Trending on Remodelista: 5 Design Ideas for Small Apartments, Ikea Included

Interior design for a compact apartment can feel like you’re trying to fit together puzzle pieces that don’t quite match up.  This week the Remodelista editors brainstormed their favorite fixes for apartments that have no square footage to spare. Here are five design ideas to steal:

Folding Ikea Tables

Above: Also shown in the top photo of the post, an Ivar Foldable Table measures measures 70 1/2-inches high, 35 inches wide, and 41 inches deep (when open); it is $140 from Ikea.

See more sin New to Ikea: The Cool Foldable Table Every Small Kitchen Needs.

Folding Clothes Racks

Above: Hardware stores tend to carry our favorite laundry workhorse: the collapsible wood drying rack. A Honey-Can-Do Large Wood Knockdown Drying Rack is $20.36 from Home Depot.

See more in Remodelista Essentials: 25 Inexpensive, Surprisingly Good-Looking Design Finds from the Hardware Store.

Glass Partitions

Above: In an apartment in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, architects Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger of BoND replaced a solid bedroom wall with a glass partition to create a sense of depth and spaciousness. (For privacy, the clients can cover the glass wall with a curtain.) Photograph by Eric Petschek.

See more in Beneath the Surface: A Petite Manhattan Apartment with a Surprising Amount of Storage (and Small-Space Tricks).

Retractable Clotheslines

Above:: A small-space essential: a Retractable Clothesline, for hanging laundry, or added storage in the kitchen is $12.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

“Over the years several hardware store essentials—from drop cloths to surprisingly good-looking porcelain light fixtures—have made their way into each of our arsenals and become Remodelista icons,” writes Annie in 25 Favorite Hardware Store Finds.

Folding Platform Beds

Above: A Remix Night Couch is designed by Gesa Hansen, founder of the Hansen Family. It’s handmade with a solid oak frame, comes in any textile from the Hansen Family or Kvadrat lines, and folds out flat into a platform bed. Prices start at $2,690.

“It’s a sad image: our guest—a parent or sibling or best friend—standing over me with a pillow in hand as I unfurl the plastic and start up the air blower. That’s not the kind of host I strive to be,” writes Alexa. “I’d rather have a grown-up guest bed; a wood daybed in the corner of the room that expands into a proper bed for the night—and gets put back together in the morning.” See her picks for grown-up guests beds in this week’s 10 Easy Pieces post.