Office Furniture

The changing face of the private office

The hidden desires of many an office worker would probably revolve around:

“I need a sense of privacy that I can control and be able to concentrate, but I want to stay connected with my team.”

“I would love to have an office that reflects who I am, and space that feels like my own.”

Or more bluntly: “I’d love to have a beautiful office.”

Who wouldn’t, right?

If you’ve been into some progressive offices in lately, one thing stands out: space—plenty of it.

Office space affects behavior and productivity. Organizational behavior is important in any company, whether a small home office or a multinational conglomerate. It weighs on an employee’s decision whether to stay or leave the company. Worker privacy is a given, but it must be also be balanced with a surrounding that fosters creativity, interaction, collaboration and high performance teamwork.

Rethinking company workspace
Whatever the company size or philosophy, productivity increases in an environment conducive to living, working, learning, and socializing. Just as the term “worker” has evolved into “knowledge worker,” office furniture and design now encompass terms such as “fluid or mobile workspace,” “collaborative work areas,” “office systems” and “systems furniture.”

Even the traditional image of a private office that is cloistered and isolated from the rest of the workplace is changing. Wireless technology has provided a quantum leap in the new office workflow. It has torn down the physical barriers and actually redefined “where” and “what” constitutes an office. Never have workers been more empowered and mobile than now. The come to work with their laptops, log in, work, log out and leave, and log in from somewhere else.

This quiet revolution may be attributed to a new breed of workforce comfortable with multi-tasking and working in a wireless environment. Generation Y (a.k.a. Echo Boomers, Generation Next), strictly speaking, have no urgent need for constricting cubicles as long as surroundings are homey, fun, and relaxing.

They are also not so concerned about office hierarchy and positions as they are about mobility and connectivity. Properly managed wide spaces emit vibrant synergism that creates a sense of autonomy and nurture creativity.

Designers, furniture manufacturers and workers alike have embraced this emergent mobile order. For businesses, realizing that workers can be as productive inside the office as well as outside reduces their need for real estate. That means lower costs.

The challenge now is how office furniture layout can promote effective collaboration and communication in the workplace.

Collaborative private space
The Chicago-based Business Ledger noted recently that, “The trend is that businesses are going away from providing private offices (real estate), and replacing them with collaborative work spaces. Known in the industry as “Touchdown Stations” or “Hoteling Stations,” these communal work spaces lower real estate costs while providing offices with high-energy, high-creativity spaces for collaboration. Office furniture is now designed to facilitate office-wide communication. Separation panels are shorter to allow workers to see and interact with each other. Workspaces no longer are isolated 3-wall oases.”

Herman Miller, Knoll, Maxon Furniture, and Steelcase are industry leaders that create and provide ideal workplace furnishings. They also adhere to the “systems furniture” paradigm and conform to environmentally sustainable construction standards such as the Green Building Rating System.

Knoll’s award-winning AutoStrada series is the most comprehensive office system every designed by the company. Its four models are light and open, conveying a sense of orderly free space and calibrated private nooks: spine-based, storage-anchored, wall-based, and collaborative.

Spine-based frames create tightly organized desks and storage. Cover options include veneer, slatwall, marketboard, tackable fabric, cable tray and shelf covers. Tapered-edge surfaces connect along the spines and can link with screens and either clear or powder glass panels.

Anchor cabinets, tapered-edge work surfaces and laminated panels characterize storage-based systems furniture. They are variations of casegoods furniture. Bridges that connect median storage and anchor cabinets make a neat, monolithic exterior while providing comfortable shared workspace.

Wall-based furniture combines freestanding desks, chairs, and overhead storage to create private office space without sacrificing walled collaborative areas. Applied wall frames support display shelves, overhead storage, coat hooks and picture hooks.

The AS-4 office systems furniture captures the collaborative essence of table-and-desk based work area. Its innovative open table design fosters group creativity and interaction. Its clean, symmetrical lines accentuate a big, uncluttered worktable. Crinion Open Tables are supported by cantilever and parallel beams between the legs. The beams also provide a corridor to house technology support and power distribution cables. The tables are meticulously constructed using FSC-certified composite wood together with anodized aluminum and plastic laminate.

