We’ve always known that a lack of space and storage is the scourge of urban living, but this was exemplified strongly during the pandemic years. We had to ask more of our homes than ever before, needing them to become multifunctional spaces able to house an office, a school, a gym and more, all within those familiar four walls.
The nation proved nimble and dexterous in creating home offices, home gyms and mini-indoor gardens, make no mistake, but in turn, our actual living spaces became smaller and smaller. Many found themselves storing stuff in the most obscure of places, skirting around furniture just to get out of the living room door and constantly tripping over items they’d put in the hall to find a space for later.
With the rise of hybrid working and the continued evolution of how we use our homes, it’s time to get serious about storage. Luckily there’s plenty of retractable, foldable and multifunctional furnishings and storage solutions out there to consider. With that in mind, here are some compact, flexible furniture ideas to make the most of small spaces.
Hideaway Desks
The massive increase in home working during the pandemic has led to lasting changes in how we work, and many have found that wall mounted fold down tables are a brilliantly flexible solution when you don’t have many square metres to work with.
When working from home, we’ve spoken about the benefits of ceremoniously closing down your laptop, putting it in its case and keeping it out of sight until the next day to help draw a distinction between deadline meeting and downtime. Alongside saving space, folding wall mounted desks are ideal for this symbolic act, offering a practical workspace during the day that simply folds away once you’re done, seamlessly blending in with the rest of your decor until you need it again tomorrow.
Bespoke Fitted Furniture
We’ve extolled the virtues of fitted wardrobes before, which are especially handy if you’ve got awkward shaped rooms with slopes and angles, as they can be designed to fit in a nook, cranny or alcove and double up as storage.
Indeed, fitted wardrobes are, in essence, bespoke designs that can maximise every inch of space. Because fitted wardrobes are 100% customisable and can accommodate your specific storage needs via a clever combination of drawers, shelves and different sized compartments, they can fit snugly into even the smallest of spaces. Installing fitted wardrobes can help you organise your clothes and accessories efficiently, freeing up the floor and making your bedroom feel more open.
It’s not just fitted wardrobes that save space. Floor to ceiling bespoke shelving, and neat, vertical cupboards are both additional great ways to maximise space in a compact room. More streamlined than freestanding storage, built-in furniture designed specifically for its room helps to put every single centimetre of space to use.
Wall Mounted Dining Tables
The importance of flexible dining space has become increasingly apparent in recent years. If you want to be able to host all your friends around a dinner table but you’re living in a place which even the most generous of estate agents would term ‘cosy’, then consider a wall mounted design, ideal for when space is limited. You can get designs that double as mirrors, picture frames or even pool tables, which blend effortlessly into your living space when not in use.
If you’re not big on dinner parties, but want enough room for two, we’re also huge fans of the Izzy fold-down dining table from Made.com. This handy table acts as concealed storage and, come dinnertime, folds to seat two people. Intimate, romantic dinners await!
Double Duty Furniture
There are some really clever ways you can create space in your apartment involving practical but stylish furniture which boasts hidden storage potential.
We love the Tiny Home Bed featured in Dezeen recently, where “graduate Yesul Jang has designed a bed with storage capacity for millennials with limited space in urban dwellings. The furniture piece features a raised bed with a storage space under the mattress covered by a fabric curtain.”
Go further. A simple footstool or poof which allows for storage does a great job of fusing the functional with a foolproof storage option, too. In fact, the options are endless here, with Elle Decor detailing some fantastic storage benches, pointing out that this ‘double-duty furniture’ not only looks stylish but gives you great storage options, and we couldn’t agree more with them.
Modular Seating Systems
The concept of modular furniture has evolved dramatically in recent years, with innovative seating solutions leading the charge. Modern modular sofas and armchairs can be completely reconfigured based on your needs, transforming from a traditional three-seater sofa to individual chairs, or even forming an L-shaped arrangement for entertaining.
Many of these pieces come with hidden storage compartments beneath the seats, and some even convert into guest beds. The beauty lies in their adaptability—you can separate the pieces to create intimate seating areas when working alone, then reconnect them for social gatherings, making them perfect for those who need their living space to serve multiple purposes.
Vertical Garden Solutions
As urban dwellers increasingly seek to incorporate greenery into their homes, vertical garden systems have become a clever space-saving solution. These can range from wall-mounted herb gardens perfect for compact kitchens to modular plant shelving systems that double as room dividers.
The most innovative designs incorporate self-watering systems and even built-in LED grow lights, making them practical for spaces with limited natural light. Some systems cleverly combine plant storage with other functions—imagine a vertical garden that includes a fold-down desk, or one that incorporates a magnetic board for home office use. These solutions not only save precious floor space but also bring a touch of nature indoors without compromising on functionality.
Smart Room Dividers
A new essential for modern living is the ability to create distinct zones within a single space. Moveable room dividers that incorporate storage, such as wheeled bookcases or folding screens with integrated shelving, offer the perfect solution. These pieces can act as both practical storage solutions and flexible space separators, allowing you to instantly transform a home office into a living room, or create a cosy bedroom nook within a studio apartment. Some innovative designs even feature fold-out desks or display shelves, maximising their functionality in compact spaces.
Furniture retailers, it seems, are catching on to this increasing interest, realising that there is a huge rising demand for maximising space in properties. Accordingly, they are tailoring their offering to suit this. Long may it continue!
Looking for more space saving tips? Here’s how to create more space in a small apartment in 7 simple steps and while we’re on the subject, check our our article on design ideas for small bedrooms.
