Architect's TOP 10 Furniture Hacks for Small Homes

furniture hacks can be a great way to fix  off-the-shelf furniture that simply doesn't   quite cut it so here are my top 10 space-saving  furniture hacks that I've encountered throughout   my career as an architect now people often  resort to buying shelving for storage simply   because it's so much cheaper than Cabinetry  but unfortunately it's an absolute magnet   for clutter but this absolute genius Furniture  hack uses bookcase shelves as drop leaf cabinet   doors themselves to solve this problem turning  a humble and somewhat basic Furniture item into   something that's way more functional for this  build all you really need is a bookcase some   extra matching shelves as well as some drop  leaf hinges push open latches and screws and   when it comes to tools you really just need a  pencil a drill a screwdriver and you'd probably   find stuff like wood filler sandpaper and  a steel square pretty useful too and then   once you've got all of that together all you  need to do is use something like a coin as   spacer to Mark the placement of your new shelf  doors in relation to the Shelf that's going to   be above it and then you'll use your Steel Square  to Mark Holes for the screws to permanently fix   that shelf above in place which will provide the  rigidity that you need for the doors then once   this shelf above is in place you can fix your drop  leaf hinges and new shelf door to the lower shelf   and attach the push latch to the side of the  bookcase's frame and then all that's left to   do is to sand down these shelf door edges so that  they don't rub against the frame and then either   use some Edge banding to cover these raw edges  or simply seal them up using some wood filler   and some paint and after repeating this process  for the rest of the shelves what you're left with   is a pretty impressive looking cabinet for half  the price of what you might have paid elsewhere now the problem with chairs is that they often  waste a ton of space beneath them and when it   comes to dining chairs specifically these need  a decent amount of space away from walls so that   they don't end up scuffing and rubbing against  them which can make large dining tables a tricky   Furniture item to fit inside of small spaces  but a clever Furniture hack is to use kitchen   cabinets on a simple Timber base as a storage  bench which utilizes the wall behind it as the   chair back this build can be done in so many  ways as really the general idea is sitting on   a storage box rather than a platform with four  legs albeit in a way that's also elegant and   comfortable too for this particular build you're  going to need some appropriately sized kitchen   cabinets for your space with the accompanying  drawers and fronts as well as some Timber two   by fours and screws from your local hardware  store as well as some MDF or plywood that's   been cut to size for the top and to put this  all together you're probably going to want a   drill some sandpaper some paint as well as a sore  of some kind now really the hardest part of this   process is just picking the right size cabinets  for your space but once you've got them it's as   simple as just putting it all together according  to the manufacturer's instructions and using it   as a seat by ensuring that you end up with the  correct height of around 18 inches but if you're   feeling fancy you can even improve on this build  and factor in a DIY custom no-sew seat pad simply   by using some high density foam Dacron batting  and your fabric of choice which is then simply   stapled to the underside of your MDF or plywood  top but once you're done what you're left with   is a ton of hidden storage in a bench which now  also allows your dining table to be pushed much   closer to the wall which is a win on so many  levels this hack can be fantastic for saving   space but if this does seem like too much work or  if you're a renter you can really do this with any   cabinets that have a rigid vac by adjusting  the height to your liking by using Furniture   legs instead of a Timber base and by using  off-the-shelf seat pads instead of a bespoke one   desk shelves can be a fantastic way to magically  double the desk space that's under your monitor   whilst disguising any clutter that you want to  hide underneath them however premium desk shelves   can set you back a pretty penny so really this got  me thinking that actually all a desk shelf is is a   regular shelf with some furniture legs on it which  realistically can't be that hard to put together   yourself so to Furniture hack a desk shelf all you  really need is any old shelf or plank where you   can go as cheap or as fancy as you'd like to when  it comes to the materials as well as Furniture   legs that provide flat mounting plates for screws  then all you really need to do is simply screw the   legs to the underside or nanotape them if you're  brave and voila you'll find yourself with a neat   space-saving clutter hiding solution for  a fraction of the cost of Premium brands   now in my opinion side tables are fantastic  in small spaces as they're smaller and more   versatile than coffee tables simply because they  can be moved around so easily however they can   look pretty generic and a lot of side tables miss  a trick because they don't incorporate storage   but this genius Furniture hack uses a plant pot  a lazy Susan and what is actually a bamboo Ikea   armrest to create a beautiful side table that  kind of reminds me of the gorgeous Palais Royal   by asplund but my only observations with this  hack is that it does seem to be a little bit   short and it doesn't look to be all that stable  either so I think you could easily take this up   a notch by stacking two plant pots together  to create a sturdier base and more suitable   height then using some construction adhesive you  could glue individual three-quarter inch Timber   dials around them which you've cut to size with  a handsaw which I think would provide more weight   and stability and a more sculptural look then  simply by gluing a few offcuts to the under side   of the table top it functions as an openable lid  without the risk of it sliding off and then really   after sanding down