Small-Space Solution: Live/Work Furniture from Hirashima in Japan

More often than not, I’m pulling my laptop into bed to finish up work at night (and I know I’m not alone)–so why not combine a desk with a bed? Or a sofa with a table?

Enter Hirashima, a Japanese furniture company that focuses on solving the day-to-day riddles of small-space living. Their designs–a table with a bookshelf, a headboard that is also a desk, and a sofa that extends into a dining table–are all meant to bring rhythm and flow to apartment living. Each design is available with a mix of different modular add-ons, hardwood options, sizes and shapes; all available online through Japanese shop, Piano Isola.

Above: The Legere Bean Dining Table is made of walnut in the shape of a bean (or a slightly askew half moon). Below the tabletop, a second layer of walnut is used for dining room storage.

Above: A view of the storage component of the Bean Dining Table.

Above: The Caramella Sofa-Dining Table is a two-seater, fabric-upholstered sofa on one side, and a small dining table on the other.

Above: A side view reveals the two-in-one design.

Above: The Caramella Bed is made of walnut and detailed with a long bedside table that functions as a lap desk.

Above: The bed also has a full desk connected to the back of its frame.

Above: The desk is narrow, but has four drawers, all in walnut.

Above: Also available as an add-on to the Caramella Bed: a modular bookcase in instead of a desk.

Above: The Biscotte Dining Table with a pair of upholstered chairs and a bench, all in walnut (and also available in oak).

Above: A walnut Dining Chair from the Legere collection.

Above: The Legere Coffee Table is a similar concept to the Bean Dining Table: a shelf underneath the surface serves as storage for books and more; it’s shown here in oak.

Above: The retangular version of the coffee table in walnut. The table is available in four different dimensions through Hirashima.

Interested in small-space solutions? See One-Room Living: A Shape-Shifting Studio Apartment in London. And don’t miss our survival guide posts from Gardenista’s Erin Boyle: Life in a Tiny Apartment, Brooklyn Edition and 10 Tips for Living in 240 Square Feet.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 15, 2014.