Compact Living

Compact Living

With millions of people moving back out of the suburbs and into city centres again, the nations’ metropolitan centres are becoming more vibrant, busier ... and more expensive. That means that flats are often smaller, as every square metre comes at a price. If you’re city-bound or already live there, you need furniture that’s super-efficient, with as small a footprint as possible, but with the maximum utility possible. And all this has to be done in style. No pressure!

Dunelm’s compact living selection is where we put all our items of furniture that are notable by their small footprints and efficient use of space. Luxurious items often like to spread themselves out a bit, but these are designed to keep space to the minimum, for example by having narrower arms on chairs (or no arms at all), stacking things high to get the most out of every square foot, and making items dual purpose, like futons that can be sofas by day and beds by night.

We also recognise that the modern flat is also frequently used as an office base camp for a business, or a place where you might work from home. That could mean more stuff to squeeze into a small space, but thanks to the ingenuity of our designers, your multi-use dwelling can be every bit as functional and stylish as any other office.

Our compact sofas are often stripped down to being two-seaters, as that tends to be the maximum number of people living in these small spaces. But because they’re smaller doesn’t mean there’s any sacrifice when it comes to comfort – they’re perfect for long nights with a movie or a box set.

Your table will almost certainly be multi-purpose too – it’s unlikely you’ll have separate work and dining tables in a small flat. We’ve made sure our smaller tables are perfectly proportioned for laying out a meal and placing your laptop and paperwork without a struggle, but without taking up the whole room in the process.

The bedroom is another space that can be pretty small in the city centre flat, so have a look at our drawers, bedside cabinets and wardrobe ideas that have all the function you’d expect of such items, but without the size of traditional units.

Right across the compact living section, you can’t help but notice that style is never compromised in these space-conscious furniture items. They’re chic, compact and unobtrusive enough to fit in any small space while really looking the part.