Tiny homes are growing in popularity among people who want to reduce their environmental impact. These homes can be as small as a couple hundred square feet, and they use far less energy, water and materials than the common house.
Tiny homes are also popular among those who want to minimize their financial obligations to have more freedom in their lifestyle choices. Tiny homes can cost as little as $20,000, which means that owners don’t have a mortgage payment. With the downsized utility system, most don’t have electric or water bills either. That opens up a lot of money so owners can quit their jobs or work only part time so they pursue other interests like creating art or traveling.
While living in a tiny home has many benefits, some are turned off by the idea because of the very small space. After all, our modern society focuses on having more and making things bigger, not the opposite. Fortunately, you can use space-saving furniture such as wall beds to create more space without actually having to expand your tiny home.
How They Work
Wall beds are like fold-up beds, except they fold into the wall instead of some dusty, flower-covered sofa. You don’t have to struggle with folding up the mattress and cramming it into a space that never seems big enough. You just raise the platform holding the mattress and push it flat against the wall.
When a wall bed is up, it completely frees up that space. In a tiny home, the mattress could be the size of the entire room, so having this space freed up is significant.
Different Styles
When you put the wall bed away, what you see will depend on the style you choose. Some wall beds just look like a cabinet, with beautiful moldings and hardware to blend into the decor. Other wall beds raise up to reveal a sofa or a desk. Simply putting away the bed can transform the space into a living room or study area.
The flexibility that a wall bed offers is crucial to maximizing the space in a tiny home, where each room has to serve double duty.
Eco-Friendly Choices
Since many people choose tiny homes because of the environmental benefits they confer, most also want to make eco-friendly choices with the furniture they buy. Wall beds are available in a variety of woods and finishes. It is important to choose woods that are easily renewable — those that don’t take decades to re-grow.
You can also purchase a DIY kit to put together your own bed. This gives you more options in choosing your materials, including dispensing with stains or paints that might have harmful chemicals you want to avoid.
Living in a tiny home isn’t the only way to do your part for the environment. Often, the location of your home is more important than its size. By shortening your commute to work and other important places, you reduce your consumption of gas and other natural resources. Using space-saving furniture like wall beds can help you maximize your space whether you live in a tiny home or you just have a home or apartment that doesn’t offer as much space as you would like.