sondergaard1 Where can you find that mirror ironing board, what a great idea, I hate getting the ironing board out and set up to iron one thing!

Sheila Schmitz The chair-within-a-chair is brilliant.

Guy Bucey I work for a space saving solution company. Nice to see that the idea has made its way to houzz.com check out our site at www.inovallc.com

Mari Richards Sondergaard1 - your best bet is to content the designer directly via their website. Good luck!

Erika Taylor The crib to chair thing is a good idea, but what about the transfer of germs?

peggyhenz I have many items that have dual purpose. This is definitely the future as more of the developing world gain "westernized" homes -- but on a much smaller scale. I have sturdy wide wooden stools (found at a yard sale) that work as end tables, extra seating, risers for plants and an extra boost to reach high spots. I think it will become more important over time to develop these type of furniture pieces that can be multi-purpose!

gail1901 Erika.....what are you talking about? Babies have survived from the beginning of time, a couple of germs (from it's mother in this picture) will not harm him/her!

Axelle Cortes Totally agree with erika !, you seat on the bus, in the car...and then you seat on the baby coat ? Nop ! Good idea...but not for newborn...

Elle Kay For Erika - anecdotal only, but think about it.

Two of my friends were obsessive about germs & their babies/toddlers. They ended up with constant ear infections and caught every bug that came along.
I was pretty much their polar opposite. My now teenage sons have never had an ear infection.
I think exposure to common microbes help children's immune systems develop resistance but that's just me.

kayishak Wake up people, children need germs to survive...to become immune. I have four boys , all had maybe one sniffle if that, I am with Elle.

patricia beharry Love the chair/bassinet.If babies/children are not exposed to real life early in their lives, and is kept in a sterile air bubble they will never develop an adequate immune system.

jagnicholas As a nurse, I can see the arguments for the germ-a-phobe. I have to go with the conservative position. These are "bottom" germs. Not the normal flora of the skin. I love the idea, believe me. Although the photo would I ply differently, you probably would want to use it as a bassinet first, then later use it as a chair, rather than going back & forth when the baby is very young.

Also, it is an urban myth that exposing children to germs makes them healthier. It is just not true. There are many,many reasons for one set of kids coming down with everything that floats by vs kids who have great immune systems, but germ exposure is not one of them. And, believe me, I was a relaxed mom on that count & had kids with fantastic immune systems. Still doesn't make the myth true. Sorry

mommabear12 Erika- My friend with 4 kids and 2 big sloppy dogs has the best saying: "Babies used to live in caves you know! "When I panicked about the pacifier dropping on the floor or anything, she'd give e the eye and remind me to relax. :)

taureg Actually, it isn't an urban myth that exposure to germs is good for baby's immune systems. There have been studies showing that kids raised on farms fare better than those by nannies wearing surgical masks (a neighbor did that).

And what, exactly is a "bottom germ?" - something you get from a chair? A toilet seat?

Really, folks, kids need robust immune systems.

patricia beharry I am also a nurse. What is a bottom germ? I don't think sensible person will sit naked on a chair and then put their newborn infant on it. And as a nurse I also know one of the dirtiest places on earth with the most germs is a hospital.Even the sterile OR. We have enough OCD people around,let us not scare them more into raising OCD children.

astraea Even when people do have space, some of these ideas are really very practical .. I LOVE that mirrored ironing board!!

TrueBee® Design very nice collection! we feel our CROWN storage ottomans are worthy to be included. we've combined a comfy footrest, storage, tabletop AND extra seating all in one stylish package. www.truebeedesign.com

bibangl where can you get the ironing board/ mirror

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Love these ideas and can really relate. All my apartments have been small and art supplies received priority.

sondergaard1 I think the germ comments are getting rather silly!

SusieQ That mirror/ironing board is brilliant! Who ever thought of that is a genius!

aileenalannah I would like to see the chair/bassinet as a rocker, too. So that bayou could rock the baby either way.

aileenalannah The baby would be wrapped in a blanket, so would not come into contact with the chair directly. Let's not carry this germ thing to extremes.

jagnicholas To Patricia & taureg: "Bottom" germs." Perhaps I tried to use an unnecessary euphemism. How about e-coli; c-diff, hepatitis A, for starters. And, those studies about farm kids. Part of the myth. Try & find the scientists who preformed the "studies"? Can't be done. As for babies living in caves. They died like flies. As far as bare bottoms go...are you serious? Boxers hardly serve as protection. Plenty of new moms with sore bottoms leave them quite bare. That's not to say that every parent is a hazard to their newborn. On the other hand, people are not always honest with their partners about their health status. One more thing, kids who go to day care report many more illnesses than kids who stay home. There is nothing more of a challenge than day care for combatting germs. So how come those kids aren't virus free?

You guys are silly beyond words & attached great meaning to an innocent observation. No follow up comments from this source......a retired nursing instructor, BSN, MS

wenas5 google "mirror ironing board" ... shows more info

patricia beharry I'm done. I"m getting out on top. I don't need to use my credentials to show who I am.

Jackie Nooner No comments about germs from me. :) Unfolding Boxetti furnishings brings out the best of geekery. As long as it supports adults over 150 lbs. Otherwise, it's for kids.

