.The new season's sofas have landed. We've trawled the world to find the very latest best sofas for compact living spaces. Sofa.com's Isla has a timeless classic beauty and could you get any plumper upholstery? We love the natural linen colour too, but if you fear it being too difficult to keep clean, don't worry it comes in a host of other hues. Plus, the covers are removable for washing too. 

The raised legs will make your room feel larger, but don't overdo the cushions, it will make your space feel more crowded.

Did you ever see a more aptly named sofa?​ Loaf's Layabout Sofa Squidger. It's a hug in a seat and with no hard edges, it's a winner for anyone that is easily bruised. It's bulky, but at just 167cm wide, it's quite weeny. Nevertheless, with people perched on those squidgy arms it should still seat four, more or less comfortably. When it's just being hogged by you, it will be difficult to drag yourself out of this one to bed at the end of an evening! 

Raised elegantly off the floor with mid-century modern style slim legs, this curvy number from Oliver Bonas manages to look sophisticated and cosy simultaneously. What's not to love? Coming in at just under £900, it's pretty affordable too.

If you're going for that crowded but intimate maximalist look, then this candy floss-coloured Peacock Art Deco sofa from Sweatpea & Willow is the one to go for. Although you can't see under this, the brass trim running around the base will reflect light into the room making it feel more spacious during the day and it glams things up at night.

There is now a TV that looks like a painting. It means that your living space no longer has to be dominated by a big dark screen when the TV is not in use. 
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The Samsung Frame attaches to a bracket that fits it snugly to the wall and a single wire that attaches it to its 'set top' box. This wire can be chased into the wall, as has been done here. When the TV is in art mode, it displays art picked from the Samsung library, or photos or images from your own uploaded library.

Switch it to TV mode and you're ready to watch whatever you want. Up until now we've made do with a mini TV that sat on top of a sideboard, because I didn't want our compact living space taken over by a giant screen. I've gone for the Samsung Frame in the smallest size it comes, 43 inches. Any larger and, even in art mode, it would overpower the relatively small wall.
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The TV that looks like a painting ​is a winner for those who want to create a stylish compact living space that isn't dominated by a TV.

Now, it's unlikely that you can squeeze an extra sofa into your lounge, but you might just have the space for a comfy stool. This Libby stool is perfect to pull out as an extra seat when entertaining; and when you're not, it becomes a cosy foot rest or additional perch for books or nibbles.

As you can see through the legs of this Perch Upholstery stool into the room beyond, it helps to create that illusion of space that you're forever chasing. Although, if you wanted to make it more stylised and a useful storage area too, you could pop a few small books in a pile under the legs or a neat stack of magazines.

This stool with on-trend copper legs also contains a useful storage space beneath its seat. Useful for toys, chargers or arts and crafts materials.

It seems a shame to hide this striking leather stool away, but if space is really tight it folds up, so you can hide it behind the door or under the sofa when not in use. 

Discover more on why 'Going See Through' helps to grow your room

When you're entertaining, it's always useful to have a few extra areas for perching a glass of this or that and a bowl of nibbles. This is when a nest of tables comes into its own. These are the best nesting tables to home in on now.

Look for nesting tables that tuck neatly inside each other and are easy to pull out when needed. ​

For a more casual feel opt for a curved triangular table top. These two Hairpin tables come with handles for easy lifting too.

Now discover why it's a good idea to put your tables on pedestals

Where to store additional seating is always a problem, and even more so if you live in a small house or apartment. This chair is one solution. It folds up and then can be hung up next to your clothes in your wardrobe. 

Available in five pastel colours, when not in use as a chair it might even be helpful in keeping the clothes hanging alongside it in the wardrobe in ironed shape too. The store which sells this is based in Germany, but they ship worldwide.

Now check out folding chair art

Art works come pretty low down on the fitting-in priority list when it comes to furnishing a small space. With the little wall space that you have, when it comes to choosing between a painting, a shelf, a cabinet or coat hooks, the painting is going to lose out every time. So, these shelving frames are cool, they can be made to look like 3D works of art and they can hold stuff on top of the shelf and suspended from the hooks below.

