Some years ago, a friend of mine purchased a coffee table that, with the click of a lever, elevated to dining-table height. It wasn’t overly beautiful but, boy, was an amazing example of functional furniture.

Most coffee tables these days reflect the way people really live in their homes. West Elm has a folding table option with storage inside, other designs have open shelves underneath for books or magazines and you can stow toys by simply popping a few boxes underneath.

One of my all-time favourite designs has to be the clever convertible furniture you can find at companies such as Resource Furniture. The most exciting is a sofa that converts into a bunk bed, a dream solution for accommodating young visitors in a small home.

In the bedroom
The area under your mattress that might otherwise be taken up with a bed frame or base can be put to good use. Pull-out drawers can work well, but to access all available space purchase a bed frame that lifts with the assistance of gas struts, allowing you to store larger items you may not have cupboard space for.

Another idea is the tried and true Murphy bed – the proper name for those pull-down wall beds we’ve seen around for years. The ultimate floor space-saver, contemporary versions integrate with sofas, desks or bookcases, the bed only revealing itself – without the need to move everything – when it’s time to turn in for the night.

Under the stairs
Custom-fit shelves or drawers beneath staircases to utilise the otherwise useless void allow you to store shoes, wine – anything here. Or you can install a study nook with a desk.

In the kitchen
This room has great potential to become cluttered but not if you implement some clever kitchen storage. Kickboards beneath cabinets are generally 120-150mm to accommodate changes in the floor level but you can build in slim drawers to store baking pans, cookbooks and the like. Address those awkward kitchen corners with shelf systems by Hafele, Blum and Tansel, which bring pots and pans out from the deepest recesses.

When you don’t have a dining room or study
An idea I explored for myself in my modest one-bedroom apartment many years ago was a hinged tabletop that unclipped from a latch on the wall, with a supporting leg underneath. It was a great small-space solution for a dining table, breakfast bar or desk top.