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What is Space Saving Furniture?

Ken Black
Ken Black

Space saving furniture is furniture designed to make the best use of the existing space. It is especially important as apartment furniture and condo furniture where space may be limited. To make the best use of the available space, the furniture may be designed somewhat smaller than traditionally-sized furniture, or may be used for more than one purpose.

Furniture designed for space saving can be used in a number of different applications. Some pieces even come on wheels so that they can be rolled up and stored out of the way when not in use. It is even possible to get sinks, complete with counter tops, that are like this. However, most space saving furniture is more traditional in its design.

Space saving furniture is designed to make the best use of an existing space.
Space saving furniture is designed to make the best use of an existing space.

In the office environment, one of the keys to space saving furniture is its modular design. Just like a jigsaw puzzle fits tightly together, modular furniture helps make the most of an area by fitting it neatly together with other pieces. While it may not be possible to make every piece of furniture fit exactly perfect, the space savings that come along with such a design are significant.

Stackable shelves are one kind of space saving furniture.
Stackable shelves are one kind of space saving furniture.

In the home, this type of furniture can be modular, but it is less likely to be so. Many like more personality in their home environment. Therefore, space saving furniture in the home is likely to take the form of multi-purpose furniture. This may include furniture such as futons with storage space, beds with underneath storage and other similar furniture. The other technique is to make the furniture more vertical, such as with bunk beds. While this technically takes up the same amount of space, it does save floor space, which is usually the concern.

Lamps with a swivel arm take up less space than traditional desk lamps.
Lamps with a swivel arm take up less space than traditional desk lamps.

One of the criticisms of space saving furniture is the aesthetics. In the office environment, it is said to contribute to a type of corporate monotony that is often complained about in recent times. In the home, many see it as less than ideal, simply because it is somewhat less creative and there are fewer options than with traditional furniture.

Discussion Comments

indigomoth

There's a really interesting hotel trend that's been starting to take off, where they keep the rooms as small as possible and charge less money.

Your room might not have a window, and is basically a space saving bed with a shower, but in order to make the space bigger they incorporated all kinds of space saving features, like storage in the ceiling, and under the bed and so on.

They also put a huge TV in the room that can be programmed to look like a window, as well as fancy music and light features everywhere.

I think it's a great idea, as you don't spend much time in a hotel room anyway. Putting in too much room is a waste of time.

browncoat

There are some incredibly efficient space saving furniture options available now, especially since it fits in so well with an eco-philosophy and that is one of the big current trends in design.

You can get things like a bed that can be transformed into a desk and again into a couch, including book cases and drawers. You can get fold away sinks and tables. You can get furniture that can be constructed from cardboard, and then re-configured to become something else again.

The best thing is that they almost always make it look beautiful or at least elegant, as well as being practical.

I'm not sure many people live in places that small, but it makes it seem much more bearable if you could have furniture like that.

bythewell

One of my favorite examples of modern space saving furniture is when they incorporate book shelves into staircases.

I just think it looks really nifty and it is a great way to save space. What's really cool is when you color co-ordinate the books so it looks like they have been put there just to add a bit of life to the place.

The only problem with it is that you can't take the stair case with you if you are ever going to move from the house, so this is the kind of feature you'll either have to stick around to enjoy, or re-build every time you move.

It might also be inconvenient to get books from under the lowest step, but bookshelves have low shelves as well.

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    • Space saving furniture is designed to make the best use of an existing space.
      By: Visionär
      Space saving furniture is designed to make the best use of an existing space.
    • Stackable shelves are one kind of space saving furniture.
      By: Andrey Bandurenko
      Stackable shelves are one kind of space saving furniture.
    • Lamps with a swivel arm take up less space than traditional desk lamps.
      By: amphotolt
      Lamps with a swivel arm take up less space than traditional desk lamps.