In this do-more-with-less world, even furniture is juggling multiple jobs.
Protean pieces are one of the freshest trends in home design. Tables, chairs and sofas are taking cues from "Transformers," changing, with slight adjustments, from one thing into something entirely different.
The concept of changing up furniture has been around — the sofa bed, of course, being a pioneer. But designers have gotten much more creative and, on occasion, a little high-tech.
Chairs become tables. Tables become impromptu home offices. And the dowdy sofa bed? It now can be sleek, stylish, even sexy — something you'd swear couldn't possibly be hiding a bed.
"In this economy, any time you can get more for your money it's a great option," says Gary Godbey, manager of Red Tree in Baltimore, which sells a wooden chair that can become a step stool. "People are very into the idea of being able to switch things around."
Adaptable furniture is particularly appealing in Baltimore, where rowhouse dwellers try to wring as much use as possible from their small spaces. "A lot of people have restrictions on what can actually fit into their homes," Godbey says.
But more than that, the multifunctional pieces offer a sense of more bang for the buck. Not everyone can afford a home office — or a place with room for one — but they might be able to swing a chest that works overtime as a desk.
"With the trend now toward downsizing, consumers are asking for more function," says Brian Dermitt, a buyer for Shofer's in Federal Hill.
These five pieces, all available in Baltimore, boast function and then some:
Fusion Table: Pad saleswoman Sheila Johnson says it's single men who stare into the store window, drooling over the dining room table that turns into a pool table. But it's couples who buy it.
At $6,188 — or more, depending on finishes — the piece by Aramith isn't a budget item. And yet, if buyers are in the market for a pool table, the dining option might allow them to make the argument that the investment is worth it. "That's how it's justified," Johnson says, laughing. "They say, 'At least you are getting two for one.' "
The three panels that make up the top of the dining table lift off to reveal a regulation pool table underneath, complete with mother-of-pearl inlays. With an easy pull, the table also lifts up two inches, from 30 inches for dining to 32 inches for pool sharks. The table comes with a set of balls and four sticks.
Buyers can choose the color of worsted wool they want for the cover and between a number of metal and wood finishes for the table legs and dining top.
Available at Pad, 1500 Thames St., Fells Point. 410-563-4723.
Kendall Rectangular Half Lift Top Cocktail Table: A couch potato just might have invented this coffee table. A clever couch potato.
Anyone who's ever eaten dinner in front of the TV, or tried to do a little work on their laptop while watching "American Idol," knows that leaning over the coffee table can be awkward. With a top that pops up and can extend toward the sofa, this table by Signature Design, eliminates the lean. In the original position, it's a traditional-looking coffee table. It costs $450.
Available at Nouveau, 514 East Belvedere Ave., 410-962-8248.
Pulaski Desk/Chest: Closed, this piece looks exactly like a three-door chest. But the top, which is fitted with casters, can slide way over, making it into a full-blown desk.
Hiding under the chest top are electrical outlets, compartments to tuck away a laptop computer and even an MP3 docking station. The bottom drawer of the chest can store files. It costs $585.
"Few people have the luxury of a dedicated home office," says Shofer's buyer Brian Dermitt. "But even in tight spaces, you still need a space to put your stuff."
Available at Shofer's, 930 South Charles St., 410-752-4212.
One Night Stand sofa: This coyly named sofa by Bludot hasn't a whiff of sofa bed in its clean, spare and very sophisticated lines. The company calls it a "wolf in sheep's clothing."
But when you peel away the cushions and flip the seat forward, there it is — a bed. And unlike most sofa beds that unfold to the front, taking up a lot of space in a room, this one, which costs $1,799, expands lengthwise into a queen-size mattess, so it's ideal for small rooms where a sizeable bed wouldn't fit.
"That's worked for a lot of people in rowhouses where the rooms aren't very wide," says Home on the Harbor owner Karen Graveline, adding that it's really the design that sells it. "It's function without getting that big bulky sleeper."
Available at Home on the Harbor, 1414 Key Highway, Federal Hill. (410) 433-1616.
Americana Folding Library Step Chair: The mahogany chair, which comes in 20 distressed finishes, looks like something one might find in an antiques store. But it's got modern whiz-bang appeal with its ability to transform into a step stool sturdy enough for a grown man to climb.
By pushing the top of the chair forward, it becomes the back base of the step stool. Red Tree manager Gary Godbey thinks it would be great in an entryway, or tucked into a corner of the kitchen. It's hand-made and hand-finished in Indonesia by Bramble, a company that uses sustainable wood harvesting, and costs $170.
Available at Red Tree, 921 W. 36th St., Hampden. 410-366-3456.