I'm gonna live solo in a 45m^2 apartment soon. While there is already furniture, kitchen and bathroom all set up, I'd honestly like to remodel it a bit to be more multipurpose/functional as to save space.

I've seen a lot of japanese type small apartments where the design is really thoughtful to space saving. I will try to go for a more minimalistic approach to things, like chairs that can fold into the table. I've seen chairs that can be used as a ladder, which would be really useful at home. I'm struggling to find any stores in the EU that would really go above and beyond with its multipurpose approach.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreaciated. Thanks

My partner and I are trying to downsize all our things as we move into a new apartment.

I live with my partner in a small apartment (aka flat) in London. Currently, our living room has a Western style sofabed, coffee table, dining chairs, and dining table. They take up all the room, especially if the sofabed is pulled out.

I'd like to get or make modular, multifunction furniture to replace it and make better use of the small space.

We need to be able to provide a comfortable sleeping surface for when we do have a guest stay overnight; seating and a table for 2–5 people; non-slip surface for exercise; space to pace or lounge; clear space for playing VR games; and a surface for writing, playing board games, sewing, etc. But we don't need all of those at the same time — so it'd be ideal if we can use something that's multifunctional.

We have ~300×210–270cm floor space (depending on bookshelves) to use for all of that. Also, our walls & ceiling don't have any wooden studs, so we can't use them for any significant weight-bearing load.

I'm not attached to Western style design (e.g. chair height seating & tables), I know Tokyo apartments are even smaller than London's, and I remember that some traditional Japanese beds can be easily taken apart & stacked… so I figured it would be helpful to ask here for ideas or examples of what might work.

My draft idea at the moment is to have three things, which can be used in multiple ways:

1. a set of 12 firm 50×50cm square cushions with zippers or velcro on the sides — so that they can be attached to each other in a 3×4 grid to form a 150×200cm bed (same as the one in our bedroom, so we can use the same sheets, blankets, etc); serve as individual ground level seats; be stacked against a wall in 3×1 segments to form a low couch with backrest; and all be stacked in one column to take up minimum space when not in use
2. a rectangular table, around 50×100cm — with legs that can be folded flat for stowing against the wall; set at shin height for dining etc. with floor level seating; or set at waist height for working with tools, holding a laptop to watch movies, using with our office chairs, or just being a convenient place to hold things temporarily. On top of the structural base layer (eg metal or wood), it could stack a couple thin, interchangeable surfaces for different uses — e.g. tempered glass for dining or brainstorming with dry erase markers; UHMWPE or vinyl for cutting, sewing, woodworking, etc.; or felt for playing card & board games. If the legs & base can be made strong enough, it could even have a 2×1 connected pair of the cushions put on top, so it works as a bench or short couch.
3. something like yoga mats or aikido dojo style tatami, to make the floor non-slip for exercise & cushions, more comfortable than wood to sit or lie down on, and possibly to put on top of the bed-configuration cushions as a sort of mattress pad, to prevent knees or elbows going into the cracks between cushions and spreading apart the velcro/zipper connectors (or just being uncomfortable)

The most difficult design issue so far is how to have free-standing table legs that can fold or detach, hold ~100–150kg, work at shin or waist height, and leave room for knees & legs underneath. I have a few ideas; my current favorite is to use two sets of 4 fixed-length hollow cylinder steel legs (one set for shin height and one for waist height), attached using a type of locking hinge, so they can fold flat against the bottom but be solid when vertical.

Using modular cushions is just my current idea, though. Maybe something totally different would fulfill the same purposes and work better.

I assume that people living in Tokyo must have various ways to solve the same problem of living in limited space, with different cultural norms around design, but I don't know what those are or how to search for them.

Maybe something functionally similar is a standard thing in Japan, but wouldn't normally be considered in the UK? For example, I've only used tatami in dojo. I vaguely know that there exist versions intended for sleeping on, which you can stack in a closet when not in use — but I don't know what they're like, how they're prevented from sliding or spreading apart during sleep, if there's a more specific name for them, etc. I've no idea whether there are more multifunctional items.

