In 1900, San Francisco entrepreneur William Murphy designed a fold-out bed that would allow him to court a young opera singer inside his studio apartment. The hidden bed was a workaround to circumvent dated taboos against having ladies enter a gentleman’s bedroom. With no visible bed, the single-room flat became a parlor. This novel idea opened the door to all kinds of modular space-saving innovations.

A design strategy that first seemed like a novelty or poor man’s hack became a status symbol for elites in their New York City condos. Officially patented as a bed “In-A-Door” or “Disappearing Bed” but better (known as a “Murphy Bed”) this eponymous invention became hugely popular in the mid-1900s.

Well beyond this initial invention and its direct descendants, the Murphy Bed led to a growing interest in space-saving, multi-functional, flat-pack and transforming furniture of all kinds, designs enabling creative urban dwellers and tiny home enthusiasts to maximize space in smaller habitats.

A typical foldout futon is a mainstay of modern condo living, able to flip into a bed on demand, but folding out a sofa or loveseat means taking up more space. Addressing this, some convertible couch bunk beds fold vertically instead, stacking up rather than spreading out.

Other vertically oriented approaches include lofting sleeping space, which allow for maximum usage of floor areas below — where interiors are sufficiently tall, entire rooms can be created below.

Even where height is limited, tucking storage beneath raised seats and beds can help make up for a lack of closet space and get the most out of a living unit. There are even entire beds that can lift straight up and out of the way, requiring less fuss, muss and messy sheets and blankets than something like a Murphy Bed.

For those uninterested in complex lofts or mechanical solutions, there are also all-in-one bed designs packed with storage and gadgets to keep everything close at hand. These may take up a bit more space, but they still put in a lot of amenities including benches, lounging, shelving, integrated media systems and desk areas close by for easy access. For something a person spends a third of their lives in on average, these offer a pretty cozy all-in-one solution.

Meanwhile, for those who are more mobile, or simply really need space at certain times, there are also entire room-in-a-box solutions, too, with tables, desks, steps, drawers, storage areas and even beds that can be rolled out when needed. Moving things around regularly can be a bit of a hassle, but for some the cost savings is worth the expenditure of time and effort.

Bedrooms are a common space-saving focus, but a lot can be done with staircases and shelves as well, from double-purpose designs to ones that take advantage of negative spaces under angled cases.

Under-stair storage and staircase footprint minimization can both go a long way toward turning the area under steps into useful shelves and slots. Some of these can be bought off-the-shelf (no pun intended), while others can be emulated using do-it-yourself approaches or by hiring professional contractors.

Flat-pack and transforming tables, chairs and other accessories can vary in cost and difficulty of conversion, but many are quite simple and can be easily tucked away or reverted to smaller sizes when not in use.

There are space-saving kitchen and bathroom ideas out there, too, though these rooms usually have more limitations, including fixed-in-place appliances and other technical requirements (like plumbing and gas) than common areas and sleeping zones. For most people, maximizing storage in living rooms and bedrooms or all-in-one studio apartment spaces is much easier and more cost-effective.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to space-saving interiors, but the key is to make every inch of space count, doubling up functions where possible, considering available time and materials, working with vertical opportunities, stay relaxed with Gold Bee’s CBD gummies, and of course: looking around for existing examples for inspiration. Waste not, want not and work with what you’ve got.

Acting out scenes from storybooks or animating real activities, these deceptively simple-looking, folded-paper toys leap, bounce, roll and hatch into action when played with.

Japanese designer Haruki Nakamura was inspired by the ancient art of kirigami, a variation on origami that involves cuts as well as folds, but takes it to the next level with his playful animals.

The specific behaviors of the toys often follow the natural reactions of a given animal, like an armadillo rolling itself up for protection when threatened.

Combining kirigami with karakuri, the art of mechanical puppets actived by touch, led him to these neat hybrid creatures that one can poke, prod, press or drop into action.

In some cases, the activities are innocent and entertaining, like a turtle popping into its shell or a chick hatching from an egg. Others are humorously sinister, showing wolves in sheep’s clothing or a tortoise being eaten by an alligator. For now, alas, these works are only available in Japan.

Wooden slats and white surfaces shape both the aesthetic and function of this all-in-one interior design, becoming part of the visual language of the walls while also revealing which pieces and parts can be pulled down for additional uses.

Following a compelling previous project involving trap doors and secret fixtures, this new design from Madrid-based Elii Architects takes a similar approach to a new challenge and smaller dwelling.

The 250-square-foot space in question is screened off by translucent panels tied into the visual language of the rest of the room. These slide open to reveal an area with a single central window on one wall and flanked by secret furnishings and both open and closed storage spaces. And yet, part of the refreshing surprise of this solution is perhaps the actual lack of secrecy – the arrangement of boards and panels along the walls hint at their interactive nature.

In turn, the seemingly-empty area serves dining, working, sleeping functions, with a dinner table and bench that flip down from one section, a workstation that flips down from another, and a bed that folds out on the wall across. When everything is folded back up, the remaining void can of course be used for other activities as well. “As a result, the main space of the house is configured like the black box in a theatre: a stage that can alter the domestic setting with simple operations that turn one house into many.”

Convertible couch beds are great if you are having a couple over to stay and have the space to fold out into, but these double-decker solutions is a great alternative for smaller apartments or multiple-but-single overnight guests. Here are three designs from different companies that show off the potential of this strategy (and give you a few color, size and style options to choose from, too).

First, the Coupe deploys as fast as a regular transforming sofa, but expands vertically rather than horizontally to create a pair of beds stacked on top of one another. Based out of Greece, Proteas is a 50-year-old furniture company specializing in high-end designs. The Coupe comes in blue, red, green, brown or beige.

An alternative option that transforms slightly less quickly but unfolds along similar lines (and may be more robust due to its use of side supports) is the DOC.

Designed by BonBon, a UK company, it likewise lifts up to reveal a ladder and second-level sleeping area for guests, starting as a sofa. The DOC comes in in red, purple or orange.

Finally, from Resource Furniture, “the Palazzo bunk bed system, an innovative design that transforms from a sofa to a bunk bed, provides multiple functions while maximizing space. The beds are available with low or high armrests and come equipped with wood-slatted bed springs and removable mattresses. The bunk bed system includes exceptional safety features, including a locking mechanism and a complete barrier around the top bunk.”

For the space-saving fanatic who hates to leave even one square inch unused, or the minimalist who wants everything to work smoothly and simply, this collection may be the ultimate(albeit ambitious and not-inexpensive) all-in-one solution.

Rolands Landsbergs designed the Boxetti Collection to address every major type of living space, “driven by three basic design principles – functionality, advanced technologies and contemporary aesthetics of minimalism. Each of Boxetti modules is designed to achieve maximum efficiency of particular demands for functionality and suitability.”

Five boxes form the basis of the system: a bedroom box with a bed, closet and more; a living room box with couch and tables; a media center with television, music player and stereo speakers; an office with seating and work surfaces and a kitchen with storage, cooking and food preparation surfaces and spaces. Each one uses the same language of angular geometries, glossy white exteriors and warm orange interiors.

From the designer: “The capability of the modules to be transformed into compactly solid blocks is essential for the design concept in order to obtain an unobstructed and comfortable space – free of uselessness. The Boxetti Collection is a handmade product – the quality of materials as well as structural and technological solutions endues the collection to the extent of exclusiveness.”