Throw your furniture away for these instead

Furniture is like the finishing touch to a home renovation—somewhat like the cockles in char kway teow—and the choice of which can often maketh or breaketh a home. The importance of furniture lies in the fact that they help us function inside our spaces. But important doesn't mean you just focus on functionality and forget everything else. So we put together a few alternatives that help put the 'fun' back into functionality when it comes to home furniture.  

The sofa surrogates

Ah, the centrepiece of the living room. Sure, having a sofa is comfy and helps to anchor your living space but it really does take up a lot of room. So how about a hammock?

Source: Apartment Therapy

This swing-tastic piece of cloth will have your room oozing with bohemian vibes. It’s casual, fun and doesn’t take up a lot of space. If you’re looking for one, why not try Airmocks? These freestanding hammocks come in an array of colours and designs so you can find one that fits perfectly in your home. Another great option? The informal beanbag.

Source: Facebook

Contrary to popular belief, the beanbag is not just the reserved of prepubescent teens’ bedrooms. It evokes an extremely cosy feel and is surprisingly comfortable. Choose one in a classic hue and shape though like this one from SoftRock Living; otherwise, it’ll just look tacky. Pair it with a low coffee table, because well, once you’re in a beanbag, it’s just going to sink from there. Sofa, so good? Let’s move on.  

Making sense of coffee tables

Here’s another space killer in the living room—the coffee table! Okay, so we know that piece of furniture is actually really useful; it holds our cups of joe and it’s what we use to put our feet up. It’s also a great way to store things we don’t have any need for e.g. miscellaneous coffee table books, past issues of magazines we don’t remember subscribing for, and other knick-knacks from around the house that don’t have a proper place. But rather than have your coffee table turn into a dumping ground for your bits and bobs or be a piece of furniture with a serious identity crisis, here are some alternatives that would probably make more sense.

Source: A Refinaria

If you’re an avid reader or just want to show off your vast literary collection to guests, stack your books below a glass panel for a coffee table that would surely impress. The great thing about this is that you can change the look of it anytime you want—just by switching your tomes around. If you’re the sort to put your feet up on the coffee table (no judgement here!), we recommend you go for a simple pouf because it’s so much more comfortable. Plus, it can function as extra seats when your extended family decides to destroy your join you for the weekend.

Source: Flax & Twine

A knitted one is particularly comfy, no? Make Room has a wide selection of them in all sorts of pretty colours.  

Daring to be different with your dining set

Everyone needs to eat, but we all don’t need a full-scale dining set to do so. A dining set just says formal, stiff and boring. It’s 2017, let’s live a little with these fun eating spaces instead.

Source: Mountain Modern Life

Love having meals in front of the TV? Now you can do it properly! This living and dining combination deserves two thumbs up for taking up just a fraction of the space.

Source: RenoGuide

Having your kitchen island double as your dining table isn’t unique, but having a hideaway dining bench definitely is!

 

Bucking the bed system

Possibly one of the most important investments in our home is for the bed and mattress. Nothing is quite as important as having a good night’s rest. But for hipster homeowners who wish to buck the trend, er, convention, here are some funky (but comfy!) alternatives to the traditional bed for your consideration.

Source: Apartment Therapy

If you think Murphy beds are tacky things best left behind along with other passé interior trends, think again. Here’s a no-frills Murphy bed done up simply and stylishly. Imagine the things you can do now with all that extra space you have!

Source: Valentina Balafa

If the Murphy bed is too back-breaking for you, this little daybed alcove should be more up your alley. We love that it doubles as a lounge seat during the day too.

 

Out of the closet

Repeat after me folks: a walk-in wardrobe is not a necessity. Sure, it’s a nice luxury to have if you can afford the space or just have an obscene number of clothes that warrant an entire room to store them. But for most of us, we just need a simple closet space to store our clothes. While wardrobes are functional, we think they are just too mainstream, which is why you should consider these clothes storage options instead.

Source: Jenny Shus

Sometimes all you need for a clothes rack is to affix a long piece of rope on the wall. You can have a separate chest of drawers to store your intimates and leave the best of your clothing crop on the rope.

Source: Pinterest

Bundle your clothes hangers together and viola! instant wardrobe.

Source: Dwelling Gawker

Quite the handyman? Spray paint a few metal buckets and secure them to the wall.  

Shelfie ideas

Despite the evolution into the digital world, bookshelves will still continue to exist in homes as long as our human ego persist—what else will better show off our wide knowledge of the world than a bookshelf full of books? Of course, there are less shallow reasons why one might have a bookshelf in their home. Such as, emulating Belle’s (yes, that Belle from Beauty and the Beast) love for books. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to display your reads at home, we’re advocating for going beyond the humble bookshelf as the means to do so, just because these ways are invariably more fun.

Source: Core77

Blessed with stairs? Use them!

Source: Buzzfeed

Ladders aren't just for reaching the top shelf. The rungs on ladders just make it a lot easier to categorise your reads.  

Study substitutes

The minimal furniture requisite for a home office is a desk and a chair. If that doesn’t sound very exciting, you’re right. Your workspace at home should be an inspiring space, an imaginative ground for all sorts of ideas to ferment and rise. And for that to happen, you would need these home office furniture alternatives instead.

Source: Ebay

For really flexible people, here’s a Japanese-style home office with a ground desk and a lounge chair to make yourself comfortable while you work.

Source: House Room Design

Squeeze in a little exercising time as you work, with this bicycle for an office chair. It serves as a good place to park your ride at home too.  

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