In 2000, John Adrain ran into a problem common among San Francisco residents: He had too much stuff and too little space. But Adrain’s stuff wasn’t the kind you shove in storage—an antique firearms collector since he was nine years old, he wanted to keep his extensive (and expensive) gun collection out of the wrong hands.
Adrain built a gun safe into his bed, creating the first prototype of what is sold today as the BedBunker by his company, Heracles Research Corporation. The beds not only hide firearms but also protect you from them: They are bullet-resistant. Today, the Texas company offers a full range of concealed safes: BedBunker, CouchBunker, TableBunker, ClosetBunker, and even TruckBunker and ConsoleBunker. The sofas, which range in price from $7,780 to $10,720, are made from fabric that can stop a bullet.
Heracles is one of several companies that have begun making bullet-resistant home goods in recent years. Five years ago, Arizona’s Ballistic Furniture Systems Inc. began designing bullet-resistant materials that can be manufactured into furniture. In the past year, two smaller companies, Aspetto and Osdin Shield, launched lines of bullet-resistant furniture. Bullet-resistant housewares can sell for double the price of traditional furniture. Osdin Shield’s custom-built sofas cost up to $9,000.