Space Saving Smart Furniture Switcheroos

In a small home, every inch counts. If you’re looking for ways to find more space in your home, peruse this list of furniture switcheroo suggestions. They are smart and suitable substitutes for bulkier furniture, and making these switches could give you more space.

A small wooden shelf, a repurposed desk drawer or a cube shelf (like above) can drastically reduce the space a nightstand might take up without eliminating a handy bedside surface.

Modern technology is smaller and sleeker than ever, so why clutter up a small space with a big desk? I spotted this smart desk solution in Genevieve and Ashley’s home: A fold-away ironing board for a quick and sturdy desk surface. And, even if you leave the ironing board in place as a desk (and don’t bother folding it away), its narrow size doesn’t seem to take up a lot of visual space.

Wall-mounted shelves are a great suitable solution to a big, bulky bookcase. But if you rent and can’t do any drilling in your walls, look for a ladder-type bookcase. Not only will it have a smaller footprint than a larger bookcase, but because of its open appearance, you won’t feel like it’s taking up as much space.

You might be looking for a way to visually divide the different functions of your home. But a bulky divider or bookcase—though successful in dividing a room—might take up too much precious floor space. Switch instead to a hanging curtain. You can find something made out of fabric to DIY, or you can purchase something like in the above photo.

A big dining table and chairs can take up a lot of room if you live in a small space. Consider a DIY solution. The kitchen pictured above features a clever table that pulls out from its cabinet hiding place. But you could also DIY a table that folds down when in use and folds back up flatly against the wall when you want to reclaim more space.

If you own your home or have really cool landlords, consider replacing doors with curtains. Doors use up space—lots of it—to swing open, and that could be room you use for seating and other much-needed furniture. When you replace doors with curtains, you add lots of floor space.