Double duty surroundings are easy when you use your imagination. Platforms can be created and carpeted to create levels in your room and will double as furniture. Our window treatment is a sleeping bag hung on skirt hangars. It blocks the light beautifully, can be rolled up and tied in the open position and in a pinch can be taken down and used as an extra bed. Another example of double duty decorating is using ordinary objects as art. Find objects that you like the look of and will use for their original purpose and put them on display (Fig. 1) - we featured plastic weights in turquoise, a pitcher in bright green, a tin with a great graphic on it (perfect for storing little things that are unsightly if left out) and a fun record player that can be hung on the wall and played in that position! Another interesting item we found is the Phantom Chair. It's Verner Panton's last design and it's amazing how many different uses it has. We hung it on the wall where it looks like a big dimensional fuchsia squiggle. When set on one end it becomes a chair, when set on its other end it's a chaise and when laid flat it can be a bench for party seating or a cocktail table. Behind our sofa we have a fun cloud graphic with holes in it. Coming out of the holes are Mogu Pom Poms. They look so unusual - like a modern art installation, but have the practical advantage of creating a soft back for our sofa. An interesting use of space that platforms make possible is the bed drawer. Construct a platform to house a bed. It can be integrated into your room so the platform just looks like a raised living room, but pull out the bed and voila! Instant bedroom. Double duty living is such a delightfully responsible way to make your home twice what it is. Put a few of our ideas to work and see how much fun it can be.

Episode 213 Main Page