Screens can be mounted between work surfaces or at the edges for seated-height privacy. Center, side and end screens come in tackable fabric, acrylic and slatwall. Crinion Open Tables supports flat-panel monitors and provide continuous wire drop into a cable basket for related technology.

The Doue system from Steelcase is a versatile freestanding desk system whose modular components are designed to accommodate the intense use of IT equipment from today’s knowledge worker. The simple structure, wide work surfaces and accommodations for cable management make workstation configuration quite easy.

The Doue system is flexible, space saving and cost efficient. Its use wood and organic finish offset the steel and plastic of desktops and laptops. Screens are height adjustable to define space and control visual and acoustic privacy. This is perfect for personal concentration while maintaining a sense of community and team spirit.

For Maxon, it is all about customization. Maxon uses panels and partitions to expand the confines of the standard cubicle into sophisticated workstations. Segmented parallel panels are glass or glass tile and can be accented with lamination or fabric. Maxon’s panels are easy to install and reconfigure. Interlocking 2” aluminum frames are lightweight, space saving and solid. Top caps, steel raceways and its solid hardboard internal core are rigid and durable. Its multiple segmented panels are both tackable and non-tackable with options for electrical raceways. Accessory rail, keyboard tray and solid steel file cabinets give further options.

A totally paperless office is still years away because the need for storage is still present. Matching overhead cabinets, shelves, freestanding lateral files, stationary pedestals and bookcases merge seamlessly into the workstation design to appear as unobtrusive as possible.

Steelcase adheres to a similar credo: a versatile panel system attuned to the diversities of the workplace. Their answer: forward workspace architecture embodied by the Forward Elements (FE) panel-based furniture system. FE believes a highly flexible workspace can still share a unified structure and design. FE caters to the individual worker whose need for controlled privacy is paramount and collaborators who thrive in a team environment. The primary elements to configure the spaces are the bridge, post and beam.

Large individual panel frames shape the layout of the workspace. The slim design and refined trim give it an assured and confident appeal. Slatwalls, ports and scallops for plug and play technology keep surface area free from unsightly cables and wires. Frosted desktop screens provide privacy from co-workers beside you.

Herman Miller has one of the most diverse and contemporary office systems available. The Douglas Ball-designed Vivo Interiors is an example. Its core design rests on the frame-and-tile system. The refined steel frames handle cable and power management while the clean, textured tiles augment functionality.

Lines are time and clean as all components align and interlock perfectly. Progressive furniture glides and sliding door storage blends with traditional veneer to produce a refined and practical design. Workstations’ low walls make shared office spaces inviting and accessible. Upmount screens and profile stacking windows reassure personal privacy while maintaining an open view.

Vivo Interiors were designed under strict cradle-to-cradle protocols. Stains are water based while powder coating eliminates volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Its frames are 100% recyclable and wood are sourced from sustainable forests.

“Functional beauty” best describes the Herman Miller My Studio Environments. The basis of the design is the idea that a person must be reoriented to a 6’ x 8’ workstation with desk, credenza and storage.

Designer Douglas Ball’s recalled its genesis: “I worked out in my mind a plan as to how you would reorient a person in that space. How would you have a principle work surface, a credenza behind, and something alongside that would give a person more storage and more counter space? The corners would be rounded. There’s a circle and the person would sit in the center of it. You would just swing the chair around and everything was right there, within reach.”

My Studio Environments wraps itself around the worker and makes that worker the focus. My Studio Environments is a wall-based system of inverted landscape where the walls get progressively lower from the outside, to the sidewalls, and finally to the spine.

The introduction of high aisle-side walls is contrary to the traditional paneled environment of high centers with overhead storage attached. “We’d like to have the center low so you can see across to the other side. You can see the worker across from you, but the height of that is critical. We wanted to be able to block eye vision from a seated position, but if you left your head, you can make eye contact. You can have collaboration and you don’t have you move,” Mr. Ball explained.

