HGTV's Anthony Carrino Loves Convertible Furniture To Maximize Square Footage

If you've ever lived in an apartment in the city or visited a seaside condo, you're well aware that space is at a premium in these dwellings. Space can also be an issue when renovating an older home with small rooms or making a place for an older family member who now needs to live with you. That's why Anthony Carrino, who has starred in several HGTV home reno shows with his cousin, John Colaneri, wholeheartedly recommends convertible furniture when limited space is cramping your style.

What types of convertible furniture work best? According to Carrino, "anything that is adaptable" will make the most of limited space. "We actually just finished a project for someone where we built a picture frame, or what looks like a picture frame, but it's actually a pretty complex series of hinges. The picture frame folds down to 90 and it becomes a four person table," Carrino shared in a New Jersey Digest interview.

Anthony Carrino's crew completed another convertible type of project: "a butcher block island table that folded up with two butcher block legs that folded out," Carrino told New Jersey Digest. "It had two chairs that hung on the walls with some fun hooks ... It ended up being an incredible use of space because it was a whole separate counter top that was a great prep area or breakfast dining space. But then when they didn't need it, they could fold it down and have more room to work in the kitchen together."

Of course, not everyone can afford custom-made furniture or built-in tables. This is where some old-fashioned ingenuity makes sense. Drop-leaf tables have been used for centuries to make the most of limited space. Either one or both sides fold down when not being used and can be stored against a wall until needed. Some can also double as sofa tables depending on the shape and size. Whether you prefer vintage or new furniture, you can find lots of drop-leaf options that work for small areas.

Other modern tables can be raised to serve as cocktail tables for gatherings with friends or lowered for everyday use with dining chairs. You can even buy a wooden bench for your small patio that transforms into a picnic table for outdoor dining.

While Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri have focused on renovating kitchens quite often when appearing on HGTV, the concept of using convertible furniture can work anywhere in the house. Short on beds? Modern sleeper sofas offer pull-out options that look great and are far more comfortable than that old model you slept on at your grandmother's house when you were a kid. Wall beds, also known as Murphy beds, also help you maximize your guest space. Some wall beds cleverly fold down over a sofa so you can use them as a day-to-night convertible solution in a studio apartment.

Once you start exploring multi-purpose furniture, ideas abound. From budget-friendly desks that fold out of the wall with hidden storage cubbies to cribs that transform into big-kid beds as the little ones grow, you can find convertible furniture to maximize space in literally every room of your house.