After twenty years of designing furniture for small spaces, that sentence would have sounded absurd to me. I made storage beds, sofa beds, extending tables. I understood the theory of space-saving design.

I had no idea what I was actually creating.

For decades, I lived in a modest house in Nottingham with enough room for everything. My multifunctional furniture was nice to have, not essential. I used it, but I didn't need it.

Then I moved to central London.

When Theory Meets Reality

The average London private renter lives in just 25 m² of floorspace, well below the minimum standard of 37 m² for one-bedroom flats. I joined their ranks, trading space for location.

Suddenly, everything changed.

In my larger home, a storage bed held seasonal items. Winter duvets. Summer clothes. Things I accessed twice a year. In my London flat, that same storage bed became my wardrobe.

No space for a traditional wardrobe meant IKEA storage boxes of various sizes living directly under my mattress. Everything I needed, there at hand.

The revelation hit me immediately.

This system was better than a wardrobe. I could see everything without rummaging around searching. No forgotten items pushed to the back. No wrestling with hangers.

I had accidentally discovered that constraint creates superior solutions.

The Magic of Effortless Transformation

Every evening when my daughter visits, I witness pure magic. With a gentle flick of the wrist, my sofa becomes a bed.

That transformation delights me every single time.

Most people think of convertible furniture as clunky, awkward, compromised. We designed our sofa beds for everyday use, which means the mechanism must be effortless to open and effortless to close.

After all, if you have to transform it twice a day, it needs to work perfectly.

By morning, my well-behaved guests have often folded everything back into position. The bedding disappears into the storage chair. The room returns to living space, clutter-free and ready for the day.

Living with this daily reality taught me something crucial about design. The ideal sitting position for a sofa is not the ideal sleeping position for a bed.

So we developed a simple system. Raise the sofa on two wheels. Move it away from the wall with room on either side. Suddenly, the room feels different. More bedroom-like. More natural for sleeping.

The psychology of space changes with a few inches of positioning.

Constraint as Creative Force

Here's what most furniture designers miss: we live in small spaces because we have to, not because we choose to. Finances and location dictate our reality.

But choosing the right pieces transforms that constraint into opportunity.

Wardrobes in small spaces don't work. They're designed for hanging shirts and dresses. The trade-off with floor space makes them impractical. A well-organized ottoman bed gives you so much more storage, and you get to sleep on it.

The space becomes free.

Research shows that organized spaces enhance mental clarity and reduce stress. When everything has its perfect place and you can access it easily, your mind feels clearer too.

Multi-purpose furniture serves more than functional needs. It maintains orderly environments that contribute to peace of mind.

Living this way taught me that less truly is more.

From Embarrassment to Pride

Sofa beds have had a terrible reputation. Your parents wouldn't visit because that awful sofa bed gave them a bad back. We've spent twenty years creating furniture to save you that embarrassment.

Instead, we want to celebrate quality furniture that delivers quality experiences.

When someone stays over, they should sleep comfortably for multiple nights, not just survive one. The furniture should be beautiful, practical, a joy to use every day. Each interaction should bring pleasure, whether you're entertaining guests or maximizing bedroom space with storage that hides so brilliantly you'd never know it was there.

We create furniture you don't need to apologize for.

You can feel proud of what's in your home, regardless of its size.

The Unexpected Benefits of Living Small

I'm always amused by people, including myself, who call London the best city in the world. Yet every weekend, we escape it.

Is that because we crave more space?

Probably. But I've discovered something unexpected about small-space living. When you go to somebody else's house or rent an Airbnb with a bit more room, you truly appreciate it.

Gratitude becomes automatic.

Would I trade London for a big house elsewhere? No, I don't think I would. Of course, I'd like a big house in London, but that's slightly out of reach for now.

The constraints have taught me what's essential versus what's nice to have.

What I'd Keep Forever

Even when I eventually get that bigger London house, certain pieces will come with me.

I could never live without a storage bed again.

Having a massive storage compartment in the middle of your bedroom means you're never far from anything you're storing. Shoes, handbags, luggage. Everything is quick to access. You can't replace that convenience with a wardrobe, basement, or loft.

That storage capacity in the middle of your bedroom is unique and should be better utilized.

Even with a spare bedroom, I wouldn't put a regular bed in it. I'd still choose a sofa bed and use that room for yoga, ironing, or a home office. A sofa bed in a spare room makes so much more sense than a bed that gets used only a few times per year.

A bed in the spare room is a waste of space, even if it's a storage bed.

The Lesson in My Bicycle

That Brompton bicycle under my bed represents everything I've learned.

It's beautiful, functional, and perfectly suited to its environment. It folds to fit the space available. It serves multiple purposes. It brings joy every time I use it.

Most importantly, it works within constraints to create something better than what unlimited space might offer.

After two decades of designing furniture, living small taught me the most important lesson of all: constraint doesn't limit good design.

It creates it.

If I can adapt to small-space living and find joy in it, so can you. Less is definitely more when you choose the right pieces. You get one item instead of two, taking up far less space. You're being sustainable, using fewer resources while creating more room to enjoy your home.

The secret isn't having more space.

The secret is making better use of the space you have.