Storage

It doesn’t matter if your home is large or small, a good shelving unit is a must-have in any space. Not only is it an easy way to add personality and flair, but a tall unit or floating bookshelves can helps turn blank walls into storage space — without taking up valuable floor area.

The Opinion Ciatti Original Ptolomeo Bookcase is a classic one, famous for its almost invisible appearance, as if it’s suspending your books in mid-air. We also love Seena’s timber Willow Shelves, which can be mounted on the wall to display your most sentimental objects.

Lighting

While we love floor and table lamps, a small space sometimes calls for less visual clutter. Luckily, pendant, scones, and wall mounted lights such as the Applique De Marseille Wall Nemo from Cult are a great alternative for creating mood lighting in even the most compact rooms, freeing up usable spaces on benchtops and tables.

They also help draw the eye outward and upward, creating the illusion of a brighter, wider, and taller space while adding warm layered ambiance. We suggest considering wall sconce for by a bedside, or a pendant that can hang directly above a dining nook.

Sofas

When it comes to furnishing a tighter space, finding a sofa that feels just right is no easy feat. That’s where a modular design comes in, which allows you to configure, customise and tailor the seating footprint to your exact floor plan.

Something like the Eva Everyday Sofa can be arranged to eliminate wasted corners or easily adapt to awkward layouts. A sofa bed is also a good option, so you can transform your living room into a second bedroom whenever guests come to stay.

Dining Tables

There’s a reason you’ll often see round tables in apartments we feature. Circular tables like Fenton & Fenton’s Rosie Dining Table or the Ridge Dining Table from Beeline are more forgiving for small spaces, as the singular pedestal base maximises the number of chairs you can squeeze around the table when entertaining without anyone being in the awkward corner spot. Just make sure your dining chairs don’t have arms either!

The rounded silhouette is another great hack for saving space, as it eliminates harsh corners you might bump into and improves traffic flow in the surrounding areas.

Stools, side tables + benches

Since the name of the game is all about maximising space, multipurpose furniture pieces like stools really do hold the key to making the most of a small area.

A clever design like Studio Bastiras Meguro Stool from In Good Company or the Volume Side Table from Trit House can serve as extra seating in the dining area when entertaining, just as easily as being a side table beside the sofa, or a functional ledge in the bathroom.

The flexibility to move them around means your home is adaptable, which is ultimately the real trick to making a compact home seem seamless!