Thus, 68 to 81-inch high walls provide privacy without totally sacrificing openness. The 46-inch side street (or aisle-side) walls offer visual connectivity. Inside, curved outer corner and open inner corners and an About Face orientation allow workers more space to face any direction. Walls, frames and closet panels are available in monochromatic, neutral and warm tones.

Another trend incorporated into the design is zone planning. The application of zone logic keeps workers focused and minimizes peripheral distractions. The My Studio Environments has four zones each to create, display, organize files and materials, and to filter interruptions. These can now be the zones of conversation, concentration and contemplation. This zone-concept has really taken people-centric furniture to a new level.

As usual Herman Miller has applied the strictest environmental standards to this cutting edge office design. Aside from being 69% recyclable, My Studio Environments is the first furniture system to receive the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) cradle to-cradle Silver certification. And along with Vivo Interiors, it is also GREENGUARD certified as a low-emitting product that conforms to current indoor-air-quality standards.

An ecological-friendly office system that pampers the workforce will undoubtedly have a positive contributing force on morale, productivity and health. Pamper is the operative word. Cappuccino and juice bars, recreational lounges with flat screen TVs and gaming consoles, and giant pillows are some of the add-ons to keep employees content and motivated. Fitness rooms, billiards tables and even a dart board can keep employee collaboration going way beyond their office hours.

Space management is the new furniture. Keep people happy where they work and the whole company will reap the benefits of its employees’ collective collaboration.

Rubin's Contemporary Furniture

Rubin's Furniture, with locations in Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago, has been selling furniture for 98 years. Founded in Madison, Wisconson, by a Russian immigrant, they are now run by the grandfather of the founder, Judith Rubin. They sell a variety of bedroom, dining room, and living room furniture, as well as home lighting and office equipment. Additionally, they offer a variety of accessories and gifts including karlson clocks, BDI mirrors, and Orrefors.

You can contact them at the following locations:

MADISON - RUBIN'S DOWNTOWN:
Sean Sennott [608] 255-8998
MADISON - R-LIFESTYLE:
Robin Bone [608] 274-5575
MADISON - CLEARANCE CENTER:
Bill Rubin or Barry Roberts [608] 222-0069
MILWAUKEE - RUBIN'S 3RD WARD:
Jim Julka [414] 278-8100

Patio Furniture

Pampering your patio

Outdoor entertaining is a great opportunity to show guests your garden, backyard or patio area. These are extensions of the living and dining room areas of your home. To get a change of scenery, enjoy the sunshine or simply catch a rare breeze are great incentives to decorate the outdoors area.

A novel approach must be taken when furnishing the patio, lawn or backyard. Whether it’s a backyard barbecue, pool party, or intimate family gathering, patio furniture merits equal attention to detail. It is not the same as decorating, let’s say, the living room or dining room. Try transporting the inside furniture to the outside and you will get the idea. It is the subtle intermingling of the natural outdoor tones, light, landscape and other visual cues that create the perfect patio setting.

There is a different design aesthetic when arranging furniture outside of the home. The most obvious are the open space and the natural elements such as greenery, wood, stone and sunlight. Weather is one of the most important considerations in selecting the type of patio furniture. Durable and weather-resistant materials have helped overcome the reluctance to invest in stylish outdoor furniture.

So many choices
Patio décor is neither too flashy nor serious. It must be urbane, elegant and inviting. It should also enrich the natural surroundings of the house.

There are many choices for contemporary patio and outdoor furniture across the country. Specialty retailers such as Spacify and The Ultimate Patio showcase complete and lavishly designed patio furniture sets for discriminating customers.

Visualizing the purpose of the patio will dictate its furnishing style. Placement of the pieces is also important. For example, if the patio area is always exposed to the sun, a retractable awning or garden swing with roof is necessary.

If it is to be a place to hang out and have some drinks with friends, maybe an outdoor patio bar with stools must be considered. Slate tiles are good material for a smooth and strong bar countertop. Ewins carries a 5-piece bar set and uses wood that is either reclaimed or FSC certified.

