small space heroes

Let's face it, at one point, most of us have lived (or will live) in a space that is somewhat smaller than we would like. Small spaces were your intro to college, your intro to city dwelling, heck, maybe even your intro to home ownership. But didn't you wish you had something in your space that made your life a little bit easier to navigate? That one magical furniture piece could just swoop right down and save you?

The key to living in such tiny dwellings is to not only purchase pieces that you love, but to choose pieces that are also space-saving and multifunctional. Allow me to introduce my small space heroes!

Do you need something that can handle your books, collections, and perform the duty of a room divider without breaking a sweat? Well Baby, let me introduce you to Expedit!

Complete with 16 cubbies and only $139, it's the perfect multifunctional piece. Not to mention that it comes in various finishes and the choice of available inserts are nearly endless. Just position it in the middle of the a room to gain some privacy. Here's a perfect example.

Meredith from "meredith and gywneth, the new yorkie" used the Expedit in white to divide her studio apartment into a living space and sleeping space and jazzed it up with inserts, books, photos, and other accoutrements.

A Norberg, Norbo, or Bjursta table folding table (depending on which finish you like) can turn almost any tiny kitchen into an eat in kitchen, or even provide extra prep space.

NORBERG Wall-mounted drop-leaf table IKEA Becomes a practical shelf for small things when folded down. Folds flat; saves space when not in use.

For $29.99-39.99 and a flick of the wrist, you too can enjoy a small space eating area. The best thing of course is that doesn't take up much space when it's not in use.

Pidge and Peg of Le Coop de Pigeon paired their Norbo with sweet Kartell chairs! (P.S. chairs that stack or fold up are best with this kind of table to maximize the flexibility of the space.)

The Malm occasional table at $129 can be used as a breakfast table, entry table, a desk, a buffet, a vanity, a sofa table - you name it, it's probably been there, done that, and brushed it's shoulders off. That's right, the malm occasional table is the p.i.m.p. of utilitarian furniture.