This shelf from the French website tikamoon, is really cute, but you will need to take time arranging your bits and pieces on it so that it all looks as pretty as a picture.

How about this? A bookcase that conceals a table and chairs

I love the look and feel of a real book. I hate the idea that one day the written word will only be found on an electronic device. And, whilst Ereaders are great for little homes, it's still lovely to be able to have some 'proper' books on display. If shelving space is scare, thinking about where to display them can be tricky, however. We hope that these alternatives to traditional bookcases will inspire you:

This funky four-poster bed includes a nifty series of bookcases beneath and at the rear.

And, I found space for a neat little stack of books under this pedestal bedside table. 

Look up as well, when thinking about where to put books. Here a ceiling beam makes a perfect spot for our little library.

And, the collection carries on here in our bedroom. I love the way this mini skyline of books brightens up the top of our wardrobes.

Traditional shelving also has its place if you've the room. This one from Ella's Kitchen Company found its way into our kitchen. Whilst here we uncover some more clever little shelves that we hope you'll love...

A piece of furniture that allows the eye to see through it further into the room will help that room to appear larger than it is. So, if you want your room to feel more spacious, a glass dining table makes the most sense. Here are some of our favourites: 

Glass tables come in small packages. Starting at 130cm in diameter, this Porado Infinity round table should comfortably seat six and will look lovely tucked away in a corner dressed with a vase of flowers when it's not in use. 

Glass tables are often associated with modern design, and generally the look is contemporary, but this oval piece with its elegant American Walnut legs will fit beautifully into a period setting. The fact that you can see through its base too, means it will really enhance the feeling of space in a room.

Square and rectangular glass table tops are doable too; and at 140cm long, you should easily squeeze six around this and possibly more, with elbows knocking. 

Why it helps to put tables on a pedestal
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Have you found any lovely glass tables? Share your discoveries in the comments below

It's lovely to be able to entertain occasionally, even if you don't have much space. You might have to push some furniture around and ask your guests to bring their own chairs, but, even if it's just for a few hours, you should always be able to get several people around a table for a meal. 
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The best way to achieve this is with a dining table that can grow. A decent extending table is hard to find, but I've done the searching for you. Here is my top ten:

1. The Extending Console Table by Furl
Console tables that morph into dining tables are becoming popular at the top end of the market and I don't think it will be long until they start turning up in stores such as Ikea and Habitat. Laura Ashley does one that extends to seat six. This Furl Extending Console sits neatly against the wall and when needed, its legs telescope out so that several more leaves can be added and up to 12 people can sit around it. There are three sizes in between too, for more intimate gatherings.

2. Steuart Padwick Double Cross table
Steuart Padwick's Double Cross table can be pushed against the wall as a console table or desk or used as a breakfast bar and then opened out to feed a crowd.

3. Jenson extending dining table 
​This slim-legged, fifties-style dining table extends from 170cm to 210cm and when it's not needed the extension leaf can be hidden within the table top. Not all leaves can be hidden within dining tables, so always check this if your storage space is limited before purchasing.

4. The Skovby SM32 extending table
Round tables can grow too. The three leaves in the Skovby SM32 extending dining table are stored in its central column and there are no legs to get in the way of guests. In its compact form it seats six and grows to seat eight. It's available in eight wood finishes.

5. Industrial Lansdowne rustic wood extending dining table
If you're looking to add an urban edge to your room, with its  powder-coated steel frame and natural rustic pine table top, the Industrial Lansdowne table will do just that. If you really want to maximise your dining space opt for the matching benches so that you can squeeze more bums around it.

6. Vox Spot extending dining table
Not only can this table grow to three different sizes, up to 198cm, it also has a clever storage cubby hole, sold separately, which is ideal for storing condiments and cutlery or even a vase of flowers. The matching stools and bench come with integral drawers too.

7. Bonaldo Prora extending dining table
This smart glass-topped table will never date and it comes in a variety of finishes and in two sizes: the largest of which will extend to 330cm. As it's supported from the centre, no diners will have to arrange their legs around this table's legs either.

8. Hampshire white extending dining table with Kendal chairs
This classic farmhouse-style extending table will never date. It grows from 150cm to 200cm and it comes with a set of chairs - all for just under £600, bargain.

