How to Make One Small Room Perform Double Duty
Forget interior design pros and forget interior design shows, because nothing can help you prepare for living in a small space like playing Tetris. If you spent your formative years trying to organize an increasingly frantic number of squares, rectangles and…whatever that Z-shaped thing was, then you’re ready to figure out how to arrange your life within the walls of a small home.
The problem with being in a small home is that you don’t have room for, well, all of the rooms you need. You know, your living room is also your bedroom, or your bedroom is also your office, or your guest room is…whatever flat surface your guests don’t mind sleeping on. You could start measuring to see how to stack your most geometric furniture, but it’s our suggestion that you start measuring for an American Leather Comfort Sleeper.
Although you might not know their name, American Leather is the brand behind the top-rated sleeper sofas you’ve probably seen at some of your favorite retailers. And yes, even the upholstered sofas: American Leather has hundreds of color and texture choices, including premium fabrics, ultrasuede and (duh) leather. Consumers Digest called the Comfort Sleeper, “the standard by which all other sleeper sofas are measured,” and with its Tempur-pedic mattress, there’s a chance it’s even more comfortable than your bed.
With the Comfort Sleeper as your centerpiece, you can finally reclaim some crucial square footage in your studio apartment, or your office could perform double-duty as a guest room. The same space can feel almost twice as big with some distinct supporting day-to-night configurations…
- Find throw pillows that can add a pop of color to the sofa, but can become pillow shams when it’s in bed mode. Whether you’re making it up for a guest or for yourself, you want it to feel like a bed, you know?
- No headboard? No problem, not if you find the right shelf (or shelves) to hang behind the sofa. This can also be the perfect display space for that art gallery you’ve been curating in your head.
- A transitional ottoman can be used for extra storage, as a coffee-table stand-in, and as a nightstand.
- Make some extra room by ditching the table or floor lamp for pendulum lighting. Adding a dimmer switch can make it even easier to set that late-night mood (or to gently wake your guests when it’s 11 a.m. and you need to use your office).
Honestly, we never liked Tetris that much anyway.
This post is sponsored by American Leather and was created by the Apartment Therapy Creative Studio. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Apartment Therapy possible.