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Anyone who knows me knows that I'm an art lover.  I collect it, I make it, and I hang it everywhere!  For a while my house looked like a hap-hazard art gallery, with pictures placed wherever I could find some spare wall.  After my previous entry about clutter bugs, I took a look around my place and decided that perhaps I needed to take some of my own advice.

I went through taking down the many pieces I had in the strange places I had them until I was left with pure white bare walls.  It felt a bit awkward at first, but after the day went on, I began to enjoy what I call the "blank canvas".
My "blank canvas" was painfully apparent behind my large couch, where a wide open space continued to stare at me.  Although I'm a fan of large art, I don't have much - especially nothing in the right shape to fill that vacant space.  So what did I do?  I decided to fix it up with some nice cluster art.

Cluster art is a wonderful way to fill some space and display various images together.  I also love it because I don't have to stand there with a level making sure that everything is perfectly lined up.  With that said - I also didn't want to attack my wall, filling it with holes as I figured out what piece would go where - so I began this project by fanning my desired pieces out on the floor in front of the couch.

It took me a good 20 minutes, but after moving some pieces around, adding some, and changing out others, I finally had my desired arrangement.  This was the perfect way to fill such an oddly shaped space!  Most of my pieces were still on display - and the ones that aren't, well I know what I'm going to do with them now, I think I caught cluster fever!

My camera is elsewhere at the moment so I searched online and found some excellent examples of cluster art at it's best.  Here you go!

Twenty or thirty years ago, if you would have used “Murphy beds” and “style” in the same sentence, I probably would have thought you were crazy. 

I have to say that I’m not overly impressed with how the Murphy beds from 30 or more years ago look, even if I consider the styles and fashions of the day.  Most of the time the bed cabinet did not match the room and it stuck out like a sore thumb.  Come to think of it, that might have been part of the reason for the relative obscurity of wallbeds during the latter 20^th century. 

But times change, and with those changes has come a rebirth of sorts for the ubiquitous Murphy bed.

Today, the new Murphy bed is not only technologically improved but some companies are moving away from the old, non-customizable DIY kits and are now into creating what works (and looks!) best for their customer.

So, to give you an idea of how a Murphy bed can be stylized into a room, I’ve included a few pictures with this article.

For the first example, I have to say that having matte Lucite^© inserts on the doors enclosing the wardrobe closet to either side of the Murphy bed is one stylish way to put a bed into the room.  Plus, it still leaves plenty of space for other activities during the day.  Using crown moldings and raised panel doors give the unit a richer, more traditional kind of look and having it fit precisely from wall-to-wall gives it that truly custom built-in look that today’s homeowners really want.

This next example illustrates taking full advantage of the space in the room for dual purposes – home office by day and bedroom by night!  Check out how the style of the room is Timeless Modern and how the style of the Murphy bed fits right in, regardless of whether the bed is opened or closed.  In my opinion, the bed cabinet and the surrounding furniture blend in together beautifully making this a wonderful design.

If you don’t want to go the route of having extra cabinetry surrounding your new Murphy bed, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make it look great.

Creative choices like having the stain color on the wood of the cabinet match the wood flooring color, having the unit tall enough for the crown moulding to meet the ceiling, raised panel styled doors, and the right choice of door handles all combine to make this unit stylistically fit into this room as well as it does physically.

As soon as I saw this photograph, I knew that I had to share it! 

It is a simple and elegant design for a child’s room, utilizing decorative crown moulding mounted all the way to the ceiling to give the unit that much desired, built-in look.  The open shelving keeps the unit feeling light and airy. 

The small and large arched handles in brushed chrome add to the simplicity theme.  The star-shaped and knobs on the drawers are “oh-so-cute” and add a sense of fun for this kids.

By using a beautiful bright white melamine to hold the queen sized wall bed, it makes cleaning up after the little one much easier too. 

What is “flex space”?  It is space that can be used for multiple purposes – like a room that is an office during the day and a bedroom at night.  Flex space is a key concept being utilized in many of today’s new and existing homes. 

