Getting the Most of our Square Footage

We all wish we have all the money to buy a home here in the city that have enough living space. However we have to pay for square footage and it is not cheap! For people on a budget like me, we now have a choice of having enough space by living in the suburbs or staying in a smaller place in the city. If you want to enjoy the amenities and have less travel time, living in the city is the choice. If you are living in a studio or using or living room as a guest room, or a guest room doubles as your study, you don't have to live in a cramp space, the answer is multifunctional furniture and clever storage solutions.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Unexpected Repositories

If you want to hide your watches and other valuables in an unexpected place, why not try the Southwest Specialty Products 60001S Book Diversion Safe, a real book with a secret compartment.  The clever Book Safe includes actual pages from a book so it looks like a real hardcover book on the outside but inside offers hidden storage for your valuable personal items .A soft lining and lid keep your contents safely stored away and protects items from getting damaged. You can put this on top of your nightstand so it will be handy when you take your watch off or you can put it with the rest of your book collection. 

Not a book lover, then the cleverly designed  Hanging Closet Safe
might suit you better. It looks like an ordinary tank top made of polyester/cotton.  Just unzip the front of the Hanging Closet Safe and you have nine roomy pockets for jewelry and other other personal items. If you want more peace of mind, you can hung it in a closet under a jacket so know one will know its real purpose. 

If you have lots of jewelries, then the Over Door Mirror Armoire
is a good organizer. You can see your entire collection in an orderly fashion and choose what you want quickly without looking for the matching pair or having to untangle anything. In addition you can put it inside a closet door, so it will not occupy precious floor space.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Hidden Charging Station

If you're tired of charging your cellphones on the counter tops or seeing the tangled cords on your floor, why not consider a Southern Enterprises Men's Wall Mount Valet with Charging Station?
You will have 20 tie/belt hooks; six 2-1/2-inch by 4-1/2-inch felt lined compartments for keys, cuff links, etc.aside from the hidden charging station. Your cell phone, pda's or mp3 players can all be accommodated in the three compartment inside the mirrored armoire while they are charging on the built in four outlet UL approved power strip. A great product to have for personal organization if you're handy and know how to locate studs and hang things on the wall.





If you are renting or you don't want to hang anything on your wall then you might just opt for utilizing a corner of your living room or bedroom for the SEI Corner Charging Station Desk. Aside from the slide out keyboard tray and charging station, you will have three docking stations for your hand held electronics that conceal the charging wires below the tray. The charging station is tucked away nice and neat in the back corner with an elevated shelf that is perfect for a flat screen computer monitor or lamp




Friday, January 21, 2011

Multifunctional Refrigerator

If you live in a studio or if you just like snacking at night or hang out in your bedroom a lot, you can have the Mini-F by Aslihan Yilmaz instead of a regular night stand.  This mini-refrigerator is  great if you are single or empty nester.  It has a built-in snack table and opening from two sides. The double-sided cooler positioned at the center, separates the daily-use products from the packaged ones.

Isn't one of the cool appliances to have in your possession?

Ironing board

To use a room in various ways, everything that is not being used at the moment should be hidden in storage but is easily accessible. Items you used once a week such as an ironing board need to be put away taking less space as possible. One solution to that is having an Household Essentials 144211 Over-the-Door Ironing Board with Steel Mesh Top. It mounts over the top of a door which is convenient in both use and  storage. When stored, it folds flat against the door. The board features a built-in iron holder. No assembly is required and no tools are required for mounting because it comes with two thicknesses of hooks to fit either a residential door or a thicker commercial door so .

If you don't want your guests to see your ironing board hanging in the inside of one of your door which might likely be your bedroom door or closet door provided you don't have the slider doors or the bi-fold closet doors, then another option is a hide away ironing board. The Hide-Away Ironing Center, White is scratch resistant, recessed, with swivel ironing board. It has raised panel door finished in white. It also has a shelf and heat shield for safe iron storage.

If you want more storage and is willing to spend more money then the Iron A Way Inc E421A Electric Built-In Ironing Center is another option. It comes with a 42'' ventilated, steel ironing board with cover and pad, hot iron storage compartment, storage shelf, garment hook, and electrical system that includes appliance outlet, On/Off indicator light and safety door switch.

