The London housing market is a wild place, where every millimetre of space counts. Often rooms double up for more than one use: from the living room home office, to the kitchen that hosts dinner parties and bedrooms with a table set up for crafts, online selling or other special projects.
When space is so precious, furniture that you can pack away offers the ultimate in flexibility and versatility. It means you can have a dining table when you need it and pack it away to clear the room when you don’t.
You can get a Murphy bed to sleep on, folding it up against the wall once you rise to give you more space for exercising, dancing or just to open up the space. Smart solutions like this have long been favoured by tiny house devotees and anyone living in a small space, and there are clever ideas that everyone can learn from.
In order to help inspire and show you the products currently available on the market, we’ve rounded up the best collapsible furniture purchase to invest in now and make your home a more spacious place to be.
See our edit below
Brayden Studio Ferro Floating Desk
Few London flats have the luxury of a room dedicated to dining. Most of us make do with a corner of the kitchen or the living room to eat meals, but if your home is particularly small, filling it with a dining table feels a shame. The answer? One that folds out directly from the wall, giving you a surface when you need it and space when you don’t. This design knocks on the cottagecore aesthetic with oak-effect panels and brass metal details.
Buy now £123.99, Wayfair
Mack + Mio Wilks Changing Table
Baby stuff takes up a lot of room. Take one bulky thing out of the equation with this changing table, which folds out from the wall. Available in white and natural wood options, there are side rails for extra protection. It can hold weights of up to 15kg and comes complete with a changing mat. There are also shelves inside to keep the essentials, like nappies, wipes and talcum powder.
Buy now £148.99, Wayfair
Julian Bowen Savoy Dining Table & 4 Chairs
Got pals over for a dinner party? Roll out the red carpet and roll out this drop leaf extension dining table, which comes with four matching chairs. They stack and fold into the central section for easy storage. It's a nifty space-saver: going from 120cm long when fully extended before packing down to H76 x W80 x L35cm when closed.
Buy now £295.00, Argos
Levi Beer Wall-Mounted Drop-Leaf Table
If you continually find yourself running out of prep space when you’re making dinner, this is one way to expand your countertops without a full kitchen redesign. The shelf sits on a bracket to whip up extra space out of thin air, dropping down to sit flat against the wall when it’s no longer needed. As well as kitchens, it’s ideal for the laundry room, living room or the bedroom to serve as a bedside table.
Buy now £159.99, Wayfair
Three Posts 12 Pair Shoe Storage Cabinet
The best way to stop losing your keys is to always put them in the same spot, the second you walk through your front door. Install this incredibly slim elegant grey shoe drop in your hallway for a home for your keys and other knick knacks, plus a way to clear shoe clutter from your path. It's the perfect union of style and function - and it comes in cream too.
Buy now £131.99, Wayfair
Dripex Storage Trolley Cart
Make no mistake, in the interiors world we are living in the age of the bar cart. As fun as it looks to serve yourself happy hour cocktails in your lounge every evening, it’s a luxury few small home owners can afford. Until now.
This ingenious trolley has three shelves to fill with your favourite bottles and is easy to move around at your next house party thanks to the castor wheels and pull handle. The best bit? It folds flat when not in use, fitting behind sofas, in cupboards or that empty space between the fridge and the worktop. Absolute genius.
Buy now £35.99, Amazon
Meerveil Coffee Table
Make space for all the movie night snacks your heart desires with a coffee table that stores and extends. The wood-effect portion of this table slides over to create more surface area when you’re hunkering down in front of a box set, tightening up to give you more floor space after the credits roll.
Buy now £68.98, ManoMano
Outsunny Cunninghamia Board Folding Camping Picnic Table Set
Forget eating off your knees all weekend; grand outdoor feasts require a proper table to set the scene.
With enough room for six diners to get around, this folding wood-style camping table is a must-have for laidback camping trips with friends and family. Not only is it a compact design once folded, but it comes with a carry handle for easy transportation and four swivel-out stools that pack up inside too.
Granted, it’s not the most polished thing to look at so throw on a nice tablecloth and add a cordless lamp, and you’re in business.
Buy now £60.00, Wilko
Baralir Portable Telescopic Stool
Perfect for the garden, camping or just magicking up extra seating when you've got people around, this telescopic stool is height adjustable. It's made of lightweight plastic with a super-strong fish-scale structure that can bear up to 180kg. It goes from closed to open for seating in just a simple twist - two minutes, and you're done. Available in blue and red as well as black.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Loaf Bed in a Bun
Loaf performs an interiors magic trick with this chic upholstered bench which transforms into a single or double bed - complete with a headboard with a few quick pulls. It’s ideal if you don’t have a guest bedroom or room for a sofa bed but have visitors lining up to stay over. A mattress comes with the frame, all hidden within the bench - just add bed linen and pillows. Available in myriad of colours to tie in or stand out in your room’s decor.
Buy now £945.00, Loaf
