Guest Post: Functional Decor in Small Spaces!

Double-duty Furniture for Big Impact in Small Spaces

Living in the city means practicality and convenience. Moving from a spacious house in the suburbs to a small apartment in the city requires serious deliberation as to what can actually fit into your new lifestyle. Cramming your entire life into less than 500 square feet shouldn't be so difficult -- especially when there are plenty of options to choose from.

Bed Issues

There are double-duty furniture which can replace your beautiful but huge Victorian sofa that serves the same purpose and more. Sofa beds, futons, and daybeds are the perfect solutions to limited spaces. They function as a regular sofa in the day and transform into a comfortable bed at night. There are also couches that transform into bunk beds and master beds that can be tucked into to the closet.

Seat Issues

If free seating has always been a problem, opt for ottomans. Aside from being an instant chair or side table, an ottoman serves as storage for all your knickknacks and magazines. If you like having company once in a while, you can use foldable chairs and hang them on walls as decor when not in use.

 

Kitchen Issues

Multipurpose kitchen appliances are bountiful because new technology is constantly being discovered and applied to everyday living. If you aren't impressed by "transformer furniture" for the living room and bedroom, you may think twice when you see what modern homeowners have in the kitchen.

Some will have you thinking "why didn't I think of that?" like pulling out a dining area space from kitchen drawers. The Tower Kitchen, for example, requires only a square meter of space but can house an oven, fridge, dishwasher, and microwave. Other practical solutions are chairs that double as a kitchen counter top, or an entire kitchenette that fold away.

 
Storage Issues

One of the biggest concern of city living is storage. With little places come even smaller storage spaces. Maximize this by being open and creative. Stack up magazines as a base, top it with a glass sheet or wood panel and you have a shabby chic coffee table! Another idea is to use a single chair where you can place your books.

The great thing with modern furniture design is that they cater not just to the aesthetic but to practicality as well. Though most pieces have minimalistic designs, you can still add accessories that are faithful to your own sense of style. When shopping for new furniture to fit your humble abode, it's best to keep an open mind. Sometimes, it's just a question of how unique you allow your style to be.

Jessica Phan is a designer for Balsamhill.com a purveyor of high-end artificial Christmas Trees. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is perfect for her because she has a wide range of interests, including Art & Design, Fashion, Photography, Painting and Thrift Store Shopping.