Furnishing a small apartment is often like playing Tetris. You sweat and you struggle to arrange a number of large and oddly shaped furniture into a very limited area.

But don’t panic! Here are a few tricks that might help you fit everything in. After all, the right furniture can totally spark joy.

1. Transformer Furniture

To meet the needs of small apartment owners, designers use tricks to create furniture that performs several functions at once. For example, there is a bench which can be turned into a large table and a few soft stools if necessary. In case of the arrival of guests, how convenient would it be to make several seats from one sofa? Other options include an armchair with built-in bookshelves, tables, and even built-in lamps. Such multifunctional pieces can be perfect for furnishing small apartments, not to mention blowing your guests’ minds.

2. Built-in Cabinets

In a small space, you don’t want to waste an entire wall for a cabinet. If you’re furnishing a small apartment, let’s think outside the box! For example, if you can use a wall with a window on it, you get an excellent storage system and a cozy reading corner. If you don’t want to occupy the entire surface, you can place roomy lockers under the window. This helps make the room appear visually wider. Additionally, you can save space by using a storage system with your bed or sofa, either under the bed or in the headboard, or in shelving behind or beneath your sofa.

3. Folding Furniture

The problem of small space becomes especially problematic when planning a kitchen. To solve this, replace your chairs with folding ones or those that can be easily stacked on top of each other. If there still isn’t enough space, act radically and install a folding countertop. Furnishing a small apartment with folding furniture doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style! Check out some of these great examples of folding furniture.

4. Mirrors

The use of mirrors is an effective method of expanding the interior of a small room. With the help of a mirror for the entire wall, you can make a small space look bigger. Use a swing mirror instead of a normal swing door. Mirrors are one of the best ways to save space and visually expand the room when furnishing a small apartment. Or you can look for small mirrors in beautiful frames and place them where they catch the light from the windows.

5. Minimalism in Everything

When furnishing a small apartment, you can make a room look as open as possible by freeing it from unnecessary objects. No bulky sofas and armchairs, numerous bedside tables and consoles. Remove massive wardrobes and replace them with built-in models with a large number of closing cabinets which can hide the items inside. In the kitchen, try to hide all your appliances inside cabinets or furniture. The same applies to our utensils: no matter how stylish and elegant your ladles are, for the sake of clutter, it’s better to put most of them away.

6. Mobile Furniture

A great idea for a small apartment is mobile furniture. For the kitchen, choose tables with locking wheels that can be moved to a convenient location while cooking. A mobile nightstand can be used in different rooms: in the bedroom, it can serve as a bedside table, and in the living room it can become a convenient stand for books and a cup of coffee. Furnishing a small apartment with this approach allows you to easily change your interior without major renovations. Plus, it saves you money on buying additional furniture.

7. Corner Furniture

Use all the corners of your apartment. For example, you can have a corner coffee table or an armchair with comfortable armrests. A corner sofa is perfect for a small living room. Despite its massive appearance, it can be very functional, especially if you choose a model with storage. This strategy is helpful when equipping a small bathroom, too. Corner cabinets in bathrooms can help you use every free inch wisely. If you’re furnishing a small apartment, please don’t overlook the corners!

8. Utilize Windowsills & Tabletops

Usually, window sills are occupied by indoor plants at best, and at worst, by all those other items that don’t fit anywhere else. But furnishing a small apartment presents the opportunity to be creative. It’s easy to change this problem into a solution: use the windowsills as a table! In the living room or bedroom, set up a wide wooden worktop atop the windowsill, add a desk lamp, and a comfortable chair, and voila! A full workstation is ready. You can add an extra work surface in the kitchen by using a marble or stone windowsill.

This piece was contributed by Roy Emerson. Roy is a literary enthusiast, a loving father of twins, a programmer in a custom software company, editor in chief of ReclinerFAQ, a greedy reader, and a gardener.