For example, as children grow up and leave the nest, the parents typically no longer devote the use of whole rooms to their children and end up reapportioning their abode. They use the emptied spaces for hobbies, a home office, a study or any number of other uses.

But what happens when the kids come home for the holidays?  Are the kids expected to sleep on the couch, the floor, or some local hotel?  Not when the parents planned ahead and embraced the flex-space concept when they remodeled the room.  By including a Murphy wall bed in the re-design of the room, this type of situation is very conveniently handled. 

The “empty nest” situation is not a requirement to take advantage of flex space either.  You might be single with limited living space or a couple that likes to entertain friends and have them stay overnight just so that they can make the long trip home refreshed from a good night’s sleep.  The reasons and situations that can benefit from owning a Murphy bed are as varied and unique as there are people.

The Murphy bed is not a new solution, but an older one reborn.  Wall beds can be hidden away when not in use, and can drop down to convert the room into spare bedroom when needed.  Modern technology and custom design techniques make aesthetically integrating the Murphy bed into the room not only attractive, but functional as well.

So, if you’re thinking about ways to take advantage of the available space in your home, consider flex space – and Murphy beds!

Today, wallbeds not only pivot from the head of the bed, but they can also pivot out from the sides, as seen in the picture below.

At Murphy Bed Lifestyles, we’ve discovered there's a certain freedom that can be found in a custom designed wall bed unit.  By customizing the wallbed cabinet to fit the decor of the room, it allows our clients to easily add them into a room pre-designated for a particular use by day and become a bedroom by night.  Now, you too can easily turn your home office or craft room into a guest room for your overnight visitors.

Interior Designers are also getting involved with Murphy beds - finding various ways to use and decorate the empty wall space when the bed is lowered into sleeping position.   Painting the wall and adding a beautiful piece of art can give the bed more of a welcoming flavor.  Just think of how nice it is in a white room when you pull down the bed and voila! There’s a bright image or color lightening up the space.

And for those of you like me that prefer to diy take a look at my 5 Creative Ways To Decorate Your Murphy Bed for some ideas (posted on October 8th, 2009). 

The Sico RoomMaker bed is the most durable of all the wallbeds that Murphy Bed Lifestyles offers.  It is specifically made for comfort as it uses a traditional mattress and box spring.  This bed is designed for the heavy-duty usage associated with dormitories, fire stations, care facilities, etc.  The RoomMaker wall bed is floor mounted with fully-encased coils made of heat-treated alloy steel.  This bed is great when you have a small room and need to utilize the complete space during the day but need to have a bed to sleep in at night.  The RoomMaker is a great for the type of everyday usage that requires comfort and yet space is at a premium.

Sico RoomMaker Specifications

• Cabinet height for Twin or Full 86 ½” - Extends 101” from wall
• Cabinet height for Queen or King 91 ½" - Extends 105” from wall
• Mattress and Box Spring maximum height 17”
• Cabinet depth 22”
• Floor Mounted

The standard handles of the bed become the feet of the bed when it is in the open position.  The RoomMaker's  fully-encased power coils are made of treated alloy steel.  This bed includes a vinyl headboard that folds over the pillows when it is in the closed position.  Sico RoomMaker wallbeds are available in twin, full, queen, king, and California king sizes.

Series Summary

Hopefully, you've read all three parts of this series on Murphy wallbed mechanisms, so you should be quite aware of your wall bed mechanism options and you're now able to make the right selection for your needs.  When you're ready to take the next step and start designing the cabinetry for the bed and the rest of the room, feel free to call us up and arrange for one of our free, no obligation design consultations and then you can ask any additional questions of your Murphy Bed Lifestyles designer at that time.  We're here to help you do things right and get exactly what is right for you, your needs and your aesthetic aspirations!

Remember, no matter which bed mechanism that you determine works best for you, your Murphy Bed Lifestyles designer will be there every step of the way to help you select all the right options to make your design truly custom! 

The Sico EuroBed uses slats for the base of the bed base so it provides considerably more comfort than the “Murphy”.  The Sico EuroBed is the best selling of our wall beds because it is mid-priced, provides superior comfort, and has been tested for everyday use.  This is the bed to use when like your relatives or friends enough that you don’t mind if they stay longer than just overnight, but you really are not ready for them to move in just yet.

