Living Room
You need something to sit on,
put your feet up on, set a plate, glass, newspaper or book on and a light to
read by. That could involve just one furniture piece, such as a sofa with a
flat, fat arm positioned beneath a wall-mounted reading light; or you can
meet all those requirements with five separate pieces of furniture:
-
chair or sofa
- ottoman
- end table
- coffee table
- standing lamp
Remember less is more: an ottoman can double as a footrest
or a coffee table.
|
|
Remember your new motto: Less
is more. Consider these options:
-
If you place a tray on top
of an ottoman, it can double as a coffee table.
-
If you can stretch out
along a sofa or put your feet up on a coffee table, you can do without
an ottoman.
-
If you use a mounted light
fixture, you won't need a standing lamp or an end table (since you won't
need a table lamp).
-
If you place a low cabinet
with a table lamp against the back of your sofa, it could replace the
need for an end table, a coffee table and standing lamp, as well as
providing extra storage.
You'll probably want a place
for a television and VCR. Ideally, it can be incorporated into a wall
cabinet, but it can also live on a simple wall mount. If you prefer your
television on the floor, you can use a simple platform on casters.
Slipcovered chairs can serve as seating for both the dining
room and living room. Some can be folded and stored when not
in use.
|
|
Dining Room/Office
You'll need a table and
chairs.
If your dining room or home
office is part of your living room, pick dining chairs that can double as
living room seating. Contenders are:
- Slipcovered
director's chairs -- which can be folded up and put away when
not in use
- Parsons chairs
- Any high-seated
"slipper" chairs
- A bench covered
with pillows (to combine many seats in one).
|
A draped table fulfills many needs, becoming a dining table,
desk, end table or decorative piece.
|
|
You can use a console table
or a "drape table" as your dining table or desk. Either one can
stand on its own, topped with a vase of flowers, when not in use.
Alternatively, a console table can double as a behind-the-sofa table; a
drape table can double as an end table.
Create a combination drape
table/storage unit by placing a circle of plywood on top of a filing cabinet
or low chest of drawers and throwing a long round tablecloth on top. To
create a flat work surface, place a circle of glass on top of the cloth.
Bedroom
Your bed can be as simple as
a mattress or other platform on the floor. Then, the entire floor or the
remainder of any raised platform, can serve as your end table.
If that doesn't appeal to
your comfort or aesthetic requirements, consider a bed and dresser
combination:
-
A Captain's bed has
drawers built into its base. Placed against a wall, with cabinetry built
around it, it can serve your every storage need.
-
A Murphy's bed, often
available with accompanying cabinetry, is mechanically constructed to
disappear inside a wall at the push of a button.
In a traditional bedroom, you
can cut down on furniture by using chests of drawers as end tables. You can
even create drape table/dresser combinations, as described above.