Cheryl Shores To those Moms worried about germs. Not a problem. Kids are more prone to illness today because of overuse of antibiotics that have cause super bugs. Also, they have lowered their kids resistance and stopped the body's own production of antibodies. We need germs to survive. Recent studies have proved that the healthiest people out there are farm familes who are in the dirt everyday. Just wash your hands as needed with soap and water. Hand sanitizer is for serious germs in public area on your hands. Sitting on a bus is not going to bring in dangerous germs and when tested even shoes did not bring seriously harmful germs, see Dr. Oz show. Recent studies were shown on the Doctors show also.
JRS, RPh

milissa5m Sheesh, you freaks about the chair/bassinet, if you are so concerned about germs then put a blanket down or be an entrepreneur and start a line of chair covers

peggyhenz Wow. Didn't realize this site was about attitudes toward child-rearing.
Btw: a friend of mine had a crib that transformed into a full bed. It is really fabulous: the 2 slatted sides become the headboard and baseboard, and the bottom rails telescope out to become the bed frame. Imagine having only one bed your entire life!

j0dy Love all of these! I want one of each. Who wants to buy them for me...ha ha ha...I just really love dual use furniture and these are so dang cool! Thank you thank you!

halleycomet Um--has ANYONE here never heard of the concept of CLEANING? I am pretty sure that the moms of these poor imperiled infants --who def seem like the ignorant and uneducated types to ME what with seeking out and buying all of this low end dangerous baby stuff like the ingenious Cradle/ Chair---have NEVER heard of a baby wipe or a washcloth or for Pete's sake a SPONGE if they think they are going to transfer ANYTHING to the seat? And--do YOU commonly lay YOUR newborns down on a BARE plastic surface? I know my three kids and two grandkids have never been laid down on bare plastic!

If one WERE to go and sit bare-naked on the seat--maybe the kid has more to worry about than a stray germ or two.

Consider what I just read--that putting your PURSE or your SHOES on the FLOOR of a public restroom is THE most germ ridden thing you will do ALL DAY? Makes ya go---Hmmmmm---

And another thing to ponder--in order for YOU to be here the past million or more generations had to live long enough to BREED. Past childhood germs. Past saber tooth cats. Past the plague. Smallpox. TB. Measels. Bad food. War. Famine.

Pretty sure THOSE moms woulda seen the virtue in a Clorox wipe or two.

roomtoimprove I love the table within a table and on wheels

ploefff Love to see Tom Rossau made on to the list. He's a selftaught designer that started making lamps out of birch veneer. Try and do a Google image search for his name to see some of his beautiful work. My pesonal favorites are the tr17 and tr18. I'm saving up for one I just need to find a place to put it.

Kitchen Liberty See Claudio Sibille of Uruguay for award-winning furniture you can actually imagine making a part of your daily life. His ability to achieve beauty, function & style in pieces with multiple uses is an inspiration to me. His work has pushed me to do more for my interior construction project clients. Keep blowing us away, Claudio!!

lauraoffice Everything old is new again! ( thinking antique convertible tables, ladder chairs) . . . I love this article, everything should have more than one function.

gangaraghavan what is this ?

Eugene Stoltzfus Architects Double-O Bamboo Nesting Tables by Eugene Stoltzfus Architect. Recognized as a "Must Have for the Micro-Pad" by the New York Times! These elegant C-Tables come in 4 unique finishes with 3 distinct height options, and are available individually or as a nesting set of 3. See what all the buzz is about at http://store.eugenestoltzfus.com/

stargazer51 I communicated with the designer of the ironing board/mirror but, unfortunately, it's just an idea. She hasn't found anyone to produce it commercially which I think is tragic. I asked that she include a version with a wood frame if she does find backing and she said she would be in touch if/when it is available.

bibangl that is good to know ; i like that idea, espically with the wood frame. then i could keep it in my room

Ahh! Products Bean Bag Chairs We worked with Pepsi a few years back and they put round glass tops on our bean bag chairs. So, the bean bags were the table base and you could see the Pepsi logo fabric covered bean bag through the glass table top! It was for an industry party, but it was in a loft, so I could see this working residential and commercial! After the party, the bean bags were then converted back into seats! Bean bags are pretty versatile, that's what I love about the products we offer at www.ahhprods.com!

CAROLE MEYER Fantastic ideas.

FutureSpace Corp How about our Wall Transformer? One side is a kitchen buffet and the other is a flat screen tv.

Infusion Furniture Mari - Wish I had know you were writing this piece. Our Transformer Table would be a good fit. Here it is for future reference. Cheers, Quentin

bibangl i like this

lois8 The rocker/bassinet is brilliant. I have not seen that anywhere else before. Is this European made?

robynn_lansyn These are some pretty in genius furniture designs. I wonder is there a store in Ottawa that I can find these? Or just find it online? This place has some cool stuff: http://www.sofaworld.ca/shop

slowhdrider I love the boxetti furniture. I've loved convertible furniture ever since I saw antiques one of which was a table that stood up against the wall, another was a bed that folded into a chest. Making double use of items makes so much more sense than extra rooms that rarely get used.