Comments on: Space-saving solutions for small homes

By: gypsy packer

gypsy packer — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:38:22 +0000

I believe that Lifehacker had the framed poster which folds down off a hinge to make a table. Another stipulation for city folks and gypsies: Is it movable? Packable? I crave the convertible sofa which folds to a chaise or futon, or the ottoman bed, but my 1890′s iron bed and rails knock down fast and flat, allow plywood instead of box springs, and a sleeping bag instead of a mattress, under the spread.
Seconds on Treehugger. That half wall is a cutie.

By: Kaz

Kaz — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:06:09 +0000

I agree with “Erin from Colorado”. The swivel table in pic 2 takes up a lot of space in its rotation.

I like metamorphic coffee tables which change into low, Japanese-style dining tables. Add a few cushions to sit on and a small space becomes an exotic place to eat with guests

By: john

john — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:23:31 +0000

Pic #2: “Conan, what is best in life?”

By: pamzella

pamzella — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:14:51 +0000

Oh, Jodi, I disagree. Having a small space should not meant that you cannot ever have friends over, because what is the point of having a lovely, funky, individual and cleverly-designed and decorated space if you ALWAYS have to go to someone else’s house to hang out? But if there is an island in the kitchen or a window nook that allows more casual eating, that’s a great solution that allows dinner parties…. likely in the living room since that’s the only room. My grandparents built a small house with a lot of kitchen and a decent size family room…. open space and danish post-modern teak fold-away tables and they had elaborate dinner parties for 16 and the next morning, my toddler mom could get up and play with her toys all over the floor of the same room. Turned out to be very practical. And the entire family is now fighting over those tables since they downsized and moved out of the house.

Erin, I have a dining room table and space for it, finally, but these are great ideas for a 10×10 bedroom that I need have to have function as an office, a craft room AND a guest room, thanks for the ideas!!

By: Jodi

Jodi — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 14:36:31 +0000

I would propose if your dining room table is used so infrequently that it can be hung on the wall between uses you may want to reconsider if there is an actual need for one at all.

Obviously that would be totally impractical for a family, leaving singles or couples with no children as the market. I can’t imagine a single guy/gal going through the hassle of pulling the table off the wall, setting it up, cleaning it, and re-hanging it just for a quick bowl of cereal (or whatever) before work.

Seems like it might be an item to consider uncluttering!

By: Erin in Colorado

Erin in Colorado — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:41:41 +0000

As cool as the formica pivoting countertop is… it seems like you’d need a lot of *extra* space to implement that in your house or apartment, instead of it acting as a clever space-saving solution…?

By: Marie

Marie — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:41:44 +0000

I like the bathroom storage idea!

By: Marcee ..... ILLINOIS

Marcee ..... ILLINOIS — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:34:42 +0000

Wow … genius : ) ideas!

Bright colors are marvelous. They definitely make a family cheerful and happy!

Folks who live with browns, beiges or anything related to those icky shades …. need to stop that. Just tooo depressing.

Recently I saw this incredible kitchen faucet …. in BRIGHT BLUE (other colors also) at Danish Design Store. We need a third job to buy it …. very pricey. Simply gorgeous. It is mine! Possibly for the holidays. (joy!)

By: Gremlin

Gremlin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:16:54 +0000

The stack of books in the first picture may be supported by one of the (or a similar product):
http://www.ambientedirect.com/.....d-160.html

This kind of shelving is called “Bücherturm” in German, I don’t know what to google for in English

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:57:16 +0000

There’s a wall mirror called “tip over” that has a frame which unfolds to form legs and becomes a table:

http://www.porada.it/big.html?.....8;logoy=22

I lust after it for my small apartment…Hopefully the link works!

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:12:51 +0000

Our dining table is an antique gateleg table on castors – unfashionable to many but very practical. It seats 6 people comfortable and folds down to be 18 inches deep and 5 foot long. So when it’s folded we use it as a room dividing display table.

By: Debbie M

Debbie M — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 04:51:55 +0000

Oh, I could write infmom’s first paragraph myself, but our IKEA solution was to install towel bars over the stove and put hooks on those and hang pots off those hooks. Of course, you don’t expect to find studs where you want to nail in a towel bar, so we cut two-by-fours and nailed them to the studs, painted them the same color as the ceiling, and then attached to the towel bars to them. Our stove has a wall in back and a wall on one side. So those two-by-fours are in an L-shape across the front and down the other side.

We use bookshelves for lots of things–cookbooks and the mixer and extra cans in the kitchen, shoes in the bedroom, as a headboard in the bedroom, reference books, the printer, the routers, etc. in the office, and of course books and decor in the living room (and the hallway).

A dresser holds wrapping materials, bike helmets, and other stuff under the bar in the dining room. A deacon’s bench holds craft items in the hallway. A nightstand holds washcloths, Q-tips and other supplies in the bathroom.

You can fit more furniture in a room of you stick some of it out instead of putting the longest side against a wall, so our bed and a desk are sticking out like that. But mostly we prefer the more spacious look of leaving everything against the wall.

By: chacha1

chacha1 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:05:43 +0000

@ Andy, well not without putting a LADDER beside the stack, anyway! Unless they were (gasp) just using the books as decor. Tsk tsk tsk. But maybe the tenant is 8 feet tall.

By: infmom

infmom — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:24:00 +0000

We have a window over our kitchen sink, and cabinets on both sides. The kitchen is about the size of a closet, so we didn’t have anywhere near enough space to store all our pots and pans.

We got two wire shelves from Ikea and attached them to the cabinets in the space over the sink. We hang pots and pans from the bottom of the top shelf (which has a bunch of silk plants decorating the top of it) and have our dish drainers on the bottom shelf. This way, wet dishes drip right into the sink. We’ve since gotten a portable dishwasher, but there are enough things that get washed by hand that those drainers are still very useful.

I have a photo of the arrangement, but it’s on my other computer, so use your imagination.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:50:10 +0000

In the first picture, the apartment looks haunted. No human being would stack books like this.