9. Amsterdam extending dining table
This Amsterdam table is a refined take on the industrial look. It extends from 180cm to 220cm. Personalise it by mixing and matching benches with a selection of smart upholstered chairs. 

10. ercol for John Lewis Shalstone rectangular extending dining table
This sleek mid-century-modern-style table has rounded corners, which softens the design and helps to protect the head's of small children should they bump into them. Its description says seats up to eight when fully extended from 170cm to 215cm, but we think you could squeeze two at the head and foot sides of this table too.

Discover how to fit more around the dining table with slim seats

Finding the perfect small sofa for a small room is a challenge. It doesn't help that retailers often put the larger sofas on display, making it hard for you to visualise what they would look like in a smaller size. Many stores make sofas to order, however, and many ranges will offer sizes that start from one and a half seaters. 

Oh and remember that their bum measurements tend to be extra generous too. Most 'three seaters' could easily fit four bottoms comfortably and most two-seaters can squeeze in at least three. 

When you are buying a smaller sofa, however, it's best to avoid cramming it full of extra cushions and throws. Never go for more than two cushions per sofa, or one cushion and a throw. Keeping it simple ensures that the seating area doesn't feel overcrowded and that the sofa doesn't look overdressed.

Keep in mind too that a lower back and sides to the sofa will also let your eye see further into the room, making the space feel much larger.

Raised legs that allow you to see under the sofa too, is another optical illusion space enhancing technique.

So to buying and styling a small sofa for a small room:

• Think about having one made to order to get the perfect size
  
• Opt for a low back and or low arms
• Choose one that is raised up on legs
• Don't overcrowd it with cushions and throws

Read on here to  find out how to maximise your dining seating too 

A pedestal dining table that is supported by one central column frees up valuable space in a small home. It allows you to squeeze more chairs around it and ensures that no one has to wrestle with a table leg for floor space. 

Looking for a stylish alternative for net curtains? If you live in a ground floor flat or a house that looks out on to the street, you will want to keep away prying eyes, but at the same time maximise the light coming into your property. Blinds have always been a reasonably cheap and practical way of screening your windows, and the latest bottom up and top down blinds offer a much more flexible way to create privacy.

You can raise or lower these blinds from the bottom or the top. Blinds2Go's Top Down/Bottom Up blinds also come with aluminium lined honeycomb pockets to trap heat, increasing your thermal protection and cutting your energy bills. 

Now find out how to maximise the light coming from a small window​

Sales' season is upon us, follow these three simple rules to ensure that you don't come away with a bargain that you don't really like or need: 

1. If you shop regularly at a store where everything is affordable for you out of sale period don't shop there during their sale period. If you liked it enough you would have bought it before it was discounted. The only thing that is attracting you to the product this time is its bargain basement sale tag.

2. Don't shop anywhere where you couldn't afford even 20% of the price of the goods on offer outside of sale time. Rarely is anything discounted more than 70%. You won't be able to afford to shop there during sale time either, you don't want to buy something that puts you into debt.

3. Haggle. The reason the stuff is on sale is because the store wants rid of it. If it's a large piece of furniture with a still fairly largish figure attached, there may be some further leeway to go on the price. Nothing to lose in asking, especially if it's a little substandard and has a scratch somewhere or a stain. You can do this virtually too, send them a cheeky email, you never know...

Have you spotted any great sales?

How clever is this? It's a little office that hangs on the wall. The Cupertino wall office comes in matt white or lacquered Oak or Walnut veneer and it can be folded away when not in use. Plus, it doubles up as a speaker - told you it was sound!

Integrated within are Bluetooth enabled speakers. The desk, designed for BoConcept by René Hougaard, also has storage space and a cable management system. 

Now check out these perfect desks for homework time

How clever is this? The As if From Nowhere range from Orla Reynolds Studio features a book case that conceals a table and four chairs. It's perfect for a home where you have no room for a permanent dining table or where you occasionally need additional table and seating space when entertaining. 

The units arrived ready assembled and when you need table space, you simply slide the chairs and tables out of their slots. There is no construction required.

