User:Sam Smith Jay-Be/sandbox

A folding bed or folding-bed (often called a hideaway bed, pull-out bed or bed-in-a-box) is typically a metal frame and thin mattress folded in half, that can be unfolded or opened up to make a bed.

The main advantages of folding beds are their portability and compactness. They tend to be small, portable, lightweight and are usually used as a temporary fix in situations where larger permanent beds cannot be used. Their intended purpose is often in instances when people do not have a spare bedroom to accommodate guests as they can be easily packed away and stored until another time when they'll be needed.

Folding beds generally consist of a foldable lightweight wood or metal frame, covered with canvas, linen or nylon.

History

Leonard C. Bailey took out a patent for making the first "folding bed" on 18 July 1899. The metal bed frame was capable of being folded, bent mattress closed for use if needed. Later, it was known as a "hide-a-bed".

William Lawrence Murphy took out a patent for making "In-A-Dor bed", which is known as a “Murphy bed” today. It is characterised with the folded space-saver into a wall-closet.

In 1931, Bernard Castro made and sold the "Castro convertible" by using $400 from his savings. Castro’s design is considered to be the original sofa bed design and is widely believed to have inspired most of the sofa beds on the market today.

Types of Folding Beds

Wall bed

Wall beds are popular in studio apartments and homes that lack space. Wall beds are permanent fixtures that are securely attached to a wall and folded up against it when they are not being used as a bed. Some wall beds are designed to blend into the background and look like the other walls in your home whereas others have dual functionality; doubling up as cabinets or desks when they are folded.

Rollaway Bed

As the name implies, rollaway beds can be folded in half or rolled and kept somewhere safe when not in use. They are similar to folding beds but tend to be heavier, larger and slightly more difficult to fit into car boots and take with you on the go. They often have thicker mattresses and are intended to be used often rather than on occasion and are popular in contract environments such as hospitals.