6 Multi-Purpose Furnishings for Small Rooms

(Altea Relax sofa-bed unit, from Resource Furniture)Janet Ramin - Are you pressed for space? Looking for additional storage? Feeling cramped where you live? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this post can help you. I’m very tough on my furniture – I not only expect them to look good, but I expect them to work really hard for me. How, you ask? I make sure they fulfill a function, preferably several functions. I want them to multi-task!

If you have a small room or live in a cramped city apartment like I do, each piece of furniture I place has to do more than one thing. For instance, this bed from Bo Concept lifts up and doubles as storage space for blankets, sheets, etc. You can even store old design magazines in there. I can then free up my dresser from storing linens to just house only my clothes. If you’re a clotheshorse like me, this is essential!

(Storage bed from Bo Concept)If you have a studio that functions as a bedroom and a living space, then you know Murphy beds are a wonderful solution to store away your bed. Resource Furniture goes one step further – they add a sofa or a desk so that their Murphy unit houses multiple furniture.  The Swing unit below shows a sofa and a bookcase but hidden behind it is the bed which swings out and over the sofa when in use.

(Swing unit from Resource Furniture)

Click to read more ...

Turn a Room in Your Home Into a Multi-Functional Library

Irwin Weiner ASID - In New York, each room has to serve multiple functions. A "spare room" (ha! - what a concept in cramped and crowded NYC apartments) has to be a guest room, dining room, study, TV room, game room ... and library. And why not? Gone are the days when a living room served only one purpose, which was to be a seldom-used museum, a shrine to show off the formal furniture you inherited from Grandma (it was ugly when she had it, and you're carrying on your family's tradition of ugly). Perish forbid that anyone would ever sit in the living room without company, relax, hang out, study, play games, or LIVE in the living room! I wanted to share with you two sources of inspiration to help you rethink the function of one or more rooms in your house or apartment. First, click on the beautiful NYC apartment library photo above to see master designer Jamie Drake's work and other fine designer's takes on the home library; always-excellent Decorati ran a two-part series that really inspires! And take a look at the following HGTV Top 10 video to see Jamie Drake's fresh take on a colorful and multi-functional NYC library-guest room-breakfast room-dining room-study area. Beautiful job, as always, Jamie. And read our Designers We Love piece on Jamie Drake, too, for more inspiration.

 Click here to subscribe to our daily design videos.

Update on August 22, 2011 by Design2Share

Super King Size Leather Beds: We just found a great collection of sleek leather bed designs. They add sophistication, whether your bedroom decor is traditional or modern. 

Featured Project: DIY Painted Headboard

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate. Here's a quick, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Contemporary vanities and more at Decor Planet for your bathroom needs.