The Best Modern Furniture for Small Spaces

We’ve all been there. You spot the piece of your dreams: a modern sectional, an oak dining table, a dramatic floor lamp… and you fall in love. Then you check the dimensions and quickly realize furniture heartbreak is very real.

With traditional suburban homes rising in cost, compact apartment suites and narrow townhomes are becoming the most affordable option for new home buyers — making space all that much harder to come by.

But this doesn’t mean your space can’t resemble that dream home Pinterest board we all know you have. And you don’t have to break the bank to do it, either.

Continue reading to find out how to maximize space in your home — without compromising design.

Contemporary Seating for Small Spaces

We all love a spacious, comfortable sectional. But apartment living sometimes makes this cushiony dream feel unattainable. Luckily, there are seating options that come in accommodating widths or smart designs to maximize comfort and space in what little room you have.

Many of our favorite articles — like Sven, Burrard, and Anton — are available in dedicated apartment-friendly widths to bridge the gap between a lounge-y sofa and compact loveseat. Oversized chairs are another alternative for seating in a small space that offers generous dimensions for maximum comfort. If the width of your space doesn’t allow for a full-length sofa, a modern loveseat and armchair combo has room for the same amount of butts, but gives you more layout flexibility. 

Homes that have tricky layouts can also be cheated with modular sectionals like the Solae and Beta that have seats you can purchase individually to configure in your space for a customized fit.

Mid-Century Space Saving Surfaces

Living small often means your mid century living room might double as your dining room — or even triple as your home office. 

The surfaces you choose are key in this scenario. Smart designs like the Scindo Nesting Tables can be separated to provide ample table space, then slide underneath one another to elegantly hide away until the next time you have company over. Modern poufs in hardwearing materials like leather make them sturdy enough to balance a dinner tray on, while also being soft enough to act as spare seating when your best friend’s new boyfriend crashes book club. 

When it comes to small space dining, a cafe table like the Mara makes a big style impact with its Carrara Marble top, while the round shape offers extra clearance for foot (or paw) traffic around it. It’s also big enough to hold your laptop during all-day Zoom meetings, but compact enough to tuck away in a corner of your apartment when not in use. 

Space and clear counters are post-modern aspirations but can be hard to come by. We can’t get enough decorative knick-knacks, but we also like a clean, modern home. And to that we say, why not both? An open shelving unit can organize all your sentimental mementos in a way that feels intentional rather than chaotic — something that’s always the goal when decorating a small space. 

Double-Duty Pieces 

Design that’s multi-functional, durable, and easy on the eyes — now that’s what we like to see. For a small living space, look no further than this sleek, versatile storage ottoman. It’s a footrest, coffee table, bench, and storage unit rolled into one — the ultimate piece for putting your feet up one night and entertaining the next. 

Speaking of entertaining, you know those evenings where the champagne flows a little too freely? Give your friends a place to crash comfortably with a sofa bed like the Soma. As your primary sofa, it gives you plenty of space for everyone to sit around your vegan charcuterie board, but easily turns into an impromptu guest room when needed. Just don’t forget to grab linens for your visitors from the secret storage compartment in your Maribo Storage Ottoman. 

While size matters when furnishing your home, smarts matter even more. It’s not the amount of space you have, it’s how you use it that counts.