Dark Selunsar is an eco friendly dark and heavy wood similar to teak. It is imported from Singapore. It is a popular tropical wood used in everything from bridges, exposed home beams and outdoor furniture because of its density and natural resistance to decay and infestation.

Chaise lounges and wicker swivel rockers are perennial patio favorites to just relax and enjoy the outdoor views. They are spacious enough for stretching with an elevated backrest to while away the time.

Patio tables, chairs and sets
There are many shapes, styles and sizes for patio tables: oval, square, round and pub height tables. Glass oval tables, folding round tables or rectangle tables made of teak, resin, or stainless steel are timeless choices. The Tiburon Rectangular Dining set from The Ultimate Patio has a stainless steel and Javanese Teak tabletop as its centerpiece. Stainless steel and teak chairs with armrests are covered with durable Batyline fabric.

Patio furniture sets whose pieces have been meticulously selected and arranged make it easier for the first time buyer. It also saves time and effort since there is no need to individually inspect each item. Home Garden and Patio and Patio Life offer complete sets from the major manufacturers. You can browse by style such as contemporary, Mediterranean, rustic, traditional tropical and Victoria. Their extensive collections have all the material in the market: aspen, cast aluminum, cast iron, wrought iron, rattan, mahogany, wicker, teak/steal, rubberwood and plastic. They carry the following manufacturers: WhiteCraft, South Sea Rattan, Royal Teak, Emu, Cast Craft and Cayuga Designs.

Patio chairs are just as varied as the tables. You will find a host of styles and designs that include arm chair, lounger, ottoman, love seat, rocking chair, dining chair, sofa, glider, swing and bench.

For a casual family vibe, lounge chairs, Adirondack chairs and ottomans should complement the centerpiece dining set. Oversized Adirondack chairs, with their armrests and ergonomically contoured high backrests are wide enough to fit most body sizes into a comfortable reclined position.

These chairs are an authentic American design, named after the Adirondack Mountains vacation homes in New York in the early 20th century. While vacationing near Lake Champlain, a named Thomas Lee took a single board nailed a backrest to it. He dubbed it the Westport chair, and an American classic was born. Adirondack furniture became famed for their rustic durability, comfortable size and affordable prices. They now come in variants that include rocking chairs, and loveseats. Many designs have a rolled back (rather than a straight back and bottom) that tapers at the base to snug and support the body Wide armrests are ample to hold a refreshing drink or bottle. Adirondack chair are made from teak, cedar, pressure-treated pinewood, mahogany or heavy-duty resins.

Lights and accents
Little touches to complement the main furniture pieces give personality to your outdoors scene. Chair cushions, pillows and seat pads provide the color accents to wood chairs, benches and tables. Polyester or Olefin covering will keep spot cleaning to a minimum. Play up on the accents such as planter boxes, benches, and maybe an umbrella. Sturdy patio chair materials are rust-treated metal, teak, redwood, recycled polymer and plastic.

A rattan side table, wrought iron coffee table or wicker cubes expands the dining set and can be a place where extra guests can lounge for pre-dinner drinks and aperitifs. Bistro tables or folding café tables offer a subdued intimacy absolutely perfect for couples or newlyweds.

Coffee tables are present in practically every American home. They provide a cozy, comforting ambience A coffee table setup can include loveseats, armchairs and an end table for light meals or snacks.

Deep seating furniture is another outdoor option for easy relaxation on the porch or patio. Thick, plush and colorful cushions nestle comfortably on durable teak wood frames. Weather-resistant Sunbrella fabric is both water repellent and retains its colors despite exposure to the sun.

Sunbrella fabric is also used for patio umbrellas. Its colors do not fade despite repeated exposure to wind, sun and rain. 7.5 to 11 foot umbrellas are big enough to cover a square or round dining table. Two-tier umbrellas give a dressed up, symmetrical look when placed between two lounge chairs. Cast iron, plastic, steel and tubular aluminum are some of the main components of patio umbrellas.

