Hiding in Plain Sight

By Katie MacGillivray

If you’re a Meadowlark groupie, you know we try to build intentionally – a purpose for everything and everything for a purpose. We are ardent supporters of Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big” design concept, which emphasizes smaller, but more efficient spaces. So naturally, when Doug stumbled across this video on dual-function, space-saving furniture, the designers in us had a collective “geek” moment.

Not only are they aesthetically-pleasing with their clean lines and simplified graphics, all furniture pieces serve multiple functions: an end table that houses a dining table, a shelf that doubles as a bed leg, and art that hides a bunk bed, to name a few. Talk about using space efficiently! We also appreciated the engineering behind the systems’ mechanics. Each transformation seems virtually effortless and smooth, no clunking or heavy lifting. Thank you engineers, for not only being spatially efficient, but also using your end users’ time and energy wisely!

Furniture isn’t the only part of a house that can serve more than one function. A first floor office can be turned into a guest room or future master bedroom. A niche in the kitchen can double as a desk area if a formal office space is not needed. That awkward half wall in your stairwell makes a great built-in shelf and a bench can house file drawers.

Feeling inspired? Look at more designs here or look around your own house. What can you double-purpose?