Moving to smaller space
I'm moving to a smaller space. Getti.g rid of giant furniture and years of paper memories. Looking for suggestions for an office setup, older eat in kitchen and lack of dining room.
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Changeable furniture.
Office - Secretary desks are great. You can open them up for work, then off hours close everything up so your home doesn't just feel like an office. Antique ones are especially beautiful, they can have a lot of drawers, and you can find ones with a very small footprint.
Kitchen/Dining room - A table that has fold down leaves. Again, put up 'em when eating or you need more prep space, fold 'em down when not in use so it doesn't take up space.
I live in a small apartment in NYC and most of my furniture serves muilti-purpose and collapses down.
Good luck!
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If you don't have a dropleaf table, I suggest a butcher block kitchen table and chairs of an appropriate size. I remember my dad getting my mom one for her 1961 kitchen. She used it much as one might use a butcher block island when it wasn't used as a table. There was only a base kitchen sink cabinet for washing and drying dishes. [She did have a pantry. I was often the "fetcher" as the oldest child.]
My 1920s kitchen has a built-in counter eating space and a dining space beside it. I have a dropleaf table, a gateleg card table, a chrome shelf pantry, and cookbooks in that area.
If you have only two people, I suggest an island with seating and storage. My niece got one for her super tiny kitchen and loves it.
I recently moved my heavy stand mixer to the top of a rolling cart since I could not lift it, and my husband had trouble lifting it the last time I used it. Workarounds are always possible if you think outside the box.
Those folding 2'x4' tables are handy if you occasionally need extra seating. I also put some metal baskets with removable covers in the living room to serve as additional "tables" and hidden storage. Extra chairs are stackable.
I've opted for furniture that can be easily moved and allows more open space in the rooms. We bought a love seat that reclines and sits up using an electric button. If I were replacing it, I'd opt for two different chairs that fit our differing body types and would be easier to arrange.
I love the secretary desk idea, especially for laptop users. However, you might want to consider an armoire or closet solution.
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I went through something similar. I found a 20X44" navy blue desk online at Target and it fits up against a kitchen wall beautifully. It's only me. I have a small wrought iron 60's bistro set I am thinking of getting rid of because I always eat at the desk. I also bought a navy desk pad on Amazon that covers 99% of the desk to keep stains and spills at bay.
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hi @Maureena! congratulations on moving into a new home. I'd love to see photos of the kitchen and office so that I can better help! if you're looking for inspiration for how to design a smaller-sized office, we've covered 14 genius solutions. I feel you about lacking space for a proper dining table (I've lived in a studio apartment before!), what I did was look for a coffee table that was a bit larger so that I could enjoy meals on the couch!
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congrats on the move.
One of the things that really helped me was a coffee table with a lift top. It can be used as a dining table or as a desk. Also, the storage space can hold tv remotes, DVDs or even laptop and related equipment.
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Seconding a lift-top coffee table! It’s perfect for stashing magazines, remotes, whatever you need — and is great if you’re someone who really likes clean surfaces. As others have said, drop-leaf tables are game changers, too. There’s also Murphy desks, which, if you’re familiar with Murphy beds, it’s basically the same concept. Here’s an example from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/PRINZ-Wall-Mounted-Folding-Chalkboard-Brown-Light/dp/B08YM6V23L?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER), but you can find versions at Wayfair, Target, West Elm, etc. They’re great space savers and essentially function as a drop-leaf does, but they look like cabinets.
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+1 to all of these ideas! i'm not sure the layout of your new home, but you could also get a pretty privacy screen to create more division between the home office, living room, etc.
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