any uneven edges you can even  stain it so the timber matches better rather than   painting it which I think would provide a really  high-end look with a ton of functionality too   now the problem with desks is that they take up  a lot of space and they're not really always in   use so in a small home you may want to be able  to put them away when entertaining guests or   simply to create more space on the weekend now  this is actually a hack that I implemented in   my old London apartment which is really a desk  that's essentially just a glorified folding shelf   all you really need for this furniture hack is a  desk surface of your choosing as well as some 20   inch heavy duty folding shelf brackets which when  installed correctly can actually hold up to 200   kilos then all you really have to do is measure  everything out and drill the appropriate wall   anchors into your wall and then you simply attach  the brackets then the desktop and it all collapses   down against the wall and if you keep a relatively  clean desk setup it's the perfect solution if you   need a surface that you can quickly put away on  the weekends and evenings now sideboards make for   a good looking and practical storage solution that  also serves as a handy surface for Decor books   and electronics but because they're also kind of a  feature piece they can be really expensive however   this Savvy Furniture hack uses a super cheap and  generic shelving unit like the Ikea calyx as well   as some lightweight makeshift doors on some simple  hinges made up of just architrave moldings burlap   roll and Staples and this is then just painted and  elevated from the floor using Furniture legs and   paired with decorative handles now after looking  at this hack I noticed that you could potentially   improve this and reduce its cost simply by using  a miter box and a handsaw to essentially Gorilla   Glue and staple your Timber together at 45 degree  angles this is actually a really common technique   that's used on picture frames which not only  creates an aesthetically pleasing joint with   a cleaner internal face but it also saves on the  cost of mending plates screws and brackets and   when all of this comes together with just a little  bit of paint and creativity you can end up with   a really affordable and good looking storage  solution that can be styled a myriad of ways big mirrors can be expensive even if you're  not going for something that's high-end because   simply put larger surfaces like these are more  expensive to make and more difficult to transport   because of this using multiple small mirrors  can work out way cheaper and this incredible   hack utilizes these in a way that mimics Crystal  style glazing essentially for this one all you're   going to need are these square or rectangular  mirror panels which you can easily find at Ikea   as well as some black paint then all you're  essentially doing is spacing them out on the   wall in a grid and painting the gaps on the wall  in between so that it appears to be like a frame   however if you want to make this look really good  you can stick painted Square dials in these gaps   in between instead by using mounting tape or you  can even repeat this method and mount it to some   MDF backing and hang it just like you would any  other mirror but if you're really lazy and you're   not really too concerned about the costs spiraling  out of control you can even buy individual picture   frames for these mirrors at Ikea 2 which will  also give you a similar look without all this   painting but regardless of what method you choose  to go with this can be an incredibly affordable   way to make whatever size mirror that you want  making your home feel much larger and brighter   as a result now circulation space in our homes  is often underutilized however because of their   shallow depth picture Ledges can often be used in  these areas that once felt impossible to utilize   all this hack does is simply take this small shelf  and re-appropriate as a table of sorts and by   attaching either hooks or a rod underneath these  can be used for hanging items such as clothes hair   straighteners jewelry or really anything that you  want this makes them great for anywhere in the   home that attracts clutter like in bedrooms where  you can hang clothing on these instead of letting   them pile up on a chair or in entryways where it  gives you somewhere to toss your letters or Keys   instead of leaving them on the kitchen counter or  dining room table and when you pair something like   this with a mirror it makes it the perfect compact  dressing area for things like makeup and hair too   now shoe cabinets are potentially an even  more efficient take on shallow storage for   circulation spaces as they usually project only  a little more than a picture ledge and they don't   have to be used for just shoes however as they're  usually not that pretty cabinets like these can   be modified really easily simply by swapping  out the original handles and adding some trim   this kind of treatment works on nearly anything  that has a door or Draw front on it which along   with a Fresh coat of paint can allow you to take  a kind of uninspiring and practical product that's   designed for shoes and turn it into something that  looks like a proper piece of built-in furniture and finally beds are arguably the worst item  in our homes when it comes to wasting space   as they're only used at night and they waste  so much space above and below them but when   you pair these with other bedroom items like  dresses that also waste space above them you   can actually combine them together to save a ton  of space and money really all you need for this   hack is two to three dresses and some slats  for a twin or single bed where you use the   dresses as the bed base and the slats to span  this Gap in between this is actually something   I made a version of in a video a couple  of years back for my micro apartment so   if this one interests you go and check it out  using the link on screen or in the description

Channel: Daniel Titchener

Views: 561,970

Keywords: IKEA, Furniture, Kitchen

Id: Dh6aZjsFcd8

Length: 12min 12sec (732 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 03 2023