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Hi, it's Lindsay Diane from diancor.com.
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In this video, let's talk about
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space-saving furniture. Choosing the
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right piece of furniture for your small
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space makes all the difference between
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feeling like you're in a cramped and
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cluttered environment versus being in a
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comfortable, streamlined, efficient
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space that's ready to adapt to your
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needs. So, let's jump in to the 13
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different types of space-saving
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furniture for your small space. Number
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one is an expandable bookcase. An
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expandable bookcase is one of the most
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flexible solutions for small spaces.
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Unlike traditional shelving that takes
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up a fixed amount of wall space, these
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Clever units expand or they can track to
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fit your needs. You can start with a
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narrow configuration that holds just the
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essentials and then later you can sort
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of pull it out and extend horizontally
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as your collection grows. Some of these
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expandable bookcases even pivot so that
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you can line your bookcase along a
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corner and it take on a corner
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configuration which I think is very very
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cool. Expect to spend about anywhere
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between $80 and $250 for a quality
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expandable bookcase. Of course, the
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materials and stuff are going to vary.
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When it comes to styling these
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bookcases, avoid overcrowding the
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shelves with just sort of wallto-wall
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books. Instead, think about possibly
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mixing books with decorative accents or
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even using some bins or baskets with
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lids on them that you can use as like a
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concealed storage option to keep your
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small space tidy and balanced. Number
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two are folding and expanding tables. A
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folding or expandable dining table is a
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gamecher for small spaces where the
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dining room and the living rooms
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overlap. So these tables expand when you
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need them and then they just fold away
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when you don't need them and they will
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free up valuable square footage. A lot
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of times when you have a small space
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like an apartment or just a small open
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floor plan home, you may not use that
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little dining room nook that is set
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aside for a dining room table. Instead,
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you may be using it as a home office or
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a play area or maybe you have
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instruments there or something like
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that. It tends to be much more of a
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multi-functional space and because of
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that you're not going to go with a
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traditional table or you may not want to
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because it's going to get in the way. So
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instead think about going with an
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expandable table that is there when you
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need it and sort of smaller and compact
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and can be pushed to the side when you
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don't. There are also drop leaf and
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butterfly options as well that you can
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use when again when you need them and
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when you don't. Your your table will
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collapse back in on itself and take up
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less square footage in your space.
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Number three is slim storage carts and
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narrow cabinets. For kitchens,
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bathrooms, and entryways, slim storage
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carts and narrow cabinets are a must.
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They tuck nicely into tight gaps like
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beside a fridge or a washing machine or
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a vanity and they provide extra storage
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without having to have a bulky piece.
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Rolling carts are particularly versatile
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because they can be pulled out when you
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need them and then hidden away
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afterwards. Expect to spend anywhere
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between $40 and $150 for these carts.
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They come in a lot of different
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versions. They have metal ones, they
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have wood ones, they have ones with
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adjustable shelves, they have ones with
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pull out drawers, they have ones with,
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you know, hooks and hangers on the side
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of them. Really, in a small space,
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vertical storage is your best friend.
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So, choose tall, narrow designs that
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make the most out of your small space.
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Number four is a tree bookshelf with a
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light. Now, this is something that is
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new to me. I've never seen anything like
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this before. Essentially, what you're
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looking at here is a tower type
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but it has like a lamp shade or a lamp
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light on the top of it. So, it's
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doubling as a floor lamp. And I think
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that the combination of these two things
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together is just very, very smart. This
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is perfect for a small space that
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doesn't have room for both a lamp and a
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bookcase. So, if you only have one small
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corner available to you to put
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something, go ahead and look for
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something like this that combines those
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two functions into one so that you don't
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lose out on the light that you need and
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you don't lose out that the on the
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storage that you need either by using
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this combo space saving bookshelf. The
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prices on these run anywhere between $80
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and about $180 depending upon the
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material and how fancy the light is. to
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maximize its effect. Place it in a
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corner or near your reading chair so
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that you can make yourself a little cozy
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reading nook within your small space and
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it will be fantastic. Number five is a
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fold out writing table or a wall-mounted
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desk. Now, these fold out tables I think
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are really, really cool. They're just
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kind of collapsible like a TV tray
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except they will lay flat so that you
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can tuck them maybe under a a sofa or
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under a bed and pull them out when you
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need them. There are a lot of great
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options available on Amazon.
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Alternatively, if you want to spend a
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little bit more, you could go with a
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wall-mounted desk. The only thing that I
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would say with these is just be careful
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when you're getting them for kids that
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may not understand that they can't put a
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ton of weight on something like this
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because essentially what's going to
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happen is that you have to anchor it
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into the wall and then it's going to
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fold down for you. You can write on it.