If don't want to mount it in your wall and rather sacrifice one of your closet drawer instead then the Rev-A-Shelf VIB-20CR Vanity Fold-Out Ironing Boards - Wire-Chrome might better suit you.


You can also have a Fold Down Ironing Board - Pressing Perfection (Silver/Gray) (38 which mounts to wall and folds easily. It also fully extends, and swivels 90 degrees when in the open position. When stored, the space saving fold out ironing board fits into slim spaces.
 There sure are a number of ways to put your ironing board away. Gone are the days when you just .old then dump your ironing board on the bottom of your closet or lean it against the side of the cabinet, these days you can hide it in style.

Multifunctional Console Table

When you are also using your living room or other room in your house as a home office, it is a must to choose furniture that serves not only the primary purpose of the room but the secondary purpose as well. Choosing a console table built with office functions is a smart idea, you won't have to deal with the unsightly wires. One such furniture is the Bush Accord Notebook Desk which comes equipped with technological devices and accommodations such as: a 4 port USB HUB, recharge/organization tray to hold electronic devices/supplies and a wire management trough with extra room to fit a power strip. With the wire management trough with extra room to fit a power strip (not included) so you won't have to deal with those unsightly cords on your floor. It has a large pull-out work surface with flip-down front has room to accommodate a 17" notebook and mouse. It also has a recharge/organization tray, which can be positioned on the left or right side, holds up to 4 electronic devices (depending on size) and office supplies. The integrated four-post USB hub on the desktop allows you to stay connected. Moreover, the metal tray trough area is 4.25" wide, so it will hold power strips that are approximately 4" wide and it provides adequate ventilation.








Another console table that allows you to expand the desk surface when the need arises is the Bush Furniture Myspace Collection, Pullout Laptop Desk, Porter which features a retractable desk surface with drawer that pulls out for added work surface and stows underneath the main desk when not in use to save space.





 





Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Accesible Furniture

If you ever had a cesarean section, when  getting out of bed is excruciatingly painful for days you will wish for an adjustable bed that will help you get up. In that case, the reasonably priced  Power Bob with Bob-O-Pedic8 is the answer.

 Being able to lift the upper part  is also nice when you are reading in bed. And for those who had acid reflux, it might help them sleep without the mound of pillows as it lifts the upper part of your body with a push of a button.

It is also nice after a days work to elevate your feet which you can do easily with this adjustable bed.

If you just need some help in standing up because of recent operation, the Power Lift Recliner might help. It combines great style with enough strength to lift a person weighing up to 350 pounds




For those who are in wheelchair who find it hard to transfer from wheelchair to bed and vice versa, Patrick Decker and Florian Langer's Combed is a bed and wheelchair in one, so no need to brace yourself in transferring to another furniture. Combed features a wheeled unit that slides out from under its U-shaped bed frame to form a wheelchair. When used as a bed, Combed offers a two-part matress composed of a 7-cm-thick layer with air chambers and a 3 cm-thick layer containing gel. Deflated, the air matress becomes a seat for the wheel-chair.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Interesting End tables

When conserving precious space is essential to your design plans using a multifunctional end table provide a practical solution.

If you want an end table that unfolds into a table and four chairs, then the Paket Folding Collapsable Table in Whiteis the product for you. You can unfold it to dine and fold it up into an interesting side table to set it aside.
Nesting tables are a great option for an extra place to put your plate. The Set of 3 Nesting Tables with Storage Drawer - Brown Finish can be used as an end table or nightstand.Each table top has different design.  The smaller nesting tables can be used as an extension or as a separate table. The smallest nesting table has a  drawer for convenient storage.




The growth of wireless computer networks make it easier for any room in the house to serve as the home office. It is a matter of choosing furniture that have dual purpose. End tables for instance can double as easily-accessed printer storage, the top surface for living room lighting and the slide-out shelf for office functions. Although some call this as end table with work center.


If you don't have enough space, but love to entertain, then using the Baxton Studio Acrylic Nesting Tables, Clear as end tables might be a good idea. Since they are transparent, they take less visual space. And since they are not glass you don't need to worry of damage if you drop something on them. Two of the smaller accent tables can be stored under the largest one to save you space when they are not needed but they are easy to pull out and use when they are needed.