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The rational use of each square centimeter is the task of many families. Too many people live in small apartments. In this case, furniture transformer will help. There are different models for different rooms: for the bedroom, kitchen, hallway, nursery, living room. There is no such furniture only in the bathroom or toilet. Yes, and that will probably appear soon.
Types and types
Transformable furniture is convenient if the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe room is small. For small apartments, this is a lifesaver. Another area is if the room is multifunctional. This is also typical for apartments with a small area. For spacious houses or apartments, this is not necessary. Unless for the organization of extra beds during the visits of guests.
Basically, transformer furniture in one item combines two types of items. Moreover, most of them are associated with sleeping places. You can find: wardrobe-bed, table-bed, bed-sofa.
By the way, in the case of an example – a sofa bed – be careful. Do not confuse with the upholstered furniture popular with our grandmothers called “sofa bed”. It was not the most comfortable sofa, which unfolded into something resembling a bed (also, by the way, not very comfortable).
In the current version, these are two different items combined into one. A full bed with a daytime mattress rises, representing a closet and part of the back of the sofa. A soft seat is available. It turns out a sofa. But not folding, but so to speak “stationary”. Convenience to it, as a rule, is given by additional pillows. At night they are removed (there may be a storage box under the sofa seat) and the bed is lowered. So, as you can see, this is a completely different piece of furniture.
There is also transformer furniture, which is associated with the “appearance” of the table. Moreover, the table itself can have different purposes:
- to organize an additional (or main) workplace;
- to increase the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe dining table;
- to increase the working surface in kitchen sets.
There are also triple transformers. Basically it is a wardrobe-bed-sofa or wardrobe-bed-table. They differ from double ones only in that the cabinet is large due to the non-transformable part with shelves.
Furniture transformer: pros and cons
The advantage of furniture transformers is obvious: they take up less space than two separate items. That’s all. There are no other benefits, really. But there are downsides:
- Higher price.
- Basically, only one of the possible options can be used at the same time.
- It takes some effort to unfold/fold. Not all older people or children are able to do this on their own. There are a number of automated models with a remote control, but they are more expensive. And this is subject to the already considerable price of transformer furniture without an automatic drive.
- For transformation, special mechanisms are used. And they can break or seize. And this is an additional minus.
Rational use of space is the main plus of transformable furniture
In general, everything. If you still want to have transforming furniture, choose not only functionality and appearance. Pay attention to mechanisms. They should be made of good steel, the move should be easy. At the slightest problem when unfolding or folding, it is better to refuse the purchase.
Transforming bed
All built-in beds are equipped with orthopedic mattresses, which are fixed on the frame. Basically, this type of transformer furniture is folding. In one state, the frame is raised vertically, held by spring or pneumatic holders. The furniture looks like a closet. In another position, the frame is lowered and rests with its legs on the floor. In this case, everything looks like a bed that stands next to the closet.
If you are going to buy a transforming bed of a lifting type, please note that it should stand near the load-bearing wall. Since the structure is attached to the wall and it must withstand solid loads. So putting such furniture on a weak partition will not work. Is that roll-out models, but there are not so many of them and they do not have the same effects.
Wardrobe bed
Cabinet-beds differ in the orientation of the mattress relative to the surface of the cabinet. There are models that are attached to furniture with a long side, there are short ones. In the first version, the cabinet turns out to be wider, its upper part can be used for its intended purpose – as sections for storing things.
This type of wall-transformer is suitable for narrow spaces. But only a single or one and a half bed can be built in. This view is also called the “horizontal folding bed” – the long part is located along the horizon.
Bunk beds are arranged in the same way. In them, two separate beds are located one above the other. When assembled, they look like a closet.
To climb to the second tier, put an attached ladder. This is where the main inconvenience lies. Firstly, it is far from safe, there are no railings at all. Secondly, it must be kept somewhere at a time when the beds are folded. In general, there are downsides. But there is also a huge plus – the space saving is very solid.
The advantage of this option is the lower price. These models do not require a lot of power of the lifting device, since the load on the mechanism is not so high. In the most budgetary options, springs can be used. Due to this, the cost is reduced.
There are also models in which the bed is attached to the wall with a short part. Such models are sometimes called “vertical folding bed”. Here the price is higher, since the loads on the mechanism responsible for lowering and raising are considerable. Pneumatic lifts are already used here, and they must be of good quality. There are even options with automatic drive and remote control.
In this option there are single, one-and-a-half and two-bed places. The larger the size, the more attention should be paid to the lift. You should also check the mattress fixation system. It must be reliable, but at the same time, it must be possible to remove the mattress for drying / disinfection without any problems.
Walls with built-in beds (transforming wall)
This is an even more solid and expensive type of transforming furniture. Part of the wall – lateral or central – can move away, revealing a vertical bed hidden behind it.
This furniture has no less functionality than a regular wall. Unless under it more space is required in terms of “depth” – so that you can move part of the cabinet. But all the shelves are functional, which is rare in transformable furniture. Even if they are of lesser depth than they could be in an ordinary closet, but the bed is not visible during the daytime. View – business or official, the room can be a living room or dining room. And in the evening, with the bed down, it turns into a bedroom with a full bed.
