If you're short on space, need to save cash, or just like creative problem-solving, consider all the ways you can make your furniture work overtime. Here are a few examples of helpful, double-duty pieces.
Sometimes, as with a daybed or storage bench, the multifunctionality is built in — other times it's just a matter of how you use what you've got.
For the latter case, it might be a bookcase that doubles as a room divider (Images 1 and 4) or a dresser that can pull its weight as a nightstand (Image 5). With the right planning and placement, a set of drawers can become a table leg (Image 8) and shoe cabinets can also function as a shelf (Image 10).
Shown above:
1. Bookcase / Room Divider
2. Seating / Sleeping and Stool / Side Table
3. Storage / Seating
4. Room Divider / Shelving
5. Dresser / Nightstand
6. Seating/Sleeping
7. Two Beds in One
8. Storage Chest / DIY Desk
9. Bed / Book Storage
10. Shoe Cabinet / Display Shelf
MORE DOUBLE-DUTY FURNITURE ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Inspiration: Using a Bookcase as a Room Divider
• Double-Duty Furniture: Seats & Shelves
• Double-Duty Furniture: The Trunk
Images: 1. Flickr user Queenieinmanhattan via Apartment Therapy 2. West Elm 3. Better Homes and Gardens via Apartment Therapy 4. Ariel's Wrap Around Jewel Box 5. Kristen Lubbe for Apartment Therapy 6. DoJo 7. Crate and Barrel 8. Manhattan Nest 9. Killorn via Apartment Therapy 10. Sofie Lawett via x4duros
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Comments (21)
Good post. I've never lived in a home so big that this wasn't the smart way to go.
Thanks for shying away from the obvious "pull-out couch" option! It's nice to see some other double-duty items on there. Especially that daybed (#2) - it's lovely!
One that I'd add is using a dresser as a TV stand. Pretty obvious if you live in a studio, but not necessarily for the rest of us.
I've just started to get very into this. First double duty: a short vintage metal typewriter stand as small, mobile coffee table. Woo hoo!
My Dad took an old dresser and put a beautiful granite top on it. I use it to cook on, eat at and I store all my kitchen towels and bathroom towels in it! It's my favorite piece of furniture.
My desk doubles as my kitchen table (efficiently and w/o moving anything) and my bookcase is an old industrial rack w/ shoes and cleaning supplies hidden from my living room.
I needed a second dresser to accomodate my boyfriend but it would've cluttered up my floor space in the bedroom, so I bought one that looked equally as good in the living room, store my trays and some photography books on top.
I also have a white west elm parsons desk that now serves as an entry way table, but when older relatives are visiting, we can pull up some chairs for an additional dining area since sitting at an island on a counter stool is not comfortable for them.
And speaking of the island. I have a 8 ft kitchen island with generous overhang on one side and the ends. So I prep, cook and serve there. Enough room for 4 to 6 to eat on the island. Ample storage underneath.
I love love love this post! We just moved from a 4 bedroom house to a 1 bedroom apartment. We're having fun arranging our little space, but, as we acquire things, bring more stuff from storage, have kids someday, the space dwindles. We're not discouraged though, we like the challenge of transforming this apartment into a home! I can't wait to read more comments to get more ideas!!
Oh, and I guess I could mention a few things that we've done: we have a desk that doubles as TV stand in bedroom, we put wire stacking shelves (Target) in our walk in closet on the bottom to store our non-clothing stuff, we have a small kitchen and I work from home, so we made the dining room into an office with (Ikea) shelves to display some nicer kitchen items, as well as officy things, we have an ottoman (Overstock.com) that has storage for our board games, an antique chest that has misc things that we're not using stored in it, we have our knives, pots, pans and lids hanging on the walls.
Spidermum - I love the dresser with the granite top idea! Someday, I may ask my husband to make me one of these!
I am currently using my old school stereo console as a headboard/nightstands.
Anyone know where to get that "East Coast by Liner" poster hanging above the bed? I'm looking for similar styled posters to frame for my apartment, and I live on the East Coast so that would be perfect!
I love this post I stumbled across a couple of years ago on Martha Stewards website regarding an office in a chest. It's kinda got an ottoman top so it can also serve as seating and perhaps a coffee table??? Four pieces of furniture in one!!! That's serious bang for your buck!
http://www.marthastewart.com/272739/mini-office-in-a-chest-how-to
LOVE that bookshelf bench!
I've been using the dresser as a nightstand for nearly 20 years.
Surprised there's not more on ottomas: love my storage ottoman and another that folds out into a cot, which gets used far more than I ever imagined.
ec05 - Where did you get the ottoman that folds into a cot? What a brilliant idea!
I want to echo @MissMeaghan - Does anyone know where to get that poster in the first photo? It's really cute!!!
I loved the print too!
Found it here:
http://www.art.co.uk/products/p9624614293-sa-i5499746/east-coast-by-lner.htm?sorig=cat&sorigid=0&dimvals=0&ui=b2d9a2dc0c9347be8deed7f35dc331db&searchstring=east+coast+lner
You'll probably be able to find a US link, search terms "east coast lner" there's a few in the same style :)
-Tara
I love the curtained bedroom nook but hate all that stuff under the bed. Nothing hard should be under there. *If you must* store anything under a bed it should be soft bedding for optimum feng shui vibes.
I love the use of expedit as a room divider. Living in London can be quite a challenge when you have a lot of stuff as I do, so most of my furniture has some sort of concealed storage.
Could you please start running captions (links or related one-liners) alongside the images? Jumping back and forth just to figure out what caption refers to what image is not working! It's not user friendly! Seriously!
Also found the poster at http://www.allposters.eu, where they are currently having a sale!
I love multi-purpose furniture! I like to think of it as "both a floor wax AND a dessert topping," from the old SNL skit. We've got a bookcase as a nightstand, and our guest room's bedside table is also a vanity (the center surface lifts up to be a mirror), sewing table (the machine stows underneath), and desk (three small drawers). I'm looking for a sewing chair to go with it, one that has a drawer under the seat.
I second Graphist's request for captions to accompany pictures -- that'd be very helpful. Sister site The Kitchn sometimes includes them; here's a recent example.