This is a very unusual story because the Wall Bed was invented out of great love.
Around 1900, in San Francisco, William Lawrence Murphy, who lived in a very small one-room apartment, fell in love with a beautiful opera singer. Since these were different times and customs, William was forced to think hard in order to meet his beloved.
Manners did not allow a woman to enter the gentleman's bedroom. William came up with the idea of how to turn a bedroom into a living room, still having only one room.
A consequence of this love and manners was the construction of the Hidden Bed, the bed that could be lifted up on one side using hinges to store it vertically. This brilliant idea allowed Mr. Murphy to achieve both goals. Stay with his loved one without breaking the applicable customs.
After his success in love, Murphy opened his own Murphy Bed Company in New York and patented his product. These beds became very fashionable in the 20's and it was a status symbol to have such a bed.
In 1987, William's grandson Clark W. Murphy became president of William's company.