Clever Furniture for Compact Interiors
From corner sofas to compact designs and dual-purpose furniture, be inspired by these small-space heroes that will big up your mini space
Compact rooms call for clever ideas to maximise their potential, both in terms of practicality and style, and furniture designed to be flexible in a tiny interior is worth its weight in gold. Solutions are available to suit all budgets, and range from built-in benches with under-seat storage to neatly proportioned antiques and contemporary classics.
Check out these ideas to boost your sense of space and enjoy bigging up the potential of your compact home.
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
Check out these ideas to boost your sense of space and enjoy bigging up the potential of your compact home.
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
Make the most of vertical space with bunks
Bunk beds are a classic small-space solution and ideal for children’s rooms, where they provide a platform for adventure games, too. Source a ready-made piece or have a carpenter custom-build something, allowing you to fully embrace the proportions of your room.
If the space is particularly wide, then longer bunks are great for sharing, top-to-tail style, when friends come to stay. Natural wood is a classic material and ideal for adding an authentic cabin feel to the room.
Accessorise with bedding in nautical shades of blue and white, and don’t forget the ladder for clambering up to the top bunk.
Bunk beds are a classic small-space solution and ideal for children’s rooms, where they provide a platform for adventure games, too. Source a ready-made piece or have a carpenter custom-build something, allowing you to fully embrace the proportions of your room.
If the space is particularly wide, then longer bunks are great for sharing, top-to-tail style, when friends come to stay. Natural wood is a classic material and ideal for adding an authentic cabin feel to the room.
Accessorise with bedding in nautical shades of blue and white, and don’t forget the ladder for clambering up to the top bunk.
Maximise seating with a modular sofa
Sectional seating helps you make the most of a tiny living room, letting you add as many or as few pieces as the space will allow. A corner set-up not only boosts the space allocated for sitting, but creates a cosy nook for sociable gatherings.
Here, because the seating sits just below window level, and with the help of a strategically placed Union Jack cushion, the eye is drawn to the window, subliminally linking the inside with the outside and making the interior feel larger than it is.
Sectional seating helps you make the most of a tiny living room, letting you add as many or as few pieces as the space will allow. A corner set-up not only boosts the space allocated for sitting, but creates a cosy nook for sociable gatherings.
Here, because the seating sits just below window level, and with the help of a strategically placed Union Jack cushion, the eye is drawn to the window, subliminally linking the inside with the outside and making the interior feel larger than it is.
Source naturally neat pieces
Vintage and antique furniture pieces often have neat proportions – we’re much bigger than our ancestors – and work well in tiny bedrooms.
Look out for small card tables that are slimline and elegant enough to be used as bedside tables, and small, armless antique slipper chairs with low legs that will transform a tiny corner into a cosy reading nook.
Vintage and antique furniture pieces often have neat proportions – we’re much bigger than our ancestors – and work well in tiny bedrooms.
Look out for small card tables that are slimline and elegant enough to be used as bedside tables, and small, armless antique slipper chairs with low legs that will transform a tiny corner into a cosy reading nook.
Create just enough room for two
If there isn’t enough room for a dining table and you don’t entertain a great deal, then don’t waste valuable space on a large table and chairs. Instead, consider a tall, bistro-style table and a couple of high stools that will tuck neatly into a corner and create a stylish nook for mealtimes.
Glass is a good choice for small spaces, as it doesn’t obstruct sightlines as much as solid materials, while shiny metals and glossy whites will help to bounce light around the space and open it up.
If there isn’t enough room for a dining table and you don’t entertain a great deal, then don’t waste valuable space on a large table and chairs. Instead, consider a tall, bistro-style table and a couple of high stools that will tuck neatly into a corner and create a stylish nook for mealtimes.
Glass is a good choice for small spaces, as it doesn’t obstruct sightlines as much as solid materials, while shiny metals and glossy whites will help to bounce light around the space and open it up.
Create sociable seating in a small alcove
A built-in bench makes the most of a small alcove for seating many people. For best results, commission a carpenter to build one to your specifications and factor in under-seat storage, too, for a fabulously chic dual-purpose furniture set-up.
Upholstery in rich velvet or linen will add a smart touch. Consider using the same fabric for any window treatments, too, to create an elegant but pared-back feel to the tiny space and to give it a simple, harmonious look, rather than chopping up – and therefore shrinking – the space with different shades.
See 10 smart ways to maximise a small dining space.
A built-in bench makes the most of a small alcove for seating many people. For best results, commission a carpenter to build one to your specifications and factor in under-seat storage, too, for a fabulously chic dual-purpose furniture set-up.
Upholstery in rich velvet or linen will add a smart touch. Consider using the same fabric for any window treatments, too, to create an elegant but pared-back feel to the tiny space and to give it a simple, harmonious look, rather than chopping up – and therefore shrinking – the space with different shades.
See 10 smart ways to maximise a small dining space.
Invest in dual-purpose pieces
A slim, contemporary sofa-bed is perfect for space saving and, of course, doubling up as a bed, whether for the occupant of a tiny studio or as additional sleeping space in a one-bedroom pad.
Look for unfussy styles and neutral tones in soft, tactile fabrics, such as wool and felt. Splashes of colour and pattern can be introduced with cushions and throws, which can regularly be replaced for an instant décor update.
Browse a range of sofa-beds – many with free shipping – in the Houzz Shop.
A slim, contemporary sofa-bed is perfect for space saving and, of course, doubling up as a bed, whether for the occupant of a tiny studio or as additional sleeping space in a one-bedroom pad.
Look for unfussy styles and neutral tones in soft, tactile fabrics, such as wool and felt. Splashes of colour and pattern can be introduced with cushions and throws, which can regularly be replaced for an instant décor update.
Browse a range of sofa-beds – many with free shipping – in the Houzz Shop.
Scale it up to trick the eye
In a compact bedroom, use the ‘play with scale’ technique often adopted by hotel chains to make their rooms feel large and sumptuous: fit a big headboard to fool the eye into thinking the room is more spacious than it really is.
An upholstered one in soft linen or wool, and accompanied by a pile of cushions and soft layering on the bed, will further emphasise the feeling of luxury and comfort, and add a sense of importance to a small space.
Tell us…
Have you tried any of these furniture tricks to pack more into a compact room? Or perhaps you have more ideas to try – we’d love to hear all about them and see your photos in the Comments section.
In a compact bedroom, use the ‘play with scale’ technique often adopted by hotel chains to make their rooms feel large and sumptuous: fit a big headboard to fool the eye into thinking the room is more spacious than it really is.
An upholstered one in soft linen or wool, and accompanied by a pile of cushions and soft layering on the bed, will further emphasise the feeling of luxury and comfort, and add a sense of importance to a small space.
Tell us…
Have you tried any of these furniture tricks to pack more into a compact room? Or perhaps you have more ideas to try – we’d love to hear all about them and see your photos in the Comments section.
Laptops are now commonplace in our lives, with more and more of us using them as the primary computer.
For small interiors, where a kitchen-diner has to double up as a work space, consider a pull-out, breakfast bar-style table built into a kitchen unit. This can be used for eating at and working on, then easily slid back into place when not in use.
If you’re planning on fitting a new kitchen, look out for companies that already factor this into their designs. Alternatively, commission a carpenter to customise an existing cupboard to make space for one.
Read reviews of carpenters and joiners in your area.