In an era where the lines between home offices and entertainment areas, open-plan kitchens and dining spaces, bedrooms and living rooms are becoming blurred; multifunctional furniture for multifunctional spaces is key.
We also live in an era of innovative tiny house designs and small home urban living in condensed metropolitan areas. Whichever way you slice it though, our home is not just a place to eat and sleep. It’s a space for families to grow, to unwind, to work, and to enjoy life.
Therefore, the spaces that we inhabit need to be as flexible and versatile as our lifestyles are – especially when you’re looking to save space.
Who says your kitchen island bench can’t double as both a dining table and workstation? Or that your home office can’t also serve as a guest bedroom when family are in town? Or that your bed can’t contain drawers for all your clothes and accessories?
Here are some examples of embracing the idea of multifunctional spaces in your interior design plans, and how multifunctional furniture for small spaces can optimise your home.
#1 – Modular lounges
Of all the furniture we put in our house, the couch is arguably the biggest space-consumer of them all (aside from your bed, perhaps). And yet, a home isn’t a home without one. So if you’re working with limited space in the lounge room, how can you get the most out of it?
A modular lounger is the ideal solution. Not only can you separate various components to become end-tables or footrests, but some modular lounges can even be reassembled into makeshift beds for when you have someone staying the night.
#2 – Fold-up beds with built-in shelving/cabinetry
Don’t cringe just yet – there’s a stigma associated with fold-up beds that no longer applies to the innovative designs being dreamt up nowadays. Multifunctional space-saving furniture has come a long way, and if you’re looking to free up space in your home office for overnight guests, there are fold-up beds that can be built into the wall and transformed into a highly functional desk and cabinet unit with just a few movements.
Working from home has become much more common in the last few years, but many of us don’t have the space to spare. When you consider that your sleeping patterns and your 9-5 have zero overlap, it makes sense that the space is shared for the two purposes.
#3 – Kitchen island dining table
Gone are the days when households had separate walled-off zones for the kitchen, dining room and living room. These days it’s far more common to have one large open-plan space, where the cook can socialise or watch TV while in the kitchen, and others can sit at the kitchen bench to chat rather than be delegated to another room.
One of the best ways to incorporate multifunctional living into your interior design plans is to make your kitchen island multifunctional.
By taking a dining table out of the equation, you free up a lot of space in your interior design. A kitchen island’s primary purpose is for extra storage and more bench space to prepare meals, but why not get one with an overhang and keep stools underneath? This way, when dinner is ready the household can sit around the island and share a meal there.
#4 – Side tables that can also be used as stools
When purchasing side tables to place beside the sofa, in corners or elsewhere in the home, it’s a good idea to choose stool-like designs so that they can also be used for additional seating when you’re entertaining. Simply remove the lamp or framed picture from your side table and you’re good to go! This is probably one of the easiest ways to make use of multifunctional furniture.
#5 – Multifunctional indoor play areas for kids and pets
Furniture with built-in gamified features for children is becoming increasingly trendy these days – especially in the last few years, when playing outside wasn’t an option. Bunk bed playhouses are a great option, as well as coffee tables with various playtime components that pull out and slot back into place when playtime is over. To keep your pets entertained without consuming too much floorspace, you can invest in something like a 3-in-1 cat bed, scratching post and litter box.
Create multifunctional spaces with FURNISHD.
With multifunctional furniture, you can achieve whatever interior design style you want for your home – be it industrial, bohemian, Scandinavian, French or otherwise. Get started on creating your ideal home interior space online now, with FURNISHD. We take the guesswork out of your interior design – start your design today.