Outdoor solar patio lights now come pre-assembled with no wiring needed. LED garden accents with hanging hook, ground stake and stand, and frosted glass lens give soft dramatic lighting to a dinner. It can also be unhooked from the ground stand and placed on the table as a lantern. Kettle lanterns, floor lamps, hanging lights, lampposts and table lamps are all classic outdoor lighting designs.

A note on the materials
Modern outdoor furniture incorporates several types of wood, fibers, water-resistant fabrics and steel. These materials provide an urbane charm and earthy aroma to the outdoors.

Wicker, for example, is technically a method of weaving different materials to make them pliable and strong. Twigs, cane, willow, rattan or bamboo are woven tightly over a metal frame to reinforce its protection against rain and sun.

The Egyptians used reeds to craft wicker baskets and boxes in 3,000 B.C. At the height of the Victorian Era wicker was a common indoor and outdoor furniture material. It drew its popularity from its lightweight, natural simplicity, grainy texture and extreme pliability that allowed it to be shaped into all kinds of designs from cribs to carriages. It was truly one of the earliest ideal outdoor furniture materials that became popular.

Rattan is a slender vine-like palm tree indigenous in Asia. Its skin is peeled before woven into furniture. Rattan’s splinter-resistant quality makes it the main component of wicker. Bamboo grass is hollow, lightweight and possesses superb tensile strength. It is interwoven to provide reinforcement to the other materials.

Cedar and teak are both resistant to weathering, decay and rotting. Eastern White Cedar and Western Red are famed for their natural beauty, strength and resistance to insects. Cedar furniture can survive years exposure to winter temperatures. Cedar requires minimal or no treatment. Repeated exposure to the weather will lighten its color to a silver or gray tone. This just adds to its rustic, old-world sophistication.

Teak is a tropical hardwood that contains natural oil that makes it dense and resistant to water. This natural oil is a wood preservative. This high oil and rubber content also makes it immune to rotting. The British used teak to construct ships. When wooden ships were replaced by steel, carpenters salved the timber to construct the first teak furniture.

Teak is also blessed with a natural golden finish that takes a long time before it fades. These qualities make it suitable for park benches, ottomans, tables and porch swings.

In terms of metal, wrought iron offers both elegance and strength. Unlike other metals, it has a high resistance to corrosion rust, especially when powder-coated. Wrought iron’s appeal to artists is its malleability. Once heated at the proper temperature it becomes soft and can be shaped into exquisite bar stools, dining chairs, plant stands, chaise lounges and loveseats.

Dorm Furniture

Give Form to the Dorm

Mention the word “dormitory” and visions of institutionalized living, drab quarters and uninspired furnishings come to mind. For students, it can either evoke a cringe-inducing shudder or apathetic shrug.

As summer winds down and gives way to the fall college semester, dorm life will again become a reality for millions of students across America. Last year, American families spent roughly $5.4 billion on dorm and apartment furnishings. That was on top of the $7 billion on clothing and accessories, and nearly $13 billion on electronics. This trend of spending on dorm furniture, accessories and clothes reflects the need for individual expression during young adulthood.

Let’s face it. The dorm is where the student will spend most of his or her campus life. It is a hangout, retreat area, library, comfort zone, party place, and gaming area all rolled into one. Aside from the financial considerations, campus living brings other pressures, especially for incoming freshmen. A new environment, new faces, and the physical separation from family and hometown friends can make the adjustment process quite disconcerting.

The need for planning
A way to ease the transition is to bring a reminder of your home into your new digs.

Parents and close family members are closely involved helping the student move in and get settled. It is advisable to invest time and effort in this phase of the process. That begins with an ocular inspection of the premises. An on-site inspection will give valuable insights and a mental configuration of the entire area. Ideas such as, “Ah, a fold out bed would do nicely here” or “A stackable folding bookcase in this corner” would come to mind.

Home improvement stores, specialty boutiques, and furniture shops all work together to provide the best dorm furnishings for students living on campus. IKEA has even dedicated a website on dorm living and furnishing. Correct planning will minimize frivolous purchases and keep the focus on the essentials.