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It's not meant to stack, you know, five,
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you know, 8 lb textbooks or anything
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like that. Anything too super heavy is
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not going to hold up on these types of
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desks. They're made for light duty work.
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So you you have your laptop, you have
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your tablet, maybe notebooks and paper,
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a few small books, but that's about it.
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You don't want to put anything too heavy
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on these. But they are really, really
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good, especially for a small bedroom for
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a kid because kids rooms tend to be
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smaller already and more often than not,
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they're the ones that need that little
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desk for homework or something like
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that. So they are a cool solution. Just
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be careful with the ones that you
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choose. They do have some now that um
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double as book shelves, too, which I
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think are really, really cool. Prices
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for these fold out writing tables and
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wall-mounted desks range between about
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$60 and $200. Space saving pieces like
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this are great because they keep your
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small space flexible, and they allow you
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to transform your living room into an
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office and your office back into a
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living room within seconds. Number six
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is stackable stools. If you need some
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additional seating in your small space
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when guests come, or maybe you have a
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fold away dining table that you don't
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have out all the time, or a um expanding
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kitchen island that you need seating for
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sometimes, but not all the times. These
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stackable stools are a great option
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because when they're not in use, they
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just nest together and lock together and
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you can use them as like a side table or
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a coffee table or something like that.
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It's just a really really cool way to
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store your stools and your just your
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seating in general. They are a great
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alternative from having traditional
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dining chairs or bar seating. You'll
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find them priced between $40 and about
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$120 per set. Number seven is a swivel
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TV stand. Now, this saves so much space
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in a room. Instead of having a
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traditional TV stand or a entertainment
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center, go for something like this where
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your TV is still mounted up high where
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you can see it, but it's really just on
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a stand that can be moved around. Some
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of them do come on wheels, some of them
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don't, but this is as streamlined as it
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gets when it comes to your uh
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entertainment in your living room or in
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your bedroom. I can see these swivel
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floor TV stands being particularly
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useful if you have a studio space or
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just an open floor plan because it gives
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you the flexibility to be in multiple
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places and be able to adjust your TV as
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needed. I think that this is very very
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cool. It's not something that you're
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going to be able to do with a
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traditional uh you know entertainment
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center or TV stand. You may get a little
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bit of swivel action if you have it wall
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mounted, but it's not the same as being
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able to spin something 360, which I
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think is very, very cool. So, if you
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have a small space and you want to make
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sure that you maximize that space,
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consider using a TV stand like this in
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lie of a traditional TV stand or
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entertainment center with shelves that's
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like bulky and wood and all that stuff.
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Number eight is a narrow shoe cabinet.
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Now, this is something that you've
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probably seen before because they
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started becoming really popular about 5
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years ago, and I see them all over the
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place now. This is an excellent thing to
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have in your entryway if shoes
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collecting there by the door is a
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problem. You can use one of these narrow
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shoe cabinets. They're basically very
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narrow, skinny cabinets that have
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drawers that tilt out towards you and
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then you can sort of tuck your shoes
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inside of them and close them up and
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they just look really pretty. Everything
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is hidden away. You have the uh cabinet
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top where you can add decor. You can put
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a little basket for your keys or
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anything else that you may want to put
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up there. But the idea that this
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replaces open shoe racks that can start
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to look messy from time to time or a
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bulky storage bench that is larger and
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is consuming a lot of valuable floor
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space is key. This space saving piece of
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furniture is fantastic. It's no surprise
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that they're as popular as they are.
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They come in all sorts of different
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finishes. You can get them with
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hardware, without hardware. You can get
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them in pretty much any stain of wood
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you can imagine. different colors.
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They're the sky's is the limit on these
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as far as variety goes. So, think about
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getting one of these narrow shoe
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cabinets for your entryway. Expect to
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spend anywhere between $70 and $200 for
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these. Um, the only thing to look out
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for is make sure that they uh you check
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the product description to see how many
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shoes it claims to fit. Remember, when
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it comes to this, they usually
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illustrate it with kids shoes or women's
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shoes. But when it comes to men's shoes,
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you might only fit like three pairs or
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four pairs in there. So, just think
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about your needs and how many you want
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to be able to fit in there. And check
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the product description before you buy.
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Number nine is narrow behind the door
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bookshelves. Now, this is another one
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that's new to me, and I kind of really
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want one. This is a perfect solution for
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a kid's room. We have lots of picture
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ledges, but frankly, they fill up
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really, really quickly. And there are
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way more books and like little metals
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and all sorts of things that need to be
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stored in their rooms. And I think that
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this is awesome. Now, I've seen a lot of
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over the-do organizers, but this is
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something a little bit different. This
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is a piece of furniture that is made to
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be mounted on the wall behind the door.
