Space-Saving Furniture

Space-Saving Staircase Shelves for Floor-to-Ceiling Storage

It is technically a bit untrue (most of the time) that one can ‘run out’ of space. Consider the overhead area between yourself and the ceiling, for example. Sure, you want to keep it so you feel comfortable and to allow natural and artificial light to percolate through spaces … but a lot of it is not even necessary for those secondary needs.

This simple modern design by Danny Kuo blends aspects of classic studies and libraries with present-day sensibilities about craft, materiality and saving space. Lower wooden boxes slide out to become steps from which one can reach upper shelves and cabinets.

Since the staircase functionality is built-in, there is no need for the traditional rolling ladder or staircase-on-wheels one associates with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. This, in turn, helps save even more space.

Beyond the big idea, the details are treated with exquisite precision, too, with woodwork that is appealing to the eye and solid to the touch for each of the many pieces involved. Finally, the fact that each wood box is an independent module makes it possible to swap out one type for another as needed, placing more emphasis on cabinet-style, swing-open spaces or sliding drawers depending on what kind of storage is desired. This product would lend itself exceedingly well to mass-customization.

Space-Saving Furniture: Home Office Desk & Storage Idea

The ultimate in visual and structural simplicity, the form of his combined home desk and shelving design by MisoSoup is composed of a single  strip of curved wood that wraps up to become as much a work of minimalist wall art as it is a multifunctional work station with useful space-saving storage lofted above.

Like a shelving units or other storage systems, this combined furniture is designed to sit flush against the surface of the wall making it fit well wherever it works within a bedroom, living room or office layout. However, getting such a long and awkwardly shaped wood structure into a small space in the first place might be a difficult trick (perhaps the next move is to make it convert or come apart in a few places.

Otherwise perfect for small apartments and cramped condo spaces, very little interior room is taken up by this combination computer desk and bookshelf system. The keyboard slots back under the desktop surface and the chair slides in turn slides under the desk. Overhead, the shelves are non-obtrusive and, if anything, they help to shape space around them to make this miniature office feel more like a comfortable and enclosed interior space.