If you fancy something a little less boxy, it can be arranged in different configurations too. The units are sold in modular sections. If you need extra chairs and not a table, you could buy just the chair units and let them double up as bedside tables or side tables in the living room.

Prices start from £500 for a single chair and unit and rise to £3,180 for four chairs, two tables and six white bookcase compartments. Visit Orla Reynolds Studio for more information.

We are always on the hunt for big ideas for small spaces like this one, if you have seen something along these lines do share in the Comments below

You may also like Folding chair art

A strategically placed wall mirror can appear to almost double the size of a room. Hang a mirror opposite a window or doorway for maximum effect, as it will reflect the entrance or window back and make a solid wall appear to lead somewhere else. Grouping multiple mirrors makes the reflections go even further.

​If you can find a mirror that matches the shape of your home's windows or doors, such as the one above, even better.

You could even cover a whole wall with a mirror. This is particularly effective in a  small bathroom. You can find companies all over the web who cut mirrors to fit any space. Or opt for mirrored tiles, as shown above.

Every little room can benefit form a mirror, just makes sure it's fitting. This cat-shaped mirror is perfect for a children's room, for example.

Now find out how you can use mirrors to grow your garden here 

Radiators can now be more than a heat source. Here are some of our favourite multi-purpose designs:

Something to reflect, on this radiator doubles up as a mirror, ideal for a bedroom or lounge. ​The Spekkio is available in a painted or a coloured anodized finished.

This radiator is also a roomy shelf unit and although designed with bathrooms in mind, it could work equally well in a contemporary style bedroom and put to good use keeping perfectly stacked jumpers and T-shirts toasty.  ​

Whilst this little number from MHS doubles up as a bench, and would particularly suit a hallway or landing.

Now learn more about fires that don't require chimneys here

Perhaps you live in a modern home with no chimney or the original fireplace in your home has been bricked up. Just because you have no flue and no inclination to install one, it doesn't mean you can not bring the warmth of a real flame into your home.

The latest bio-ethanol fireplaces are smoke free and don't require a flue or chimney. Although they don't give out quite as much heat as a standard wood-burning stove, it's enough to make a smallish room feel very cosy.

Whilst the most sophisticated designs with price tags to match are to be found at the top end of the market, there are a growing number of very stylish looking products to be got for less than £500 too. 

Discover how to make a tiny rental home feel cosy here

Ever since we won planning permission to make our teeny house a little larger, see How We Got Here for more, my kids and husband have been on at me to replace, what I think is our adequate-sized TV, with a vast screen that would take over our little lounge. 

Then not long ago, I was at a press launch where my business card was put in a draw and I won a 50 inch all-singing, all-dancing TV. It arrived on the same day as the plumber to fix the boiler. He eyed it jealously and before my housemates had returned I'd sold it to him. I bought this rather beautiful mirror with the proceeds!

Only the dog spoke to me for quite a while after that. 

I have now found the solution that satisfies all parties here, however.  I have seen the Touchjet Pond Projector in action. This tiny contraption fits in the palm of your hand and projects a screen as big as any on sale on the high street onto any wall - or floor or ceiling for that matter. 

What's more, the screen, which can be enlarged up to 80 inches, is interactive. I can't get my head around how it works, but using a stylus or the remote control, you can click on the projected image and direct it to launch YouTube, Netflix and various TV players so that you can watch a programme or film on any wall in your home. 

It connects to the mains or can be run on its rechargeable battery. I have no excuses now for rejecting the vast screen!

Check out our piece on clever little charging devices here

It looks like a funky mid-century modern apartment block, but you can't live in it. It can, however, live with you. This is the Penthouse Cabinet. 

It's beautifully, uniquely stylish. It's crafted from a mix of Walnut, Maple, steel and glass and each 'apartment' features programmable remote-controlled lighting that can emit a soft, dim white glow or a bright rainbow of vibrant colour. It's also the perfect artistic focal point of  a small room. Raised up on legs so that you can see the floor beneath - a space enhancing feature, it conceals plenty of hidden storage and those balconies are just made for perching cocktails on. Not cheap though, but only one hundred are being produced. From £4,800, Piece-UK.

