Smart Furniture for Small Spaces

Smart Furniture for Small Spaces

Tiny houses have captured the imagination of many Americans. Whether it’s the fantasy of living efficiently in 600 square feet or less or just the drive to declutter and tidy up, the idea of jettisoning your possessions and moving into a smaller home is gaining strength.

Instead of aspiring to buy a larger house, a recent study found that more homeowners would rather have a smaller house than a larger one (37 percent compared to 23 percent). That number jumps much higher for people who already have achieved the goal of living in a bigger house. Approximately 60 percent of people living in large homes of 2,000 square feet and over said they’d rather pick a smaller one next time they move.

Smaller spaces require ingenuity and high levels of efficiency. Not only do you need to eliminate some of your possessions, perhaps by following Marie Kondo’s method, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", you also need to look for increased storage in every inch of space.

Multifunctional furniture

Resource Furniture specializes in designing transformable furniture for multifunctional rooms such as wall beds hidden behind a home office space and beds that convert to bookcases or dining tables when not in use. At West Elm and other retail stores you can find a coffee table that pops up to work as a low dining table. It also includes hidden storage.

The popularity of smart design is undeniable. For example, the Sobro Smart Coffee Table, which includes a refrigerator drawer, storage drawers, USB charging ports, power outlets, LED lighting and Bluetooth enabled speakers all controlled by a touch panel, was supported by one of the top 20 crowdfunding campaigns of all time. The coffee table production campaign reached over 2,000 backers with funding reaching $1.6 million. The coffee table retails for $1,299.00.

The app-enabled furniture is designed to work as a bedside table or in a living area. The small side table, which measures 24 inches in width and 19 inches in height, includes "smart sleep" features such as intelligent lighting and a white noise generator built into the table. The table also includes a wireless charging surface with space for two phones, smart cord storage system with magnetic cord wraps to reduce clutter, four USB ports and two standard outlets. In addition, the table has Bluetooth-enabled speakers and LED lighting. Another unique feature to this table is thermoelectric cooling drawer which operates noiselessly so as not to disturb your sleep and yet allows you to immediately grab cold water or other beverages or snacks from your bed. To see the Sobro side table in action, visit https://youtu.be/4MysloazetM.

While these furniture pieces are designed to maximize a small space, they are just as functional in larger spaces, too, for people who value convenience and interesting modern design features.

Photo credit: Storebound