Three rules dictate how a dorm room should be furnished: 1) Space, 2) Comfort, and 3) Multi-functionality.

Every space should serve a specific purpose whether it is for study, leisure, relaxation and socializing. This means daybeds that can double as couches or coffee tables with extra drawers to store laptop and accessories, books, clothes and shoes.

Dorms normally come with a bed, desk and dresser. These will probably be standard-issue and no different from other residents. The trick is to build from what is provided and add little touches to make it more comfortable. Furniture must be light but durable. Everything has to get through the doorway, so furniture pieces must be capable of being assembled and taken apart.

Dorm essentials
Regardless of the layout and size of the room, the following may be considered “essentials:” sofa, study table, desk chair, floor or desk lamp, refrigerator, storage containers, bookshelf and laundry hamper.

The Container Store has their own “Dorm Room Basic Six” which they categorized as: 1) Closet, 2) Walls & Doors, 3) Desk, 4) Laundry, 5) Bath, and 6) Storage. Their mantra is organization and storage—everything in its proper place. Everything from wall racks, drawer organizers, shower totes and desk organizers can be found here.

First is the bed. It is of paramount importance the bed or mattress is absolutely comfortable. Is the school-issued bed is not to your liking, it should be replaced with either memory or egg crate foam mattresses. Egg crate mattresses are versatile, require little maintenance and can act as toppers to thicker mattresses. A1Mattress offers affordable memory foam mattress toppers by Sleep Aid. Sleep Aid technology uses heat reduction channels to keep air circulating under the mattresses to ensure a cool and comfortable night’s rest.

Futon beds, inspired from Japanese mattresses are ideal dorm furniture. They convert either to a sofa or stylish lounge. This is great when family and friends visit. They are also easily available at department stores like JCPenney and Sears. JC Penney’s Convertible Futon Lounge has adjustable arms and reclines only on one side to allow your head to stay propped up; a necessity for those long hours for reading.

Room and office

Swivel chairs will give mobility and probably be a lot more comfortable than the standard issue chairs. Adjustable height will also make it more ergonomically fit to any table so that you will be comfortable writing or tapping away on your laptop. With a chair to scoot from table to door to bed, the dorm room can easily double as a makeshift office.

The dorm room can be the incubator for the next great business idea. For those with an entrepreneurial bent, success stories of millionaires who began their ventures from the confines of their dorm rooms are legendary. Michael Dell, of the computer company that bears his name, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are two of the most famous poster faces. College life is spontaneous, creative, vibrant and energetic. Making your surroundings as comfortable contributes much to intellectual and creative fermentation.

The case for food
Dorm life and the hectic study schedule will give you frequent cases of the munchies. A mini refrigerator with a freezer compartment and a door shelf will keep your room stocked with your choice of food and beverages to sustain you through those long nights of study. Coffee maker, cutlery, plates, bowls, and glasses are must-have for those late-night snacks. And of course, the number one appliance for lazy cooks – the can opener – must always be present.

A “kitchen area” rather than a kitchen a common feature in college dorms. Actual in-house cooking may be prohibited due to fire codes. If microwave toasters, coffee brewers and indoor grills are allowed, consider that a boon. Electric skillets, hot pots or hot plates are also the next best thing to ensure food is kept warm.

Food means storage. If the mini ref is already full, you may want to buy storage boxes or milk crates to keep the non-perishables in once place. Canned goods, pasta, sauces, mixes, crackers, chips, popcorn, instant oatmeal and ramen noodles are student favorites.

Lighting and privacy
Dorm rooms are to be shared with other students. That will certainly bring up privacy issues. The solutions are panels, screens or dividers. A simple four-panel divider can partition you from your other roommates who need more privacy. Folding screens also diffuse excess light. Creatively positioned in a corner, it can instantly transform it into a changing room for a quick change of the bathroom is occupied. Clothes and towels can be draped on top of the panels. The great thing about panels and dividers is that they easily fold and can be tucked away when they are not longer needed.

