Everyone feels like they don't have enough storage space. Decluttering is the best way to open up new space in most people's homes, but well-designed furniture can help, too. Pieces that provide storage while serving a second function are useful in even the most minimal homes.
- West Elm: Their Storage Bed Frame is accessibly priced at $1,100 - $1,400. For other options, check out Apartment Therapy's list of the best storage beds.
- Wintercheck Factory: Their Ed Chair is soon to be re-released, and it includes a built-in storage compartment beneath the seat.
- Offi: Best known for their bent plywood furniture, Offi sells the Mag Table by Eric Pfieffer. A side table that doubles as a magazine rack, it's priced at $180.
- Finnish Design Shop: Based out of Turku, Finland, they carry several smart contemporary storage pieces. Designed by Mikko Karkkainen, the M3 Seat/Storage ($240) is made from plywood and available in several different colors.
- Vessel: This Boston-Based designer/retailer sells the stackable Squat Module ($220) which can double as a bookshelf or bench.
- Room and Board: Their catalog includes a lot of basic, solid wood shelving of high quality. The Network Room Divider ($1,600) organizes books and creates a see-through barrier between spaces.
- Bo Concept: They have a few different convertible furniture pieces, including a Coffee Table with Storage. Priced at $1,100, it has compartments that hide magazines and remote controls, but pop up to table level if you want to eat while watching television.
- Knife and Saw: Chris Brigham's Bike Shelf is one of the handsomest designs we've seen for wall-mounted bike storage. It comes in walnut or ash and costs $270 - $300.
- At Work Design: Located in Chicago, this store is a good source for modern home office furniture. They carry the Smith by Danese ($700) — a rolling trolley that functions as a bookcase, worktop, printer stand, and/or seat.
- Smart Furniture: This online furniture company devotes a section of their site to home organization, where you'll find the Herman Miller Cognita Storage Bench. Priced at $999, it hides space for hanging files and general storage.
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Comments (13)
Oh, how I love clever furniture!
That Bo Concept coffee table is pretty slick. As a dinner-and-a-movie (at home) kinda gal, that's right up my alley. :)
For anyone in the UK, you can find the magazine rack/side table in pic 3 here for an outrageous £45: http://www.made.com/tables/asgard-table-rack-beech
Love that website - what a gem.
Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced, overpriced.
I understand many people can afford these, but couldn't we get more of a mixture of price ranges in these posts?
These are definitely great inspiration though, so thanks for that! :) I like the Mag table!
The $240 wood storage box is definitely a little pricey.
I can attest to the utility of a storage bed. I've had mine for twenty years; I got it when I moved to NYC and it's wonderful. At the time I got mine, it was about $300 and available from 1-800-MATTRESS, so the one shown here, while nice, seems pricey. It's a bed frame with drawers and a platform, that's it.
Anyway, I've been grateful for my storage bed because it has precluded the need for a whole linen closet. The bed holds everything.
Yes a lot of these options are expensive, but they are just suggestions. There are lots of less expensive options out there. All you have to do is do a little research. For example, instead of the $240 wood box, Ikea has brought it's Hol boxes back. You can't sit on them but you can use them for storage and as coffee tables and end tables as well. You might want to get a piece of glass or acrylic cut for the top if you use it as a cocktail table. A drink will spill right through the cutwork lid if you don't.
I got the Pottery Barn Stratton Bed with drawers, but Gothic Cabinet Craft has a very similar version (in stores, not online), in fact, Gothic online has quite a few storage beds at a variety of price points.
Ok now for the things people who don't have enough money to buy a mansion (which will have plenty of storage)?
This is my double duty furniture! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/organizing/before-and-after-heathers-filing-system-067083
Does anyone know of a bench/couch-type piece of furniture that converts to a table? And would be suitable in a living room? I know of outdoor furniture that's like a picnic table with attached seating; the top when horizontal makes a table top and when tilted more vertically becomes the back of the bench. Something like that, but more suitable for a living room. Thanks!
I'd love to see more storage beds
I love multi-purpose furniture, if and when the multiple purposes don't conflict with each other (as in "choose one"), and when they are attractive.
I had the cheap ($400?) version of the pop-up coffee table. It had very heavy hardware to counterbalance the lifted top that permitted you to eat at the sofa, but open, it was truly ugly, and the bottom was not enclosed so it permitted no storage. And, if you used the top for magazines or anything, their extra weight would make lifting the top difficult. I thought it was a great idea, but we never used it and I donated it to Goodwill when we moved. Big waste of money when I could have gotten something nicer without that pointless feature.
So some of the cheaper "equivalents" really aren't equal to the high end samples, so think it through before investing.