Roll-out beds
Another transforming bed hides under a work, play or second bed. This option is most often used in children. It is safer, since the bed is low, which is important for children.
Pay attention to the photo. So that both the bed and the table are convenient to use, and the table and bed are pulled out. Very smart and compact. For small apartments – a great option for a nursery.
Another nuance: a box for storing linen under the bed. Basically, this place can be empty. In this case, you can do without a retractable tabletop, as the legs can be hidden under the folded bed.
Table transformer
No less than models of transformable tables. For living rooms, coffee tables-transformers are good, which are laid out in the dining room. A couple of movements and the living room turns into a dining room.
The methods of transformation are different, but mainly lifting and sliding tabletops are used. When folded, the two parts of the tabletop overlap one another.
Transformer: bed-table
There is also a transforming table for the bedroom or children’s room. In this case, the desktop rises, and the bed falls on a swivel hinge and rests on the legs. The location of the mattress in this case is horizontal, saving space is significant. In addition, the room does not lose functionality day or night.
This is a good way to free up space for games in the nursery, organize an extra bed to accommodate guests. Ideal for students, suitable for students.
There are more solid-looking options that can be placed, for example, in the living room or dining room. Again, to accommodate a large number of guests.
This transformer furniture can already be called a table-bed-wardrobe. Since more complex modifications contain more sections with shelves on the side. With a high ceiling height, shelves with doors can be made from above, above the level of the bed – for storing rarely used items. This option is useful if you do not have a dressing room in which off-season items are stored.
For kitchen
There are tables-transformers for the kitchen. Some use the same principle as the well-known book tables. Some “piece” is added to the main work surface, one way or another fixed on the main table top.
This transformer furniture is good for one-room small-sized apartments of an old building, where every centimeter counts. When there are few people, it can be folded. If necessary, the area is increased.
There are also tables with sliding tops. In this case, you also need to pay attention to the fixation system. It has a considerable load, so there must be a margin of safety. It is given by good metal and a reliable system of rollers, on which the countertop extends.
Even for the kitchen, the type of metal from which the guides are made is important. At a minimum, it should be galvanized metal, but stainless steel is better. In extreme cases, for budget models, powder coating is suitable. It cannot be said that it is much cheaper than the same galvanization, but it gives more color options.
Convertible sofas
Another type of transforming furniture is sofas. Everyone knows the old model – a sofa bed. But it’s not about her. This is not a very good, although widespread option. There are more interesting ones.
Sofa bed
This type of transformer furniture is a fundamental difference from the old model: a full-fledged bed is transformed into an equally full-fledged and comfortable sofa. The bed in this version is mounted vertically, mostly one and a half and double mattresses.
The principle of operation is the same as that of the wardrobe-bed. The sofa is installed permanently, the bed is fixed raised and can be upholstered with soft fabric to match the sofa upholstery, the role of the backrest is performed by pillows. Before laying them out, they are removed, the bed is lowered, which lies on the sofa and rests on retractable legs. The role of the legs can be played by a shelf (as in the photo above).
There is another type of such furniture: a wardrobe-sofa-bed. It differs from the one described above only in that more sections with shelves or cabinets are attached nearby. With sufficient ceiling height, shelves / cabinets can be above the bed.
Sofa bunk bed
For children’s rooms, a good option is a sofa that transforms into two beds, located one above the other. This model involves a complex mechanism, so the cost of such transforming sofas is rather big.
But the model is very comfortable. Both the sofa and the beds are comfortable. Compared to a traditional bunk bed, it does not “load” space so much, but saves it no less.
sofa table
Sofa with table. This option is rather exotic. Its functionality is not so high. But as a variant of non-standard furniture, it is good. The sofa table has a movable back made of wood (or its substitutes) or plastic. While the transformer furniture is used as upholstered furniture, there are no external differences. If necessary, the back is thrown forward, where it rests on the floor.
As a rule, such a convertible sofa has one more way of use: it unfolds into a bed. An additional padded stool extends from under the seat. That is, it is a 3 in 1 option.
Another option for a convertible sofa is a modular design. It’s not exactly what was described before. All upholstered furniture is divided into segments that can be joined together in different ways.
As a rule, the sofa itself is sliding or folding. It is installed permanently, while smaller mobile units can move. Often they have rollers.
Unusual transformers
There are several transformers that are difficult to attribute to furniture. For example, a shelf that turns into a small table. Ideal for a walk-through room, if there is nowhere to put a stationary table, but there is only a piece of wall in a walk-through place.
An equally original solution is a picture or a mirror that turns into a table. In this case, the tabletop is attached to the wall with hinges. A mirror or picture is attached to its back surface (which, when raised, becomes the front one).
The legs are made in the form of a frame salary. When the table is needed, it is thrown back. When not needed, they are fixed on the wall again. This is also one of the very good options if the table can only be installed in the passage area. An ideal solution for some small apartments.