Small spaces do not always provide enough storage or floor area to live comfortably. In small apartments and homes, furniture designers are challenged to make functional and space-efficient furniture for these spaces. Furniture designers offer alternatives with parts that can be converted into other items or that are aesthetically pleasing when folded up when not in use. A piece of furniture with multiple uses is referred to as transformable furniture. It typically transforms from one element to another, lowering the amount of furniture needed in a given area. By allowing you extra floor space and frequently additional storage, this feature is useful. Designers have used a variety of strategies to address this difficulty. Making furniture with several functions that are simple to modify to fit various demands is one strategy. Another strategy is to design modular furniture that is simple to put together and take apart to suit various requirements. 

Wall beds as saving space furniture

Whatever your living arrangement, it is difficult to pass up the chance for more room. Wall beds allow you to provide the extra utility you require without having to purchase more space. Wall beds either have storage all around them or are integrated into wall units and flip vertically up into the wall. There may be shelves at the foot of the bed, and when the bed is raised, more storage space is made visible. Other conventional wall bed designs have ornate closet doors on the base of the bed, which, when folded up, give the impression of a standalone closet or armoire. A further type of hidden bed can be rolled up so that it resembles a wall. Wall beds provide you with greater room to move about and provide you with the option to keep the same degree of comfort you’ve grown accustomed to in a more compact space. You will not have to give up your favourite dining room, guest room, or home office if you have a wall bed.

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Wall beds_ © idcorners.com/ https://idcorners.com/upholstery-for-small-spaces-space-saving-solutions/

Transforming Multipurpose Tables

Are you looking for a clever solution to your little living space situation? Any dining room may be converted into a multifunctional family room, guest bedroom, craft area, or home office with the help of transforming furniture like tables. When you want to change your space during the day to eat a snack, breakfast, lunch, or supper, the transforming tables make it easy. Enhance your space’s functionality.

Dining tables can be transformed either into coffee tables or console tables. With specific hydraulic mechanisms, with just a push of a lever, you can host a special supper in any space. These transforming tables allow you the highest level of customisation whenever you need extra seating for gatherings or special occasions. The flexibility to change the table’s height will provide your home with unrivalled versatility and ease.   

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Transformable table_ ©Boulon Blanc/ https://www.gessato.com/introducing-the-innovative-boulon-blanc-transformable-table/

Mezzanine Loft for maximising the use of high ceiling 

A modest industrial loft apartment has an excellent open floor plan that gives you a variety of alternatives for how to arrange the furniture. If your ceilings are high, you can have an incredible amount of overhead space that has to be exploited. When a small space has high ceilings, mezzanine lofts are a great option to add more functionality. Create a freestanding or fixed loft in the vertical area above the clearance height to expand this space’s interior. Adding extended tables, chairs, sofas, or storage beds to the loft can make the space more useful.

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mezzanine loft _ ©bungalow.com/ https://bungalow.com/articles/what-is-a-loft-apartment-everything-to-know-about-living-in-one

Creative storage solutions, furniture with hidden storage 

Choosing hidden storage furniture is one of the best ways to maximise organisation. Small homes and flats require effective organisation, and furniture designers are essential factors in offering creative and smart storage options. Shelves, drawers, and cabinets are a few examples of built-in storage features that designers can incorporate into furniture to use vertical space efficiently. Utilising unused spaces, such as the area above doorways or under stairs, can also aid increase storage capacity. Furniture designers can provide innovative solutions that maximise both functionality and space usage by taking into consideration the unique storage needs of people who live in small spaces.  

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under stairs storage solutions_ ©staircasestorage.com/ https://staircasestorage.com/

Modularity: A Key Design Principle

Modular seating arrangements that can be reconfigured to produce alternative seating arrangements offer versatility and maximise the utilisation of small spaces. Furniture designers may make sure that their products fulfil a variety of uses and help inhabitants make the most of their tiny living spaces by emphasising versatility in their designs. The advent of modular and deployable furniture has made saving small spaces simple and the most logical course of action to build a room in the most flexible manner imaginable. The trick is to figure out how to put the pieces together so that they serve various purposes rather than just one. Modular furniture can be joined in several ways to produce a range of dynamic and useful designs. Modern living rooms, which frequently have a limited amount of space and require functional yet adaptable furniture, are perfect for this type of furniture

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modular furniture_ ©Frank Tribble

In conclusion, creating furniture for small spaces is a special challenge for designers. Designers may produce practical and space-efficient furniture by using multi-use furniture and including storage options. Furniture designers must adjust to the special problems posed by constrained space as demand for small apartments and residences rises. They may produce furniture that maximises usefulness and spatial efficiency by emphasising adaptability, multi-functionality, and smart storage options. Applying these design concepts not only improves the standard of living for those who live in small spaces but also enables the innovation of imaginative and aesthetically beautiful living places. Design and utility working together can ultimately change how we use small spaces, giving people pleasant and effective living options.

References: 

  1. Estaji, H.  (2017). A Review of Flexibility and Adaptability in Housing Design.  Journal of Contemporary Architecture, 4, 37-49.
  2. Gomes, R., Pedro, J. B, & Almendra, R. (2015). Furniture design for flexible use of dwellings. In the 5th annual European postgraduate symposium of the Faculty of Architecture – University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
  3. Schneider, T. & Till, J. (2005). Flexible housing: opportunities and limits. Architectural Research Quarterly, 9(2), 157-166
  4. TAD, (2020). Multi-functional Furniture Ideas. The Architecture Design https://thearchitecturedesigns.com/multi-functional-furniture-ideas
  5. Wang, S.  (2013). An analysis of transformable space-saving furniture.  Research report University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada.
Author

Architect, Teaching Assistant currently pursuing her Master’s studies in Interior Design in Florence, Italy. After obtaining her degree in Architecture from Birzeit University, and experiencing 2 years of working in architecture, interior, and furniture design, she was inspired to specialize in the interior and furniture Italian designs.