Lighting is also a consideration in the dormitory. Unless you call and inquire the specific lighting set up, most dormitories will have a single fluorescent light source from the ceiling. This means bringing your own additional sources of light. There are endless styles and sizes for desk lamps and floor lamps, depending on your preferred study area. Fluorescent gooseneck desk lamps can be swiveled to focus the light on a specific reading area. That keeps your dorm mates unbothered by extra luminescence in the room. Remember to avoid halogen lamps. Colleges and universities have banned them as potential fire hazards.

Go vertical
When it comes to saving space, vertical is the way to go. If the room has high ceilings, the space from floor to ceiling is open for shelves to stacking drawers to wall-mounted cabinets. A full-length mirror will not only appeal to your vanity but also create the illusion of a much larger space.

There will be no such thing as excess baggage with the proper storage containers in your room. Emphasis should be on tall, not too wide. IKEA’s Tolga organizer is composed of a steel frame with an anti-corrosive coating. Solid pine shelves and white polyester covering make it light and easy to move around the room.

Slim, minimalist vertical bookshelves save a lot of space and look clutter-free. Although almost anything can be found online, nothing still beats the tactile experience of reaching for a book, lying back and flipping over its crisp pages.

Boxes or slim towers with drawers will use every available space for anything from clothes, shoes, toiletries, laundry, books and other miscellaneous items. Fiberboard storage boxes reinforced with metal corners and rivets are durable, spacious and damage resistant. Heavy clothing such as thick shirts, sweaters and other winter clothing can fit. Underbed storage boxes are also the best solutions to keep out of season clothes, or bulky and seldom-used accessories.

Finally, to keep smelly clothes isolated, collapsible laundry hampers with zip open tops are perfect for the mobile student. Normally composed of mesh and spiral wire, collapsible hampers can easily be carried around and transferred.

These are just broad ideas about the science and art of furnishing a dorm room. There is still an endless list of items that can be included to suit individual tastes: over door hooks and racks, rolling carts, drawer baskets and mesh trays, wall-mounted racks, stacking shelves, towel racks and personal care organizers.

Sometimes the physical limitations of the room will dictate what furnishings are needed. If the flooring is cold and uncomfortable, a thick, warm rug or carpet is the answer. Of course dark color tones will mask any accidental stains. Select one that is easy to clean and does not collect too much dust.

Creativity in mixing and matching items will make selecting dorm furniture a fun process. Just be aware of the space limitations and the personalities of your roommates and dorm life will be a fun part of the college or university experience.

Modern space saving furniture

With a softening housing market, some baby boomers have been downsizing to more modest accommodations. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on furniture. The trick is to use space saving furniture that that is both comfortable and stylish.

Systems or sectional furniture are space efficient, simply designed and absolutely functional. Basically these are furniture pieces that can fit together with other pieces to save space yet look presentable. This type of furniture normally builds up vertically to save on horizontal space. Hideaway options and multi-purpose functions are standard features.

Starting in the bathroom, your local Ikea furniture store carries the Ekholmen Mirror cabinet, which deceptively looks like four mirror sections but doubles as a four-panel cabinet to tuck away little items such as lotions, liquid soaps, colognes, mouth wash and shaving cream.

Ikea’s Fusion Table and Chair dining set is also a great way to save space. The four dining chairs are pushed in to hug the table’s four corners. When dinnertime comes, just pull out the four chairs and it becomes a regular dining table set up.

Moving to the bedroom, the wall beds maximize floor space when the bed is recessed or folded up. Several companies such as The Bedding Factory now offer customized designs based on wood, color and configuration.

Wall Bed Systems, Inc. even has a series of wall beds made composed mainly of bamboo! Their Island series uses this grass’ (yes, bamboo trees are a misnomer) unique flexibility and durability to give a tropical twist to the traditional wall bed configuration. Bamboo as an alternative helps augment the world’s hardwood supply. It can grow at an average of 4 feet a day, and is thus a renewable and environmentally safe resource.