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LATEST SHELVING INDUSTRY NEWS - Sun, 05, Sep, 2010

Versatile furniture is key
By Marci Laehr-Tenuta

One of the best ways to maximize every inch of a small space is through versatile furniture. For example, a coffee table is just a coffee table, but a large ottoman can serve as a coffee table, foot rest and extra seating when you're entertaining.

Beautiful pieces with multiple purposes are a great way to save on space, and still allow the room function the way you need it to. The following are a few examples of very versatile furniture pieces.

* Daybeds work wonderfully in spaces that need to offer seating and sleeping, but don't have enough floor space for a couch and a bed. Fitted slipcovers can be used to make a sofa-like seating area, with sheets underneath to transform the piece into a bed at night. Daybeds are great for extra bedrooms that are used regularly as an office, but also need to function occasionally as a guest room.

* An armoire can hide a multitude of sins, such as the TV, all its components, and the 100s of DVDs you've collected over the years. They have also designed armoires to hold complete offices with room for a monitor, keyboard, a fold-down writing space, file cabinets, a corkboard and shelving. The best part of an armoire is that you can close off the TV or workspace, transforming it into an attractive piece of furniture in a living room or family room whenever you want.

* A chopping block island on wheels is a high functioning piece for even the smallest of kitchens. It provides extra counter space to prepare dinner, can serve as a casual dining space when you pull up a couple of stools, and can be rolled into other rooms for serving food and drinks. Many of these mobile islands have shelving below, providing the perfect space for everything from fruit to cookbooks.

* A Murphy bed is an old fashioned piece that is coming back into vogue. These beds fold up into the wall during the day, and pull down again at night. Perfect for small apartments, guest rooms and rec rooms, a Murphy bed not only frees floor space during the day, but wonderful modern designs with built-in shelving surrounds make it good-looking too.

* Storage cubes made of wood, leather, wicker and upholstery are the perfect solution to a small room with little or no storage. The cubes, which can hold everything from extra linens to books and games, can be grouped to function as a coffee table, ottoman, side tables, or bench. The large variety of cubes on the market ensures you'll be able to find a few in your style.

* Mix and match shelving units allow people to create the perfect size and shape shelving and storage unit they need for their room. These units are usually sold in a variety of pieces, like a three-shelf unit, a small cabinet, a shorter two-shelf unit, a rack for CDs or DVDs, a large shelf for a TV, etc. You buy the pieces separately and put the unit together in the form that fits your room. It can make previously unusable spaces - like an awkward open space beneath stairs - highly functional.

* A trundle bed is a terrific way to fit more than one child into a smaller bedroom without the use of bunks. A trundle is a bed that pulls out from beneath another bed's box spring. Usually, the top bed is a normal height, and the trundle, when closed, simply looks like the base of the bed, or can be hidden with a dust ruffle.