Dishwashers have become household items in many American homes but have changed little since their invention, leaving room for improvement (especially in cases where ‘room’ is an issue). Many of the small problems associated with the traditional design are not initially obvious until pointed out — we are simply too used to them.

Front-loading versions can take up considerable space while taking dishes in and out. We take for granted, for instance, that the loading and unloading processes often have to be dedicated, all-at-once tasks in kitchens where folded-down doors get in the way. Pushing washer shelves in and out while moving around and loading adds unnecessary time to the equation. Front-loader doors also represent a potential point of failure if their water seals are degraded or damaged.

Designers Moshen Jafari Malek and Behzad Taheri have decided to take a different approach, developing a top-loading variant that addresses workflow and leaks as well as space issues.

Putting the spray bar in the center also eliminates another problem with certain conventional designs: getting things equally clean on all racks and levels. The designers also note that a variable-height center shelf could allow more versatility in terms of including larger pots and pans.

At the same time, the vertical design avoids messing with what works: porous wire-frame shelves and side containers for silverware. It makes you wonder: what other ordinary appliances are just waiting for a simple but powerful redesign?

Google has rolled out a search engine with a specific target in mind: your house, more specifically how much area of your roof could be covered in solar panels, what that would save you and where you can look for companies to install a system for you.

Interested homeowners can input their addresses and get realistic illustrations of how many solar panels would fit and what their potential cost savings on energy bills are likely to be.

A complex data comprising everything from your home’s location and orientation to the presence of shade from adjacent trees or buildings – but this set is broken down into simple information for users.

Google, of course, is well-positioned to make this Sunroof tool effective, combining its Google Maps and Earth data that can sort out not just the footprint of a building but its 3D space too, and thus shadows. It also has all of the other information at hand, like average temperatures, sun exposure, cloud cover.

Users of the tool can tinker with variables, but ultimately are given a recommended installation that maximizes the potential output and thus puts more back in homeowner pockets long-term. For now it is limited to the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston and a few other locations, but they have plans to expand around the country.

Maximizing usable space in a series of compact short-term apartments, these retractable steps slip back into a wall, all but disappearing beneath lofted bedroom areas when not needed. Drawers and other storage slots are designed around the dimensions of the zigzag shape created by the profile of the stairs while the railing above sits flush with the bedroom space divider.

Driving these space-saving retrofits is a desire to make hotel rooms feel more like homes, particularly since many guests of Zoku in Amsterdam end up staying for longer than a typical traveler would.

Each of the 133 units (270 square feet each) redesigned by Concrete features a similar set of unconventional amenities: a secret desk tucked beneath the bed, a slatted wood divider providing both privacy and light to the bedroom area above, hidden stairs that slide into the wall for access and a pair of suspended gymnast hoops hanging from the ceiling.

A combination of black and white, wood and bamboo, ceramic and organic elements help the spaces feel more variegated, like a house populated with individual furnishings and objects over time rather than a place made by a corporate hotel.

From the owners and architects: “A room at Zoku is much more than just a hotel room. It is a spacious micro-apartment. As space is becoming scarcer in urban areas, the way we use it sustainably to meet long-term accommodation requirements is more and more relevant. Smart solutions that create the opportunity to use less square metres and facilitate 24/7 multifunctional use are needed.”

Complimenting a flexible open area on one side of this apartment are a series of suspended separators that provide storage but also move along rails, opening up a variety of additional functions on demand. If the system looks familiar: it is based on the sliding stacks often used to save space in libraries.

Designed by PKMN Architectures in Madrid, Spain (with images by Javier de Paz García), this cost-and-space-saving solution employs relatively cheap materials including engineered particle wood boards (composed of glued wooden flakes) and a ceiling-hung system of industrial rails.

The three suspended sections offer shelves and cabinets and variously create a kitchen, dining or living room depending on how they are configured and positioned relative to the room and one another.

Fold-down tables and a fold-out bed are able to be accessed as needed while the walls are variously occupied by storage, openings or unique decorative, fun and functional touches (like a blackboard for sketching ideas during meetings).

Sliding panels can also provide privacy when desired, separating the more open space from the modular-room side of the apartment. The fixed-in-place spaces are reserved for open living and dining areas as well as a bathroom in one corner of the unit.

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.”