Furniture for Kismet Cabin

When I move to a new place, I always face the quandary of what to take with me and what to get rid of. Five years ago, I moved from a two bedroom, 2 car garage house to a 750 sq ft apartment. Then three years ago, I downsized to a 500 sq ft studio apartment with a separate kitchen and bathroom. And I am now downsizing again to a ~100 sq ft tiny house.

The challenge this time is more daunting though. There are no closets. There's next to nothing in kitchen storage. No pantry. No refrigerator. No washer or dryer. No space for a bed and a couch. Facing facts, the furniture I have is not going to fit in the this tiny house and still be functional.

I think one of the inviting things about building a tiny house or converting a bus is I can design it to fit my needs and my stuff. Coming into an established space like this tiny house, means letting go of preconceived design ideals and dealing with the challenges of this established floor plan. This is not to say that the space and decor won't be fabulous... because it will. I'm just going to have to go about the design and decorating ideas differently.

To break the design down to it's most basic elements, I have to establish, "What do I need?" Rather than think about what I need in terms of furniture or things, I've chosen to think of what I need by function.

1. I need to sleep.
2. I need to study.
3. I need to cook.
4. I need to be presentable for work.
5. I need to be creative.
6. I need to watch TV and movies.
7. I need to entertain.

Now the trick is finding furniture that combines several of these functions together.

1. My number one priority is I need to sleep. Because I looooove sleeping and I want to be nice and comfy. While I was touring the IKEA showroom I came across the Friheten sofa bed with chaise. I though this was a perfect example of multi-functional furniture because I've always liked the L-seating arrangement for entertainment, the chaise storage would be great for storing things like sheets, comforters and pillows, and the sofa bed expands to a full size bed - making sleep way more comfortable.

This means the queen size bed I currently have can go to my parents house for their guest bed room. The IKEA chair and chaise I got three years ago can be broken down and put into storage.

2. Now for my second need, studying. I'm using a library table that belonged to my mom when she was a teenager as my desk, craft table and dinner table. It's already a piece of multitasking furniture. However, it measures 3'x5' which is too big for the tiny house. So, it has to go into storage too with the rolling desk chair and folding guest chairs.

The reality is any stand-alone table/desk is going to be too big. I thought about using TV trays but they can be rickety and not very attractive. Also, I have to sit at the edge of my seat to use them.

Then I found these simple, modern tray-tables.They can slide flush to the sofa, thus taking up less room. The table trays also act as stylish TV trays when entertaining. If I got two, then they could act as end table to the sofa for drinks or be moved towards the center to hold meals when entertaining. One is large enough for a computer or a sewing machine and the second could hold books and notes acting as a desk. They would also fit as bedside tables too.

Coaster 900250 Contemporary Snack Table with Glass Top, Silver

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the printer, yet.

3. I also need to cook. There's not much I can do to make a refrigerator multi-functional but I can reconsider the size of refrigerator I need. I don't need a large refrigerator but I do need one with a freezer. I also have a set of wire rack shelves that are slightly larger than the dimensions of the Insignia 4.3 cu ft compact refrigerator. I could raise up the refrigerator on the shelves to maximize vertical space, also makes it easier to see into the fridge, and use the shelving storage underneath as a place to keep kitchen equipment. There should also be room for a narrow wire rack shelving unit on wheels to slide along the side of the fridge and act as a pantry.

4. I need to be presentable for work. Where, oh where, to store my clothes and shoes? And how do I clean them?The chaise storage would work if it wasn't already being used to store bedding. That leaves the bathroom as the only place to put some additional storage which kinda makes sense. IKEA had a diverse selection of wardrobes that I thought could work. But the one I found most versatile wasn't that pretty to look at. I only have a few things that I need to hang up and the 18" was adequate. Everything else I fold up, so the vertical shelves are a good fit. There's a long shelf at the bottom that would fit my shoes and boots. I could store bath towels in the wardrobe as well. All my toiletries already fit in one carrier.

IKEA Briem Wardrobe, blue

As for keeping clothes clean, I've been thinking about getting the Scrubba Wash Bag for camping, so I think now's a good time for that. As seen in the video, it certainly doesn't take up much space for storage.

5. I need to be creative. The space for creative work has already been solved. I can sit on the couch and use the table-trays as my work space. But where to store my supplies and tools? I guess now's the time to mention the two storage lofts. I figure on using one storage loft for my weaving, sewing, bookbinding, and soap making crafts. Luckily, I can reach the storage loft using my step ladder/kitchen stool. I'm thinking, I might do something like this.

6. I need to watch TV and movies. The simplest solution is to mount the TV to the wall opposite the L-shaped sofa and chaise. A floating shelf would also be mounted to house the Roku and Blu Ray player with remotes.

7. I need to entertain. To extend my entertainment area, I think an outdoor kitchen/patio is the way to go. I need to work on this idea a little more.