Interior designers are often called upon to create clever solutions for small spaces, and these are our favourites that you can copy at home with easy to buy pieces
When it comes to space-saving furniture, there are a few candidates we've probably all thought about: the sofa bed is a standard piece of kit for small flats and we've now largely become used to the idea of a dining table serving as a desk. But small spaces require ingenuity, and sometimes it's worth expanding one's ideas when it comes to maximising the function of your furniture and ensuring that it can be flexible enough to work for different needs. We've looked through some small houses (and clever larger ones) to see how designers have coped with the need for adaptable pieces, and gathered our seven favourite ideas here.
The banquette sofa
A straight-backed sofa (assuming it has a reasonably high seat, somewhere in the region of 45-50cm) will work as seating for a dining table. If you have a small living room where you need to fit both a sofa for lounging and a dining area, but there isn't sufficient space for both, it may be easier to find a slim dining table (or even a foldable table that could be covered with a tablecloth and stored when not in use) and simply transform your main seating area into a dining room when needed.
The dining/accent chair
‘Don’t underestimate the number of bums on seats a house may require,’ says interior designer Flora Soames in her dos and don'ts of decorating. If you can use your dining chairs as accent chairs when required (or vice versa), you instantly have a more flexible arrangement. Again, look for pieces where the seat is 45-50cm high, and go for something with arms and a reasonably straight back. Good upholstery will ensure it's also comfortable enough to sit in with a drink and chat in a more relaxed way, and you could even make one your desk chair.
The stool/side table
Continuing the theme of flexible seating, a smart upholstered stool can be a blessing if you find yourself with more people on hand than your rooms can comfortably accommodate. Like an ottoman, if they are firm enough, they can also function as a side table (perhaps with a tray or book on top), so everyone has somewhere to put their drink. Unlike an ottoman, they are unobtrusive when not in use, and can easily be placed at the side of a room, as Salvesen Graham have done in the sitting room above.
The storage ottoman (and storage bed)
Small apartments and houses necessarily have to make use of every available space for storage, and if you're not lucky enough to have plenty of built-ins, make the best use you can of your furniture. An ottoman with a lid is a must in our book, whether you put it at the centre of your living room or at the end of the bed, where it can be a handy bench when you're taking your socks off. A narrow one can also work well in a hallway as a bench, if you have the space. Use it for kids' toys, spare pillows, winter coats, or whatever else you need to hide away. Just as useful is the storage bed, which can accommodate duvets, towels, blankets and even suitcases, depending on their configuration.
The bookshelf with a desk
For storage purposes, a good run of bookshelves is an essential in a small house. They don't just hold books, but also ornaments, vases, files and papers, candles, bottles of wine and many other bits and bobs. If you can find (or build) a wall-mounted version, then they won't take up any floor space either. Bookshelves can also serve as a mini workspaces, a serious boon in these days of working from home, especially if space for a dedicated desk is hard to come by.
The wall light
If you don't have endless surfaces on which to put lamps, and this can be a particular problem in bedrooms where there isn't enough room for proper bedside tables. Wall lights are the obvious solution to this problem, plus they make very charming objects. Ideally they need to be wired in and therefore should be installed at the point when a house is being renovated, but if this isn't possible, there are some pretty plug-in options around. In a living room or kitchen, a flexible swing arm wall light can be especially helpful, as it can move around to where you want it without the need for harsh overhead lighting.
The Sheila Maid
Drying laundry in small houses, especially if you happen to live in a rather damp country where tumble dryers aren't considered a priority, can be a nightmare. Drying racks take up space all by themselves, and are hardly the most attractive objects to be constantly running into in living rooms and bedroom. Sheila Maids are an ingenious answer to this problem. Easy to install in bathrooms or spare bedrooms, they can be moved completely out of the way when not in use, and allow air to circulate freely around drying clothes.
This story originally appeared in House & Garden UK.
