They became popular in places like hospitals, dorms, hotels, etc. in 1990 the company changed its name again, to "Murphy Bed Co. Inc.".

http://www.murphybedcompany.com/