Like this? The dolls house come coffee table might be right up your street too. See it here

You could be buying artworks by an as yet undiscovered 'next big thing' at a fraction of the price of its future worth. Plus, students tend to be restricted by budget and space, so most of their work is small-scale. Ceramic artist Ranjena Gohil is pictured above at her final year show, her beautiful ceramic ornaments and wall art were selling for a fraction of the price they would fetch in a private gallery.

If you're looking for some art work for your home, graduate final year art shows, where students often sell-off their work, are a great place to start.

I bought this lovely Blue Tit adorned milk bottle by the ceramic artist Jon Williams from a Christmas show at the Royal College of Art for less than £30.

Here are links to forthcoming new talent events
The Glasgow School of Art
University of the Arts London
Fresh - an exhibition of work by ceramic graduates in Stoke on Trent

A mix of alphabet letters can send a very striking message about the owner of a home or room. They are also very 'in' this season and there is no excuse, you can squeeze a few words into the weeniest of spaces. 

Shed some more light and be witty at the same time with a collection of vintage industrial letter lights, perfect for a house party.

Define whose side you're on with these Luxury Love Letters, handmade in Somerset and available in five shades of Irish linen.

Children love to put their name on things, so bedroom signs always go down well. Discovered in Australia, these decorative letters are hand crafted from an acrylic base and topped with Japanese papers before being sealed with a thick resin coating. 

And, these cushions could work well in a teen's room, perhaps spread along the bed to give it a sofa-feel during waking hours?

All of these products could be used in a rental home, to find out more on how to make rental property feel homely read on here

If you've strong ceilings - and you'd need to get an expert in to confirm this - then the on-trend swing seat is the perfect addition to your little living space. They are so comfy too!

These suspended seats work particularly well in a tight space because you can see underneath them and above them. This helps to create an optical illusion of more space, making your room feel larger than it really is. 

Swing seats often work indoors and out too and they will have the same space enhancing effect in your garden. 

And, kids are particular fans of swing seats. How cool is this giraffe seat? Not expensive either. Perfect for those head in the clouds moments.

If you liked this article, you will find our top tips for creating the illusion of space really useful too. Read on here for more advice on how to make the most of a weeny home

However small your home, you can always squeeze in a houseplant or two. The innovative containers around now, mean that these little pots of life can be suspended from the ceiling, hung from a wall or grouped in a little cluster along a window sill or on a bedside table. Use them also on the floor to hide ugly necessities, such as plugs and wireless hubs.

Just remember to keep your house plants simple and compact, says interior designer Jen Allmond who runs Bay Tree Trading and supports  www.thejoyofplants.co.uk a website run by the Flower Council of Holland. 'If it's a dark area, stick to white flowers and variegated foliages as they will show up well and go with any existing colour scheme.

'Group small floral arrangements and houseplants together in co-ordinating containers, perhaps varying in size or shape. For instance use a Sansevieria Trifasciata or 'Mother in Laws Tongue' at the back for height with a small arrangement of white roses to the front next to a Nephrolepsis Exaltata Bostoniensis or 'Boston Fern’, this way your display will become a 'feature' of the room and create more impact.' 

Have a tiny outdoor space, even just a front door step? You can still create a beautiful garden. Read on here for some interesting tips

I've held back for a while, it's nice to keep some things to yourself, but now I've decided to let you in on a little secret. How to find treasures on auction sites such as Ebay and classified ad sites such as GumTree. 

By treasures, I mean pieces that look great, will last and will hold, or maybe even increase, their value if you want to resell them in the future. 


Search for products from well-established, high-end design retailers: Liberty of London, Heals, Chaplins, Selfridges, Anthropologie and The Conran Shop, etc. All these stores specialise in expensive and generally well-built homewares and furniture, so if the product is genuine - and that's one thing I can't guarantee - it should be durable and to be able to bought for a fraction of its original price.


Search for products by up and coming designers that have recently been mentioned in the press. I bought a beautiful oak light fitting by Cornish-based designer Tom Raffield for less than a third of what it would have cost new. And, it was new, it was an unwanted gift still in its original packaging. Rory Dobner, Tom Dixon, Orla Keily and Donna Wilson are some of the other names I regularly scour the resale sites for.