Sometimes the most excellent ideas are actually old ones. Have you heard that saying, "Everything old is new again?" Given that there are only so many ways that you can slice that proverbial pie, it should be no great surprise that certain interior design components get recycled every couple of decades or so.
Even some of the most thought-provoking "new" concepts in furniture design have been around for a long time. When we think of dual-use furniture, that is, the ability to fold down, slide up or pull out, look back hundreds of years at marine design and you will find the genesis of the most modern flexible furniture design. Telescoping tables and retractable lids have been around for hundreds of years.
When a new material is invented or discovered, we tend to see expansive new ideas in the built environment, such as we saw when aluminum was invented. One of the awesome spin-offs of the space race was the ability to shrink electronics down to an infinitesimal size to control moving parts and to command inanimate objects to function in marvelous ways.
But a constructed room can only be arranged in so many ways. We always have to work around architectural features such as a window like the one shown here, doors, appliances, bathroom fixtures, water supply and fireplaces. What I love about this combination of the old stand-by drop leaf table and small window seat is that both offer ways to conserve space.
When not in use, a drop leaf table can be shoved up against a wall or positioned tightly against seating, as done in this application. This Shaker table design is as simple as furniture can get and could be paired with very contemporary chairs or with the more transitional style shown. Thomas Moser, cabinet-maker in Maine known for hand crafted furnishings made in cherry and walnut, created this contemporized version of a captain's chair.
You might also use antique designs with this basic table or high-back modern leather or wood chairs. Of most importance is the function of both the flexible table and the built-in window seat. While window seats are most often a feature found in traditional homes, architects often include built-in seating in current small home plans as a way to both add charm and to incorporate greater utility in little rooms.
I once owned a townhome that featured a window seat in the main floor office, which was located off the dining room. I loved that the window seat included a lift top for storage where we stowed old magazines. That window seat also served as a favorite reading spot drenched in warm afternoon sun, and no additional floor space was eaten up by an armchair.
Other cool ideas are not new innovations, but old concepts such as pull-down light fixtures. Probably originating with adjustable oil lamps, adjustable hanging lights offer more focused illumination when you need it and allow you to push the fixture out of the way when convenient.
Bunk beds conserve floor space and have been in use for hundreds of years in the form of sleeping alcoves and as practical country accommodations. The old bunkhouses were designed to house as many men as possible in a small area. Many of the built-in features of classic tract houses of the 1950s are being embraced again; accordion doors between rooms, room dividers that are also bookcases or planters, sliding pocket doors between spaces.
Patio or courtyard living was popularized during the 50s as well, and we have seen an explosion of interest in capturing outdoor spaces as entertaining and recreation space for the entire family in the last decade.
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Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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