Sarah E. Goode was born into slavery in 1855 as the second of seven children. After the Civil War ended, she and her family were finally freed. Goode later moved to Chicago, where she met and married a carpenter and stair builder. Together, they opened a furniture store, where Goode noticed that many of their clients lived in small apartments with limited space for furniture.
To address this problem, Goode designed a folding cabinet bed that could be used at night and as a roll-top desk during the day. This innovative design was a precursor to the modern-day wall bed and was particularly useful for small apartments. The bed could be easily folded and stored away, allowing the space to be used for other activities during the day.
Goode’s folding cabinet bed was a huge success and helped establish her reputation as an innovative and talented furniture designer. Despite facing discrimination as a black woman in a male-dominated industry, Goode continued to innovate and create new designs, including an improved version of the folding cabinet bed. Her legacy as a pioneering furniture designer and inventor continues to this day.
