Skip to main content

The automatic guest room

On our recent trip, my wife and I stayed with a friend in Sydney. That sounds normal - except our friend has a 1 bedroom apartment.

Yes this is going to be another example of clever furniture adding a lot of value without adding a lot of cost.

This is our friend's lounge room (when we're not in town).


The lounge cleverly rearranges into a double bed.


When it's made up, as it was when we arrived, it even looks like a bed.


It can even become two separate single beds, which is an added advantage over a traditional sofa-bed.


This is great for 2 platonic visitors or for when 2 parents and a sibling visit. The parents have the bedroom and the siblings can have single beds.

So how was it?

Absolutely fine. It took a few minutes to adjust to the novelty of having a kitchen in our 'bedroom', but then it was great.

Why do I love this so much?

This is so clever because it gives so many options. It also gives a small and affordable home the same function and usefulness as a bigger one - but without the price tag or the waste.

For example, our friend could have bought a 2-bedroom apartment and had a dedicated guest room. But that would be such a waste. A second room that would sit idle most of the time. A second bed that would barely get used. An extra $150,000 on the mortgage; that's the price difference between a 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartment where our friend lives. Definitely an expensive way to have visitors.

Our friend chose the much smarter option. Less mortgage. Less (but smarter) furniture. Same ability to have family and friends come and stay.

PS. This is the third of my travel series from our recent trip (here's the first and second). Subscribe above or follow on facebook for the rest of the series.
You may be also like this video of some more amazing furniture.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My mug shot

This is every mug I own. How many did I buy? Zero. They seem to just appear. I don't even drink tea or coffee. In winter I have might have a hot chocolate or cocoa. So 9 mugs seems like a lot. How does this happen? I reckon most mugs are gifts. There are two reasons for this. 1. It's a safe bet. People need to drink. It's kind of like buying your dad socks for father's day. But the difference is that socks wear out and need replacing. Cups don't. One of these mugs i received as a kid in the 90s. It still works fine. Now it has 8 friends. 2. It's often for what's on the mug. It might be a greeting card-style message, or a sports team logo, or something humorous. It's a good thing that something functional can also provide an inspiring message or pleasant memory as you use it. But the problem comes when we have too much. If I use the cup my sister gave me at Christmas, then I'm not using the 'awesome brother' one she already gave m...

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Four Thousand Weeks - Time and How to Use It

First question. Why 4000 weeks? That's the average human lifespan. If you're reading this you've probably used up 1000 already. If you're a bit older you may have only 2000 left. Maybe just 1000. That can be a startling thought - given how quickly each week goes by. There's so much wisdom in this book, it's hard to summarise it briefly. But I'll give it a go.... Face the Finitude If time was infinite, we could work for 40 years and not miss out on anything. We could spend frivolously as we could always earn more money later. But in the real world there are time limits. Even if we have enough money to escape the nine-to-five, our time (though more plentiful) is finite. Just like money, we will run out if we fritter it away on low-value options. "Face the Finitude" has become one of my internal phrases now. It's my reminder that I don't have infinite time to waste. It may be helpful to think of it like money. eg. I might like something, but d...