Sico EuroBed Specifications

• Cabinet height for twin std  or full std  81 3/8”  Extends 87” from wall
• Cabinet height for queen 92”  extends  92” from wall
• Cabinet depth is 18 5/8”
• Maximum mattress height is 10”
• Side Panel Mounted

The leg folds up inside the bed.  The Sico EuroBed has fully encased heat treated alloy steel springs.  The frame is premium strength extruded aluminum.  This bed also comes with a flat vinyl headboard.  The Sico EuroBed is available in twin, twin XL, full, full XL, and queen.  It is important to note that this bed is available as a full or queen-size side-fold also.

This is the first of a three-part series on Murphy-styled wall bed mechanisms.  Parts two and three will follow shortly.

All wall beds, or beds that fold down, have become commonly known as “Murphy Beds”.   The original “Murphy Bed” brand name has been so heavily used by consumers, retailers, and other manufacturers over the years that the US government has denied all trademark claims to that name.  There is still a specific “Murphy Bed” branded mechanism that is sold, and this is one of the mechanisms that we use.  In differentiating the styles of beds that we offer, we refer to the mechanism name and type to identify the bed, but they are all commonly “Murphy beds.”

Murphy Bed Mechanisms

The “Murphy" wall bed mechanisms are the most price friendly of the three types/brands of wallbed mechanisms.  It is made for a spare room that is used when you have the occasional visitor.  It is perfect for a home office, crafts room, music room or other room that has multiple uses.  The “Murphy” mechanism is great for relatives or other guests that you like to visit for short periods.  It has a low profile frame that uses the bed face as the base of the bed.  The mattress sits on directly the bed face and tends to be a little harder than the slat style.  This bed is perfect for those guests you don’t wish to stay too long, but don’t want be totally uncomfortable!!

Murphy Bed Mechanism Specifications

• Cabinet height for twin or full 85 1/8 ” Extends from wall 85”
• Cabinet height for queen or king 90 1/4” Extends from wall 90”
• Cabinet depth 18 5/8”
• Maximum mattress thickness 9”

The leg folds up inside the bed and tension springs take the bed up and down.  This frame comes in pieces so it can be used when access might be more difficult.  The “Murphy" bed mechanisms are available in Twin, Full, Queen and King.

Small rooms will always feel larger empty than when they are crammed full of your stuff.  That's why choosing the right furniture for the room is the first key to getting the most out of your space and making your small room feel larger.

When dealing with a small space, it is best to pay attention to how the items relate to the size (scale) of the room.  Working with a small scale room your best bet would be to invest in sleek, stream lined furniture, which will enhance the flow of space.  Glass topped tables and chrome touches will also help move light around the room, making it feel more open.

Now, perhaps you're like me and have inherited a nice big fluffy couch that you absolutely love, but it takes up a lot of space.  Mine was given to me by my mother-in-law and not only is it huge, but it's a deep olive green  making it appear larger than life.  Since I recently painted all of my walls and trim white, I decided that my best bet was to get a white canvas slip cover for the couch, which would allow it to blend in with the walls.  This left me with a beautiful blank surface to work with, so I bought some fabric that matched the colors of my rug and used it to make throw pillows for the couch.  Doing this, I not only created the illusion of space, but also added a new sense of harmony to the room.

To make a room feel larger and more open, it needs to be visually uncluttered.  The eyes should be able to travel around a room without being distracted - this is where harmony is important.  You can do this while decorating by connecting the elements of a room. 

This balcony set up is a wonderful example of how this can be done.  The bright floral patterns of the pillows and table cloth resemble the dancer's dress in the picture and the wooden screen blends in, adding a touch that makes me feel as if I'm vacationing on tropical island.

So now that you're set on creating horizontal space, some of you with low ceilings may be wondering how you can create the illusion of vertical space.  You can do this by selecting furniture which sits low to the ground, then hang pictures and artwork slightly above eye level.  Placing curtain rods high towards the ceiling will also give off the feeling of height.  OK, once you have your furniture all set up, the rest of the room should fall nicely into place.