Homes & Gardens
Space Savers: 8 Space-Efficient Buys For Small Rooms
Compact rooms can present a design challenge, but these hardworking heroes are more than equal to the task.
Living in a small space can sometimes feel like an exercise in constantly making jigsaw pieces fit together. The key, then, is to maximise the square footage you have by using storage as cleverly as can be and finding compact items that stack away or slip neatly into recesses – and we say, the harder working the better. These are some of our favourite pieces for smaller spaces.
Main image: OKA
Braemar Upholstered Trunk – Multi, £1,750
When it comes to saving space, items with a dual purpose are the name of the game. If, then, you’re looking for a spot to stack your magazines or to put your feet up but also don’t want to knowingly miss a storage opportunity, an Ottoman that opens up to stash away your treasures is a no brainer. We love this Rolls Royce of Ottomans from Oka, but if the budget doesn’t stretch to it, other equally useful examples abound online.
Hideaway Home Office, £1,699
Since working from home became the mainstream choice in the pandemic, most of us have yearned for a proper office space to tuck ourselves away in and, indeed, to close the door on at the end of the day, thus nipping in the bud any inclination to work long into the night. Alas, not all of us have a room to spare nor, indeed, even space in our existing rooms to carve out an area for work. This clever piece of furniture doubles as storage for all the inevitable office accoutrements, as well featuring an all-important pull-out desk. You may not be able to step into another room at the end of the day, but you can at least close the cupboard doors for the night. #wfh goals.
Witham Oak Plate Rack, £198
Rowen & Wren’s Witham Oak Plate Rack is at once useful and beautiful, its slim frame saving space in a small kitchen by dispensing with the need for crockery cupboards. Perfect for strictly minimal folk or for a property used as a holiday let.
Pebble Nest of Coffee Tables, £680 (Was £850)
Stackable furniture is a non-negotiable when it comes to small space living. We love these Pebble Coffee Tables, which are inspired by an original design from the mid 1950s by Lucian Ercolani. They’re neat, they’re cool and they’re just right for pulling out only as and when you need – perch a lamp on one, your coffee and a book on another and offer the last to your nearest and dearest.
Normann Copenhagen Rise Wall Lamp, £99 (Was £116.67)
Squirrelling oneself away under the duvet with a good book is one of life’s great pleasures. But if your bedroom is on the snugger side and won’t accommodate bedside tables to, in turn, hold reading lamps, then consider a wall-mounted version instead. We especially like this one in eye-popping yellow by Normann Copenhagen.
Tight Space Storage Bed, £705 (was £745)
Beds with drawers are the way forward for anyone looking for a space to store shoes or extra bed linen – or, indeed, any other items that need tucking away. Loaf does an excellent line the beautiful beds that work hard to earn their keep.
Aubrey Oak Shelf Short, £69
No space for a bedside table? This sweet and clever diminutive shelf from Rowen & Wren makes the perfect perch for a book and a carafe of water.
Bergen Oak Clothes Rail, £850
Fitting a wardrobe into a small bedroom is often simply not possible. A hanging rail, if kept neat and tidy, can give a chic Scandi vibe to a room, all while saving much-prized space. We like this well-made one from Cox & Cox – it is, however, more expensive than most, so it’s worth noting this industrial chic one from B&Q, which is a steal at just £19.99.
By Nancy Alsop
February 2024
Main image: OKA
OKA
Braemar Upholstered Trunk – Multi, £1,750
When it comes to saving space, items with a dual purpose are the name of the game. If, then, you’re looking for a spot to stack your magazines or to put your feet up but also don’t want to knowingly miss a storage opportunity, an Ottoman that opens up to stash away your treasures is a no brainer. We love this Rolls Royce of Ottomans from Oka, but if the budget doesn’t stretch to it, other equally useful examples abound online.
The Cotswold Company
Hideaway Home Office, £1,699
Since working from home became the mainstream choice in the pandemic, most of us have yearned for a proper office space to tuck ourselves away in and, indeed, to close the door on at the end of the day, thus nipping in the bud any inclination to work long into the night. Alas, not all of us have a room to spare nor, indeed, even space in our existing rooms to carve out an area for work. This clever piece of furniture doubles as storage for all the inevitable office accoutrements, as well featuring an all-important pull-out desk. You may not be able to step into another room at the end of the day, but you can at least close the cupboard doors for the night. #wfh goals.
Rowen & Wren
Witham Oak Plate Rack, £198
Rowen & Wren’s Witham Oak Plate Rack is at once useful and beautiful, its slim frame saving space in a small kitchen by dispensing with the need for crockery cupboards. Perfect for strictly minimal folk or for a property used as a holiday let.
Heal’s
Pebble Nest of Coffee Tables, £680 (Was £850)
Stackable furniture is a non-negotiable when it comes to small space living. We love these Pebble Coffee Tables, which are inspired by an original design from the mid 1950s by Lucian Ercolani. They’re neat, they’re cool and they’re just right for pulling out only as and when you need – perch a lamp on one, your coffee and a book on another and offer the last to your nearest and dearest.
Skandium
Normann Copenhagen Rise Wall Lamp, £99 (Was £116.67)
Squirrelling oneself away under the duvet with a good book is one of life’s great pleasures. But if your bedroom is on the snugger side and won’t accommodate bedside tables to, in turn, hold reading lamps, then consider a wall-mounted version instead. We especially like this one in eye-popping yellow by Normann Copenhagen.
Loaf
Tight Space Storage Bed, £705 (was £745)
Beds with drawers are the way forward for anyone looking for a space to store shoes or extra bed linen – or, indeed, any other items that need tucking away. Loaf does an excellent line the beautiful beds that work hard to earn their keep.
Rowen & Wren
Aubrey Oak Shelf Short, £69
No space for a bedside table? This sweet and clever diminutive shelf from Rowen & Wren makes the perfect perch for a book and a carafe of water.
Cox & Cox
Bergen Oak Clothes Rail, £850
Fitting a wardrobe into a small bedroom is often simply not possible. A hanging rail, if kept neat and tidy, can give a chic Scandi vibe to a room, all while saving much-prized space. We like this well-made one from Cox & Cox – it is, however, more expensive than most, so it’s worth noting this industrial chic one from B&Q, which is a steal at just £19.99.
By Nancy Alsop
February 2024
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