We’ve always known that a lack of space and storage is the scourge of urban living, but this has only been exemplified more strongly in the last year. We’ve had to ask more of our homes than ever, 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 has been nimble and dexterous in creating home offices, home gyms and mini-indoor gardens, make no mistake, but in turn, our actual living spaces have become smaller and smaller. We’ve found ourselves 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 we’ve put in the hall to find a space for later. In fact, the hall now qualifies as a storage space, since we’ve not exactly been receiving visitors lately.
We’re sure you’re the same.
If, like so many others, you envisage working from home for the foreseeable future and beyond, then it’s time to get serious about your 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.
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 bespokely to fit in a nook, cranny or alcove and double up as storage.
Indeed, fitted wardrobe specialists such as My Fitted Bedroom, suppliers of premier fitted wardrobes in Manchester, tell us that ‘’bespoke designs can maximise every inch of space”, and we couldn’t agree more. 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.
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.
HIDEAWAY DESKS
With 2020’s massive increase in home working continuing into 2021, 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, in the past 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.
WALL MOUNTED DINING TABLES
Soon we’ll be allowed to welcome guests into our home again – and we can’t wait! 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 lie ahead! That is, if you’re not totally fed up of your partner by now.
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.
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.