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Although I think you can actually mount
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it on the door itself, but really it's
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intended to be behind the door on the
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wall. And this allows you to still be
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able to open your door freely, but still
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have all of the storage that you need.
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So, the way that this works is instead
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of storing your books in a sort of like
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vertical filing fashion, you know, how
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we traditionally see them on a
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bookshelf, instead you're storing them
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more like they're on a picture ledge and
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they're sort of layering themselves. And
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that's the way that they're keeping this
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piece so narrow, but you still have lots
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and lots of storage available to you.
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Most of these models are between about
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They can replace side tables,
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nightstands, wall-mounted shelves, and
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spaces that normally feel crowded can
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really be freed up with a piece of
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furniture like this.
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outside of a bedroom or an office. These
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can be used to store spices, store
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toiletries in a bathroom, or you could
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even store shoes in here like flip-flops
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or something narrow that kids might have
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as well. Next up is a lift top coffee
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table. Now, this is combining your need
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for a coffee table with your need for a
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dining table. This is perfect for a
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family room where people love to gather
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and snack. Also, it's great if you want
13:32
to play games together. So, maybe you
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want to do puzzles, maybe you want to do
13:36
board games, and you want to be at that
13:38
elevated height. You don't want to have
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to be crouched over a low coffee table,
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this is the perfect solution for that.
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So, even if you don't necessarily have a
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small space, it's it's fantastic. But
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especially if you only want to have one
13:53
sort of piece of furniture like a table,
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this is going to double as a dining
13:59
table and a coffee table, which is
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fantastic. That will give you a lot more
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room in your space for other things. A
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lot of the designs also include hidden
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storage beneath the top, which is great
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for like remote controls and books and
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magazines, chargers. Again, you may find
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options that have lighting in them. You
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may find options that have built-in
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chargers in them. It's just a really
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great innovation. As far as coffee
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tables go, expect to spend anywhere
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between about $120 and $300 for these um
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lift top tables. Find one in a finish
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that works well with your overall color
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palette and one that has the storage and
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the features that you want and you're
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good to go. And number 11 is a rolling
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kitchen island with extendable dining
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table. This is a fullon kitchen island
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that will extend out
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horizontally so that you have another
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full table option. So instead of it just
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seating, let's say two people, it can
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seat four people and still maintain all
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of its sort of kitchen island features,
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right? You still have your racks and
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your shelves and your cabinets that you
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may need for your kitchen island. They
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may be storing some utensils or pots or
15:25
pans or what have you, spices, and it it
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isn't interrupted by the table feature.
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The fact that it comes on wheels is even
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better because you can push it out of
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the way when you don't need it. You
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don't have to have it sitting in the
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middle of your kitchen or your dining
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space when you don't need it. You can
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kind of push it up against the wall,
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which is great. This is fantastic for
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replacing a bulky kitchen table or a
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stationary island that will permanently
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occupy a space. Many of the versions,
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like we said, come in with built-in
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drawers or towel racks for extra
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convenience. This is a fantastic option
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if you have a small home or a small
16:10
apartment. Expect to spend anywhere
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between $150 and $600 for these
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expandable or kitchen islands with
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expandable dining tables. Number 12 is
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loft beds and sleeper sofas. Now, when
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people think about space-saving
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furniture solutions as far as beds are
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concerned for small spaces, we often
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jump to the Murphy bed or the fold out
16:38
sofa. Now, in recent years, the sleeper
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sofas have really, really improved on
16:47
the way that they function, the way they
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pull out, and how they lay down to be a
16:52
bed. They are very different nowadays
16:55
from when they may have been when you
16:57
were younger. So me growing up, I know
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my grandmother used to have one of
17:01
those. You would have to take it was
17:03
basically the size of a love seat. It
17:05
was a love seat, right? And you had to
17:08
take the love seat cushions off of it
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and then the mattress was there and you
17:12
would pull it by the cord. You pull it
17:14
up and out and it had these sort of like
17:16
iron legs that would come out and you
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would fold out your mattress and it
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would be outrageously uncomfortable
17:22
because the mattress had been folded up
17:23
and it'd have these lumps in them, these
17:25
permanent creases and you'd feel the bar
17:28
in your back and like all of that stuff
17:30
right nowadays. If you haven't seen a
17:34
sleeper sofa since then, wait till you
17:36
see this. The sleeper sofas now
17:40
transform in a totally different way.