I'd appreciate any ideas, suggestions, phrases to search for, examples of other solutions, or other help.

Thanks!

（日本語をもうあまり話せないので、英語で書きます。😅　それでも、日本語でご返信もリンクも大丈夫なはず。）

ETA: commenters point to https://www.cecile.co.jp/s/living/ and https://www.nitori-net.jp/ec/

So I just moved across the country for work and because of that, plus the fact that all my furniture I used to own was cheap and not very good, I sold/gave it all away and moved into my new apartment with no furniture whatsoever. My previous apartments have been extremely meh, mostly due to my own lack of style/vision but also due to not having a significant budget previously. This time however, I want to make my apartment homier and I've saved up a bunch of money since the last time I was looking for furniture. Unfortunately, that hasn't helped me come up with a vision for how to furnish my apartment. I've seen some modern/contemporary layouts I've liked, but others that seem a bit sterile and impersonal, so I want something that sorta straddles that (like everyone else I'm sure).

Here is the layout with some pictures https://imgur.com/gallery/DNQqMND

My plan was to put my TV/TV stand into the recess where you can see the Xbox box/router because the opposite side of the room gets a lot of light in the afternoon/evening which could result in a nasty glare

My main design question is regarding the layout of the sofa. Does it make sense to just get a sectional? If so, which direction would you have the "L" part going (sorry, I'm sure there's a better term for this)? Or Just a sofa with another chair/ottoman? Would a sectional and chair be crazy?

Here are my other thoughts:

• The dimensions of the living room I measured are actually different than what is displayed on the picture (not sure where exactly their measuring...). I have about 16' along the wall with the window. The wall with the recess (picture 2 in the Imgur album, including the blueprint) is about 11' 2" to the part where it starts to angle away. The recess itself is 78" long and 18" deep. The opposite side (pictures 3-5) is about 20'. The short wall with the cutout at the top (picture 4) is about 5'. The bar is 43" high and 91" long.
• Budget - somewhat TBD. This isn't my final home by any means, but I'm not strapped for cash. Looking at some of the cheaper websites and then things like C2B, West Elm, and Joybird, I think all told for some really good stuff, I should be able to furnish this area for about ~$3k. Obviously, if I can spend less, I'd be happy to. If I'm being unrealistic or need to, I can spend more too
• Other than maybe my TV, I think my sofa is where I am willing to spend the most. My previous sofa was a crappy sofa that was really firm and the cushions quickly had essentially dents in them, and it was just uncomfortable. Hence, definitely want something softer. I don't sleep on my sofa a ton, but will occasionally fall asleep on it while watching TV. I also don't have guests staying with me so often that I want a sleeper sofa. It seems like West Elm and Joybird, especially with their current July 4th sales, seem to have a lot of good options (perhaps too many...) that are at least relatively well priced.
• On the opposite side of the room, I was thinking about having a dining table for 4-6 people that I would mostly use for guests and board games and the such. I won't use it on a super regular basis, so I wasn't aiming to spend a ton there. I also thought a bar cart/cabinet might be nice, since the kitchen doesn't have a ton of cabinet space and I'm starting to develop a small liquor collection that I'm planning on expanding (I'm overall not lacking in storage space at all, it's just a matter of where the storage is - not in the kitchen). If it added some additional counter type space, that would be a nice little bonus. I'm not married to which side of the room those go
• The bar is where I'll do my usual day to day eating. I would probably watch TV from there so I thought bar stools that swivel might make life a bit easier to turn and see the TV and then go back. I don't like bar stools with no back, and not in love with the really low back ones either.

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Appreciate any and all advice!

Hey guys I’m sick of relying on others to move my stuff, and I move apartments a lot. Does anyone know of any portable and easy to move couches, beds, and desks?

I googled and it was hard to find good answers.