Trans-furniture is the way forward

When you are doing up a home, a key criteria is space — well, after all it helps you decide what you can add and what you need to discount when it comes to home décor. However, there are several furniture companies that are giving you options where you can use furniture in different ways as well as designing the furniture in such a way that it saves space. Now you can have your cake and eat it too and we tell you just how.

Options Galore
Sofas that double up as beds, study table and chair that can be folded away, and beds that can be stood up against the wall, are among the most popular space saving furniture. This segment is witnessing strong demand in metros, owing to a lot of young working professionals moving to and from cities and looking at suitable and convenient options of furniture that could be accommodated in small living spaces. RentoMojo for instance has a Cheshire Sofa that doubles up as a comfortable bed for two, a Caramel Coffee Table that has four stools which can provide snug seating and will also fit under the table conveniently, a Poise Dining Set that comes with two metal chairs and a table large enough to accommodate an extra chair and a Robin Futon Red Large that can be used as a lounger, a bed and a sofa. HomeLane’s space saving furniture comes under the label, ‘Latitude’, which is all about space saving and multi-functionality. “In our bed range we have wall beds, wall beds with sofas and additional storage, sofa-cum-beds, and beds that can be stood up against the wall and be used as whiteboards (for kids). Our study table range has foldable study tables with storage and guest study tables that can be turned into beds and our coffee tables range has coffee-cum-laptop table and coffee table with hidden extra seating,” says Tanuj Choudhry, Chief Business Officer, HomeLane.com.

This futon couch transforms into a bed for when a guest comes knocking

Myriad Uses
Fabrento has an infinite queen size bed with wardrobe, storage and bookshelves. “The infinite collection has both sturdiness along with a uniquely modern and chic day design that comes with a combination of smart and inbuilt wardrobe storage space and an open bookshelf. Our Honeybee Center table is inspired by honeybees and these hexagonal blocks are a perfect blend of design and utility. You can use them as a center table or as a side table. Also, you can store scattered home items in them by simply opening the cover on top. These are so sturdy that it can also serve as perfect sitting stool and for parties along with your friends,” says Sidhant Lamba, Founder, Fabrento. Geetansh Bamania, Founder and CEO, RentoMojo adds, “The ease of converting the furniture from one form to the other depends on manufacturing designs and cost. Some manufacturers have introduced hydraulics in order for the user to be able to convert larger objects such as cots and sofas into other forms, with little effort.”

Trend Check
Customisable storage units like hydraulic beds and sofas, murphy beds or pull-down beds and study tables are seeing a renewed demand.  With the right space-saving furniture, you can convert a room into two, if not three distinct living spaces with easy configuration changes.

This sofa-cum-bed can work as seating during the daytime

Infact, you can use these kinds of furniture to convert bedrooms to full-fledged living rooms or office spaces and living rooms that can alter into dining areas or a cozy guest bedroom. “Vertical space saving concept is also trending. A simple example is a shoe rack that lets you drop your shoes vertically into a rack instead of placing them horizontally. This helps you save the space in terms of the depth of the rack, thereby maximising the vertical space instead of the horizontal space,” adds Choudhry. The core belief is not just in the product but in the idea of multi-functionality. The shift has been from being functional to being multi-functional. Saket Sethi, Founder, Archilogics Design and Archilogics Barcelona adds, “The use of newer materials like 3D printing and new technologies like CNC and laser cutting allow designers to engage in mass customisation of options, both aesthetically and in-form. This means two entirely different users can buy a similar piece without it being identical. Sustainability is both a need and a growing trend where the use of renewable materials like bamboo are slowly and steadily making their way to being mainstream. Up-cycling is also another important trend where the items are re-used and repurposed particularly aesthetically to give furniture a new life.” Space saving furniture comes with an added aspect of storage which is a key factor when people invest in them. Again it is important that the furniture can be used easily and does not require much effort to convert it from one form to the other. And yes it can also help you do up your home in more ways than one - now that is a win-win situation.