Craving more space? Try thinking in the box — within the space you have. In densely populated areas, and with more people working from home, single-use rooms make little sense. Whether you have an older house with an eccentric layout, a detached space or shed, or any space that needs to serve multiple functions, you don’t need to build up or out. An easier answer lies in finding creative combinations to make your space feel bigger while doing more with less.
Dual-purpose design
Multipurpose design has come a long way since the Murphy bed was invented in 1900 to allow rooms to be “parlors” by day and bedrooms by night. Designers are crafting Transformer-type furniture that flips from a chair to a bed, a bed to a desk and from desk to dining table. Better yet, build a one-stop pod with modular cubes.
“People in all kinds of homes, big and small, are looking for ways to maximize spaces for different uses these days — whether that’s for working from home or for welcoming multiple generations of family members into one shared space,” says Dee Fontenot, Wayfair’s resident style expert. “Convertible pieces that can be easily reconfigured or stored compactly, while beautifully fitting into existing décor, are quite popular …. It’s exciting to see new designs that integrate multiple uses into a single piece without compromising form or function.”
Embrace your space
Many of Seattle’s older homes are especially space-challenged.
“In Seattle where we have limited space, typically most of the homes that the Phinery designs are somewhat compartmentalized. The lots are only so big,” says designer Becky Ducsik, owner of The Phinery in Phinney Ridge. “If there are opportunities to make a room work as hard as it can to provide all the functions a homeowner needs, we do that all the time.”
To finesse your square footage, first assess the uses and activities you’d like to add to your space — do you need storage? Play space? A homework center? An office or workout space? Maybe a guest bed? Consider these tips from expert designers on how to think creatively, using the right pieces and transforming underused spots.
Function first
Be realistic with your goals and prioritize the function you’ll primarily use the space for, says designer Hayley Francis of Neon Doves. If you are using the space as an office daily and have guests once a year, how big does the bed need to be? “You want to adhere to the most important functionality,” says Francis.
This comes into play in entertainment spaces particularly, Francis says. Dreaming of bustling parties, people buy dining or living room furniture to seat 8-10 people, when the room’s dimensions suggest six people max. A better solution, she says, is to create a room that is comfortable during its day-to-day life and can stretch a bit for parties.
Movable pieces like poufs, stackable or folding chairs and low-profile benches pitch in as extra seating when needed.
When designing multiple rooms, Ducsik selects bedroom or entry benches that coordinate with the dining table, creating a seamless look throughout the house.
Office organization
For an office with multiple jobs, Ducsik has several tools in her arsenal. She loves a daybed in an office. Styled as a couch with throw pillows and blankets and artwork behind, it makes a Zoom-friendly backdrop. Propped higher than a couch, the floor clearance allows for a trundle bed with another mattress or stowing workout equipment.
Murphy beds take up greater floor space than a daybed, sometimes requiring playing Jenga with the furniture to open them, and must be built in. They work best if you have a spacious room or are building a new one, says Ducsik. Sleeper sofas are a less costly option, designer Kirsten Conner says. She swears they are more comfortable these days, too.
Ducsik recommends a frame TV opposite the daybed — it presents as art when not in use or streaming at-home workouts.
No dedicated office? Carve out workspace in unsuspecting places. Add a desk to a closet or under the stairs. Hang a foldout shelf (at desk height) on the wall. Place a chair next to a 20” deep console table. If all you need is a laptop, a portable C table can go anywhere.
Family-friendly form
Parents often want to create a space that welcomes the whole family without looking like a preschool.
For one client, Francis designed a play space in the dining room. Folded up compactly most days, the table’s flat leaves fold out in a snap for dining by sliding over two extra chairs. These drop-leaf tables can also act as a wall console when closed.
Ducsik recommends puzzles, sketchpads and games for public play spaces because they stack easily. Outsized toys can live in the kids’ room. She loves cabinets with baskets to corral the kid stuff and says, “Every family should have a storage ottoman,” or at least a low, scratch-proof coffee table with rounded edges.
Pieces at play
Divide and conquer open plan areas with floating furniture that delineate the space and can be used on two sides.
A hall tree can have a bench on one side and coat storage on the other. Bookshelves, consoles, beds and desks can function as room dividers with a unique look on either side. Wallpaper can act as focal art, with shelves, baskets or counters mounted on top for another area of interest.
Cozy armchairs may flank one side of a free-standing fireplace, dining chairs the other.
In living rooms, a swivel chair bridges several functions, says Conner — it’s ready for conversation over here or binge-watching over there, which is very helpful in a small space.
Guest stars that move from room-to-room include small poufs — stowable under a console — stackable or folding chairs and rolling carts — rolling from kitchen prep to bar cart as needed.
And of course, the C table — so much function in a tiny footprint. “We put C tables in almost every project — they allow you to sit, work and eat,” says Ducsik.
Conner agrees, calling them “grown-up TV trays,” acting as side table, laptop desk, and more. “They are constantly being moved around in my house because they don’t take a lot of space.”
Spy storage solutions
Evaluate your space with fresh eyes hunting out unused real estate for new storage — walls, under the bed, under stairs or eaves. Look to walls to hold shelves, box cubbies (which have storage in and above), foldout desks or dining tables. You can even hang open folding chairs as light storage in a garage or mudroom. Windows accommodate shelving with suction cups, or you can build in supports on either side to hold a stronger shelf.
Create a cabinet under a solid stairway for storage, a bar, desk or a dog bed. Open stair treads can hold baskets or drawers. Don’t forget attic eaves as opportunities.
The trickery of Transformers
“Transformable” furniture is designed to flip functions. Conner, for instance, has her eye on trying an Italian-designed coffee table that pops up to dining height with a button.
Loft beds have been a college institution for decades, often including a desk under the bed. For one piece that does everything but make toast, Swedish Matroshka Furniture creates adaptable, multilevel platforms combining a couch, desk, storage and extra seating in stowaway ottomans.
Seattle Design Center offers wall beds that swivel to a bookcase, wall units that fold out to a full bar and more.
Making individual pieces go farther, Vancouver-based Expand furniture offers wall bed/desks, a bench made of paper that swells from six-inches to seating eight (holding 2000 pounds!), and “the Junior Giant,” a console with magnetized sections that stretches to a 12-seat dining table.
There’s almost always a way make your space more efficient, beautiful and fun. You just may need to look at it from a new angle — or two.