The Best Furniture Items for Small Apartments

  Furnishing an apartment is always a challenge, and in a world of massive sectional sofas and 55” flatscreen TV’s, it can get overwhelming fast – especially if you’re furnishing a small one-bedroom or studio apartment. In a small space, the furniture you choose should optimize the square footage of your apartment, and use vertical space as much as possible –  think tall furniture instead of wide. Furniture with hidden storage compartments is also a must when storage areas are in short supply. We’ve compiled a list of apartment must-haves if you want to get the most out of your small space. These are the best furniture items for small apartments!

• Storage Ottoman

These have become massively popular in the last several years, and for good reason. Storage ottomans can provide massive amounts of storage in an item that’s taking up space already as a piece of furniture. For small spaces, items that can pull double duty (i.e. storage and furniture) are a great idea. Check out this option from Overstock.com 

• Rolling Island

Rolling islands are small kitchen islands on wheels. Many of them have cabinets or shelves beneath for extra storage. These can markedly improve counter space and be stored in a utility closet when not in use. Some even come with little stools if you don’t already have a designated eating area. Check out this option from Hayneedle

• Wine Bottle & Glass Rack

If you’re a wine drinker, look into some combo wine rack/wine glass holders. Some of these can be fastened beneath your cabinets so that your wine glasses hang upside down above your countertops. Others you fasten directly to a wall and hold bottles of wine as well as wine glasses. Either way, this can free up lots of space on your countertop and in your cupboards. Check out this one from etsy.com

• Vanity Desk

Chances are that a studio apartment doesn’t have a vanity space in the bathroom. Convertible vanity desks can serve for both makeup and homework with just the flip of a mirror. Check out this one from Total Beauty

• Storage Coffee Table

Although they can get bulky, storage coffee tables can provide storage for books, throw blankets, board games, cleaning supplies, or just about anything else you could think of. Some of them offer storage by way of pull-out drawers, while on others, the tabletop surface opens up like a toy chest. There are even coffee tables that have two ‘leaves’ like a dining room table that slide apart to reveal storage beneath. Check out this one from West Elm

• Nesting Tables

This is perfect for the person who likes to entertain. Nesting tables are a set of tables, each one shorter and thinner than the last so that they can be pushed under one another for storage. But they can be pulled out in a snap so that friends and family have a place to put their plate down while they’re watching the big game. Check out these ones from Wayfair.com

• Cube Shelves

This one can be especially helpful for a studio apartment, as it can act as a wall that can create separate areas, and does not look as tacky as a curtain or faux-wall. It can also divide the space visually without actually cutting off one ‘room’ from the other. Assigning separate spaces within your home helps the mind to focus and/or relax. Check out our article, How to Feng Shui Your Apartment, for more on this principle. Check out this popular option from IKEA

• Vertical Dresser

Again, think tall, not wide. A vertical dresser can hold as much clothing as a large horizontal one, without taking up the square footage. Also, vertical dressers can be tucked away in a corner or even in a walk-in closet so that they don’t take up valuable square footage in your bedroom. Check out this one from Ashley Furniture

• Over-the-toilet shelving

It’s easy enough to get these at any big box store, and if you don’t have a linen closet, they are a life-saver. Toiletries and towels can be stored here for easy reach, and most of them are lightweight and easy to move in and out. You could also mount physical shelving behind the toilet but this could damage your walls, so you’ll want to read your lease carefully to make sure that you won’t be charged if you do put holes in the wall. Check out this option from Pottery Barn

• Storage Platform Bed

If you’re not married to your box-spring (and if you are, get out of 1994), these storage platform beds can be a great option. Now that mail-order mattresses like Purple and Nolah are all the rage, a platform bed makes the most sense. Check out this option from Birch Lane