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Not only is it not a mattress that's
17:45
hidden underneath the sofa, the sofa
17:48
itself is the bed. So, what's going to
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happen is that you basically have
17:53
created a massive recliner. So, that
17:57
your entire sofa acts as a recliner. The
18:00
um the back rest folds down and then the
18:05
foot rest pulls up and out. And this is
18:09
just a really really cool way to do a
18:13
pull out sofa these days. Sometimes they
18:15
call them convertible beds. So in
18:18
addition to the fact that this is not a
18:19
separate mattress that is being pulled
18:21
out and hidden away from underneath, um
18:24
this is also something that often has
18:28
hidden storage in it. It may have cup
18:30
holders in it. It may have charger
18:32
stations on it. It may have little
18:35
compartments where you can put books and
18:37
magazines and things like that. They are
18:39
just very very cool. A lot of them have
18:41
different configurations so that you can
18:43
use them as a chase. You can use them as
18:46
just reclined seating without going all
18:48
the way back. And then some of course
18:50
lay all the way flat down as a bed.
18:53
Another option for a small space as far
18:55
as beds go are the loft beds. This is
18:59
sort of the modern-day bunk bed, so to
19:02
speak. Although you can have a full-size
19:05
bed as a loft bed, it doesn't have to be
19:07
just a twin for a child. You can have a
19:10
full-size bed that is elevated and give
19:13
you a place to tuck a desk or even a
19:17
little small sofa underneath to create a
19:19
sitting area underneath the bed. This is
19:22
for sure for the the younger folks,
19:25
right? So, I would say that you probably
19:27
max out on the loft bed at the college
19:30
years and then after that you may want
19:33
um you know a more sophisticated
19:35
sleeping solution. Um but if you are
19:38
still working with a tight budget and
19:40
like a Murphy bed is not in the budget
19:42
because those are very expensive. While
19:44
they are great space-saving furniture
19:48
solutions, I don't have them on this
19:50
list because they're so expensive. I
19:52
have yet to see an affordable Murphy bed
19:55
that looks nice, that functions well.
19:58
They're just pricey. Expend expect to
20:00
spend over $1,000 for a Murphy bed. But
20:05
if you don't have that money and you're
20:07
still looking for a space-saving bed
20:09
solution, think about these pull out
20:11
sofa beds and think about a loft bed.
20:15
The loft beds typically range anywhere
20:17
between $200 and $800, whereas the
20:20
sleeper sofas can go anywhere from like
20:23
$300 to $1,000 depending upon the
20:25
quality. And last but not least is the
20:28
nesting ottoman cube stool. This is a
20:32
piece of furniture that is new to me.
20:36
I've never seen this before and they
20:38
look so cool. They're very popular on
20:41
Amazon. They have great reviews.
20:43
Essentially what you're looking at here
20:45
is an ottoman made out of stools. So the
20:50
stools pull out from the top and the
20:52
sides so that you and you basically
20:56
completely disassemble this ottoman and
20:58
it becomes a whole set of stools that
21:01
you can use at your kitchen table or
21:05
your dining table. And then when you
21:08
don't need that extra seating or the
21:10
seating is going to be in the way or
21:11
you're just using the seating for like a
21:13
rollway kitchen island or something like
21:15
that, you can compact it right back
21:18
together and it turns into an ottoman. I
21:21
think that this is just so cool. It's so
21:24
cool. I'm not surprised that people love
21:26
them. They seem to be very well
21:28
constructed. They also come on wheels. I
21:31
find that to be the only sort of odd
21:33
part about this design is that one of
21:36
the stools has the wheels attached to
21:38
it, but it doesn't roll. It's attached
21:40
to like the side, which is a little
21:43
weird, but I guess I get it.
21:46
They had to go somewhere. It's better
21:48
that it be on wheels and you can kind of
21:50
push around this ottoman because it's
21:52
probably quite heavy. Um, I haven't
21:54
checked the uh the weight of it, but I
21:57
imagine it probably has some weight to
21:59
it because it has these sturdy sort of
22:02
metal bases that are topped with a
22:04
cushion with faux leather. Outside of
22:07
its use as stools or an ottoman, you can
22:10
also just slide it to the side of your
22:13
sofa or your chair and it can be used as
22:15
a little side table as well. The price
22:18
on these is anywhere between $60 and
22:21
$200. That's it for this video. I will
22:24
have links below to my Amazon storefront
22:26
and to all of the items that were
22:28
featured in this video in the
22:30
description box below. If you like this
22:32
video, please give it a like and
22:34
consider subscribing to my channel. And
22:36
don't forget to visit me at diancor.com.
22:39
I post all about home decorating ideas
22:41
and inspiration over there. I thank you
22:43
so much for watching and I'll see you in