The Three Stooges loved them and so did Charlie Chaplin. Or maybe you saw your first Murphy bed in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
For as long as these beds that fold out of the wall have been around, they’ve been a focal point in slapstick comedy, but one local entrepreneur is ready to prove to Chattanoogans that Murphy beds mean serious business.
“Everyone is trying to save space and do more with less these days,” said Tucked Away Murphy Bed owner Thomas Finch. “This is the kind of thing that helps with that. It’s also a great conversation piece for people because it’s such an unusual thing you don’t see anymore.”
Unlike the Murphy beds that made their appearances in comedy TV shows and movies, the beds that Finch offers are safer and completely custom-made to go with any home’s decor, he said. Finch partners with local cabinet creator Scott Hanson and welder Pierce Welding to create beds that are functional and attractive to potential buyers.
“Pretty much if you can think it up, my cabinet guy can make it,” he said.
From twin up to king-sized mattresses, Finch said he can create a Murphy bed cabinet from scratch or install the system and mattress in an existing closet.
“Oftentimes that spare bedroom in the house ends up filling up with junk once you get the bed in,” he said. “This is a way you can keep your sewing or hobby room or playroom from being cluttered but still have that space if your mother-in-law comes to visit.”
Prices on Tucked Away Murphy Beds range from $800-$3,000 depending on how much cabinetry people want or if they’d like to add a desk. All of the beds come with a lifetime warranty and are light enough to be maneuvered by the elderly or children, Finch said.
“By appointment I can come into a home and look at the space you have and help determine what might fit you best,” he said. “I won’t just go into a home and tell them what they need, I will go into someone’s home and listen to what they want and help them find something from there.”
When he’s not selling Murphy beds, Finch works as an East Ridge firefighter. He said he started Tucked Away Murphy Beds as something to do on his days off and as a business venture with his wife.
For more information, visit tuckedawaymurphybeds.com or call 505-2824.