In a tiny home, every inch of space must be planned to have a specific use, or two. So how do you furnish a tiny home? Visit a conventional furniture store and you will be aghast at the unused air underneath, in, and around furniture pieces!

As a tiny home owner, if you can’t move your sofa fully against the wall, you will be forever thinking about that wasted inch!

Tiny homes can’t afford wasted space. In fact, when you get a custom tiny home designed, more often than not, your builder will also work on custom furniture pieces that will become a part of the built-in floorplan. Furniture items like sectionals, dining counters, closets, and bedside tables can be built right in. But what happens when you’ve bought your tiny house, lived in it, and realized you need some changes? Well, IKEA might just come to the rescue.

Several years ago, IKEA started marketing furniture for the smaller-sized space. They’ve embraced the narrow, the shallow, and the multi-purposed. Although, these pieces may not be designing specifically for tiny homes, they are designed for a tiny European apartment, a student dorm, and other diminutive spaces. Here are some of our favourites.

Daybeds

Daybeds can be styled and used as a sofa during the day, but then expand to turn into a queen bed at night: HEMNES Daybed frame with 3 drawers, white, Twin – IKEA CA

Photo: ikea.ca

Sofas

Want something that looks more like a sofa, but still turns into a bed? Why not get a sofa that turns into a bed?

This one’s great because it’s also a sectional, which will give you lots more options to sit sideways or stretch your legs. It transforms into a queen bed and has storage underneath for your bedding: FRIHETEN / KLAGSHAMN Corner sofa-bed with storage, Skiftebo dark gray – IKEA CA

Photo: ikea.ca

Maybe you don’t want your sofa playing double duty. You want it to perform its single duty (being a sofa) really well. These sofas will fit against the 8′ back wall of your tiny home.

A tiny sectional that will leave room on the side: SÖDERHAMN Loveseat with chaise, Fridtuna dark gray – IKEA CA

No extra room lost to thick backs, arms, or slanted legs = more room to sit: SÖDERHAMN Sofa, Fridtuna light beige – IKEA CA

This one might be nice if you’re planning to store some flat things underneath. Note how the cushioning in the arms is going inwards, not outwards: ÄPPLARYD Loveseat, Lejde light gray – IKEA CA

Photo: ikea.ca

Dining

For the built-in dining counter so popular in tiny homes, you need barstools. These stools have no backs, which means they will slide perfectly out of the way when you’re not using them. RÖNNINGE Bar stool, birch, 291/2″ (75 cm) – IKEA CA

Can’t dedicate permanent space to a counter? No problem. Drop leaf table/desk (although, get your builder to make you one that’s a nicer material. Maybe a nice live edge?) You can use the hardware and make your own: BJURSTA Wall-mounted drop-leaf table, brown-black, 353/8×195/8″ (90×50 cm) – IKEA CA

Finally, for those who like something a little bigger, I have always found this table intriguing. It’s a dining table with storage, that folds out to two sizes: NORDEN Gateleg table, white, 101/4/35/597/8×311/2″ (26/89/152×80 cm) – IKEA CA

Lighting

Lighting fixtures that plug into the wall for when you realize you need more light than you wired for. These are unfussy, don’t need a surface to stand on, and don’t take up too much room: NYMÅNE Wall/reading lamp, white – IKEA CA

This one’s nice too: MUSIK Wall lamp, chrome plated – IKEA CA

Storage

Storage is a big one with tiny homes and a lot of thought goes into it.

If you want to use more of your home’s height and less floor space, then wall-hung storage may be the answer for you. These are quite shallow and can be stacked as tall as you need: BESTÅ Wall cabinet with 2 doors, black-brown Hedeviken/dark brown stained oak veneer, 235/8×85/8×503/8″ (60x22x128 cm) – IKEA CA

This one has been spotted in a few tiny homes – it is loved for its very small depth: HEMNES Shoe cabinet with 2 compartments, white, 35×113/4×50″ (89x30x127 cm) – IKEA CA

For the bathroom, consider doubling the mirror and cabinet in one, and going tall: ENHET Mirror cb with 2 doors, white, 24×63/4×30″ (61x17x76 cm) – IKEA CA

Finally, for those of you using your “storage loft” for actual storage (anyone who doesn’t understand the quotation marks hasn’t been in the tiny home market for very long :))… You will need ways to organize that space.

We love these zipper baskets for a few different details – one, they have lids AND vents, keeping your things from getting dusty AND musty. (If IKEA is looking for a new slogan, this may be it).

They are made of fabric, not plastic. And they have handles on the bottom, so you can easily grab and slide them towards you without having to climb fully into the loft: STUK Storage case, white/gray, 13 ½x20x11″ (34x51x28 cm) – IKEA CA

Of course, you will also need a fancy basket to add visual interest to your perfectly organized loft! Go for a natural material, like wicker: SNIDAD Basket, rattan, 21 ¼x15 ¼” (54×39 cm) – IKEA CA

Or bamboo: HURRING Basket, bamboo black, 15 ¾” (40 cm) – IKEA CA

Photo: ikea.ca

Now, if you’re shopping, you should always consider getting things secondand (hello, Kijiji!) and thirfted! But that’s an article for another day…