Question: I am moving into a small loft with an interesting layout. Because of the placement of the spiral staircase and closet in the living room, I don't know where to set up the main entertainment area so that there will be space for work and eating. The sleeping alcove on the second floor is very small and uneven in width and length. How can I make the most of the space I have?

Katherine Chun
San Francisco

Answer:There's something delightfully intimate about living in a small apartment. You don't have room for much furniture, so what you choose must maximize its function. The obvious plan for this small space would be to have the bedroom upstairs. But the bathroom is downstairs, and a 3 a.m. trip there could be fraught with danger.

My solution is to make the upstairs your home office and reading area, and let the downstairs perform multiple tasks: living room, bedroom, entertainment area and dining space.

Whew! That's a lot to ask of this space, but with so much innovative furniture designed for small spaces on the market, it's easy to find pieces that can fulfill the challenge.

 

 Lofty Ambitions The dimensions of this loft apartment present a challenge, with its long main space and a sleeping alcove upstairs. To make the most of the space, the solution uses the alcove as a home office and arranging the downstairs rooms for multiple uses. Convertible furniture, a folding screen and creative storage devices help maximize the relatively small space.

Let's start with the sofa, since that's the easiest piece. "Convertible sofas," as they were once called, are sofas that convert to beds. Let's use that as the anchor piece and put it against the wall next to the circular staircase.

In front of it is a coffee table that can be converted to a dining table by lifting it from 18 inches high to the standard 30 inches height for dining. You often see this kind of table in cruise ship staterooms where space is at a premium.

An upholstered bench that's 30 by 18 inches deep and 20 inches high is perpendicular to the sofa. This will be seating for two at the dining table. Additionally, its top lifts up for pillow storage for your convertible sofa bed. The height is more than the standard bench height, but necessary if it's to be a comfortable seat at the dining table.

On the other side are two slipper chairs that become additional seats for dinner guests.

When it's time to retire for the night, slide the bench toward the end table nearest it, and the dining table to where the bench was.

Next to the sofa is a pair of end tables. Of course, they're also storage units with drawers and/or doors.

Instead of table lamps here, I suggest a pair of swing arm lamps attached to the wall behind the sofa. They provide light where you need it, and when put on a rheostat they'll give soft light when entertaining.

The last piece needed for this area will hide the kitchen and make it feel like a true living room. It's a four-panel screen used as a room divider. Depending on your decorating style, it can be modern, traditional, whimsical or funky.

If you're seriously crunched for storage space, you can use a room-dividing wall unit instead of the panel screen. The open side could face the kitchen and the back would provide you with an opportunity to hang shirred fabric for a dramatic drapery effect, or a mirror to visually expand the space, or an interesting art collection, or a combination of the three.

Opposite the seating area is a long entertainment cum storage area. This could be made up of modular furniture with specific sections chosen based on your own needs. On it, or in it, is a flat-screen TV. It can be hidden by doors on the wall unit, or open. On the other side of the closet is a matching modular unit for additional storage, including a dresser for more clothing storage. Make sure it has a place that you can use as your entry "key and mail drop" area.

Tall plants placed around the base of the circular stair soften this element and, at the same time, prevent you from walking into the structure. Use interesting pots and up-lights beneath them.

Now for the upstairs: I suggest you use the long wall that has a structural buck in it for a long desk area. You can build shelving on the wall that incorporates this structural element and make it seem to disappear. A rolling desk chair gives you the easy mobility you need to use the entire length of the desk. File storage below can be added as needed. If you need more surface space, you can turn the corner and continue the desktop and shelves as shown by the dotted line.

A wall-hugging recliner gives you a place to relax and read. And since some flat computer screens include a jack for a TV cable, you can convert the office into another place to watch TV. Next to the recliner is an oval end table and a floor lamp that provides both light for reading and ambient light for the room.

This innovative use of small space provides the flexibility you need to live and entertain graciously.

 

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