In the early years of the 20th Century, living a simple, modest, clutter-free life was an integral part of The Bungalow Craze.
Murphy Beds were an integral part of that “space-saving” mind-set. And they were very practical, too. After one’s morning prayers and ablutions, how often did one return to their sleeping quarters?
When the sun popped up in the morning, it was time to make the bed, fluff the pillows and tuck your bed back into the wall.
During tough economic times, there was an expectation that homeowners would take in needy family members. When times got really tough, homeowners took on borders, too. (Bear in mind, this was before government became our All-in-all.)
The Murphy Bed made our little bungalows a little bit bigger, and a little more accommodating.
In the 1920s and 30s, the sale of Murphy Beds skyrocketed. In the 1950s and 60s, sales dropped, as Americans moved into bigger and bigger houses. In the 1990s and beyond, sales again are way up, due to a poor economy, high unemployment and rising housing costs.
Some of the early 20th Century kit homes offered by Sears and Aladdin featured Murphy Beds.
“The Cinderella” (so named because the house was so small it required less work), was a cute and cozy kit home offered by Sears in the early 1920s. This little bungalow made good use of its small spaces by incorporating a Murphy Bed. Take a look at the pictures below to see how they did things 100 years ago.
To learn more about built-ins in the 1920s kit home, click here.
To learn about breakfast nooks, click here.
Read about The Sorlien Ceiling Bed here!
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The Cinderella (1921 Sears catalog) was so named because it was an efficiently designed bungalow that saved the housewife much time and effort.
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Interior views of The Cinderella (1921).
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Less furniture to buy - less trouble and work. Good points, actually.
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In the Cinderella, the beds were tucked into a closet during the day.
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This is my favorite shot. This room was about five feet wide and ten feet deep, but it looks pretty darn spacious. And look at that sink at the end of the wall. Just a lone sink.
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The Cinderella assumed that both Living and Dining Rooms would be used as sleeping spaces.
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It's so easy, even a child can do it! Sort of.
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Floorplan shows how tiny that "bed space" really is. It was 10'11" long and - if the drawing is anything near scale, it appears about five feet wide. In modern times, the folks looking at this house probably thought, "How odd! A big walk-in closet next to the living room, and it even has a sink in the corner!"
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"Dressing room and bed space." Pretty tiny space!!!
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"Twenty rooms in 12." Eight of those 20 rooms were closets with a bed.
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Here are two of those eight "bedrooms." At least they have a window.
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Close-up on the Murphy Bed in the Calumet.
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And here's a real, live Calumet in Bloomington, IL.
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Like Sears, Aladdin (Bay City, MI) also sold kit homes through mail order. They had a line of wee tiny Aladdin homes known as "Aladdinettes." Here's a picture of the Sonoma (1919), one of their Aladdinnette houses.
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The Aladdinnette's "bed space" was really tiny. Only 6'9" by 5'. You have to step out of the room to change your mind!!
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Close-up of the Aladdinnette's "closet bed."
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Despite what you've seen on those Laurel and Hardy episodes...
To read the next awesome blog, click here.
Interested in other early 20th Century space savers? Click here.
Youtube demonstration of a real Murphy Bed (1916).
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