A bright small kitchen and living room in a small apartment.

Tips on Choosing Practical Furniture for Small Spaces

Robbie Bart

March 21, 2022

Maximizing space can be much easier than you might initially believe and is mostly a matter of creativity and cunning. Before taking out your credit card, let's go over some fundamental aspects you’ll need to consider when choosing practical furniture for small spaces.

What to Keep in Mind When Thinking About Practical Furniture for Small Spaces

If the space you have to furnish is small, each piece must justify its value with maximum adaptability, flexibility, and functionality. Some key features to keep in mind when choosing practical furniture for small spaces are:

  • Custom-made is the best way: Using fewer dining chairs can clear the view and keep the space from looking cluttered. A slimline bench to accompany your corner table can help you get more space out of a room when you have a few extra guests.
  • Choose Consistently: If your space is small, choose small or light-framed chairs or even some stools that you can tuck under the table or quickly move to another area when not in use.
  • Use vertical space: In small spaces, the areas are usually multifunctional, which often requires the proper furniture that offers storage options. When this is the case, trying to maximize vertical space is vital.
Two friends sitting at a modern desk, in a small apartment.

Tips on Practical Furniture for Small Spaces

How to Make the Right Choice

While keeping aesthetics in mind, you should give priority to the functionality of each piece of furniture.

Decide on a Theme

Deciding on a design theme also helps small spaces look less cluttered and organized. Try to choose a theme that looks good, feels good, stimulates your creativity, and calms you down.

Take Measurements

Measuring in advance can help you select the furniture with the appropriate size and will also help you get the proper measurements for wall art and other types of accessories for your spaces.

Optimize Your Floor Layout

Keeping the center of the room clear of any furniture or clutter will help keep any small space clean and livable. This is a handy trick to maximize floor space in small rooms.

Decide on Your Values and Priorities

While you don't have to be a total minimalist to live in a small space, having your priorities straight and adopting more mindful furnishing practices can help you better manage the challenges of living in a small area.

Traffic Flow

Taking care of the traffic flow is essential. For example, using elliptical or circular-shaped tables instead of square-shaped ones will allow you to move more fluidly around the room and avoid sharp edges.

Multifunctional

Furniture that can fulfill several functions simultaneously can be of great help to save space and get more out of it. An excellent example of this is coffee tables with storage space, casual chairs, or sofas with a built-in table.

Durable

It's much wiser to invest in furniture pieces made of sturdy, durable materials. Those of lower quality and durability are likely to break or wear, which can cost you more money in the long run.

Must-Have Practical Furniture for Small Spaces

Each room serves a different function and requires different furniture. With that in mind, our guide examines the types of furniture that go best with each space in a house.

Living Room

In small rooms, try to use end tables that you can quickly move around when you're not using them. If your living room is also your office, you can choose to use accent chairs for your desk instead of office swivel chairs and you can have additional chairs when you need them.

Modern furniture in a well light room.

You can also opt for a transformable sofa which can end up being the ultimate sofa solution for any small space. If you want to delve into how to design the best living room ever, you can take a moment to check out these seven incredible tips to design your living room like no other.

Dining Room

If your kitchen adjoins your dining room and has a kitchen counter, you could use some barstools to get more out of the counter and use it as a dining table. You can combine dining chairs with an extendable bench to make better use of space or you could use storage ottomans.

Bedroom

If the bedroom is small, choose a simple platform bed frame. If you intend to make the bedroom colorful, you can use wall art above the bed instead of a headboard and achieve the same effect. If you use a platform bed frame, you can take advantage of the extra storage space under the bed to store items you don't use as often.

Outdoor Patio

Even the most petite patios can hold a chair or two. If the space is minimal, perhaps a folding or stacking chair may be the ideal option for you. You can put together a good conversation set using an end table instead of a side table and you will also have a dining set for your outdoor patio. If you have enough space, you can even add a small sofa and you will have a complete conversation set.