„As real estate prices fall, residents choose smaller apartments. When furnishing them, every square meter is utilized because it is expensive. And here arises the question: I want a large soft sofa, but I also need space for work or room for children to play. Recently, we have seen interest in smart furniture because it helps use space functionally. Such furniture can change shape and occupied area according to need,“ says Kirilas Kokotkinas, marketing manager of „Gintaro baldų“.
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Transformable furniture saves space
Before starting to furnish a small apartment, it is important to carefully assess your needs and lifestyle, notes interior designer Liucija Adiklytė. Perhaps for one person, having a comfortable, stationary workplace is most important, for another – a larger kitchen and space for cooking, and for a family with children – more space for playing or storing items.
The most smartness is needed when creating the living room interior. Here we work during the day, play, rest in the evening, receive guests, and sometimes need to prepare a place for guests to stay overnight. When there are so many needs, it is worth considering transformable smart living room furniture. These can be extendable dining tables, beds with storage functions, sofa beds, mobile tables, modular sofas.
„When choosing transformable furniture, the most important thing is not to succumb to the idea of functionality. Sometimes a person buys furniture that theoretically performs five functions, but practically it is inconvenient to transform it every day. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering how often you will actually use the function, whether the furniture transformation will be convenient daily. It is also important to evaluate the quality of mechanisms, stability, materials. In a small apartment, furniture is used intensively, so just a beautiful design is definitely not enough,“ draws attention L. Adiklytė.
A sofa that changes shape
Smart technologies in furniture are no longer a niche solution or a luxury detail, which is especially visible in the soft furniture segment. Smart sofas and armchairs are equipped with electric mechanisms that allow adjusting the seating part, backrest, headrests, or armrests with the press of a button. USB and USB-C ports, wireless charging spots, and sound systems are installed in the furniture itself. These features help avoid additional speakers and cables at home.
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„The most popular smart sofas today are those that turn into an L-shaped corner on the left or right side at the press of a button, and if needed – also become U-shaped. During the day, when the parts that fold out are not needed, they are folded and do not take up living room space,“ says K. Kokotkinas.
Interior designer L. Adiklytė points out that when choosing a sofa for the living room, even a transformable one, it is necessary to consider its dimensions. The belief that only a small sofa fits a small apartment is wrong.
„One proportionally chosen sofa in a small space looks much better than a small sofa with several armchairs and poufs. Although it seems that additional furniture helps utilize space, in the end, it only visually fragments the space even more,“ advises the expert.
Most importantly, according to L. Adiklytė, do not try to furnish the entire home interior down to the smallest details at once, but allow the home to grow together with the person and their life. Usually, after living in the apartment for some time, it becomes clear what functions are really needed.
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