【英语生活】引领现代生活风尚的多功能家具

Sometimes a table needs to be more than a table. Ditto for the sofa, the bed and the bureau.

Helene Cahen wants that from her furniture. Her five bedroom home in Oakland Hills, Calif., should be plenty big for her family. But like many families, hers tended to hang out in a few rooms a lot while other, more formal spaces gathered dust. If the furniture worked double duty, she would get more from her 5,000-square-foot space, advised her interior designer, Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Shannon Kirby.

Ms. Kirby introduced the Ms. Cahen to Clei, an Italian multifunction furniture company. Soon the crib her third child had just outgrown was replaced with a treadmill and bookshelves that rotate to reveal a queen-size bed. The room now is both a workout space and an occasional guest room.

'Now we actually use the space we always had,' says Ms. Cahen, 47 years old, a consultant who advises businesses on innovation and change. She even gave multifunction makeovers to two other rooms in her home. She transformed a wine cellar into a kid's room and storage room, and another unused room into a music room and occasional guest area for when her mother visits from France.

In an effort to make every square inch of their homes matter, more people are turning to furnishings that do double duty. These pieces combine the basic concept of generations of drop-leaf tables and foldout sofas, and with a higher standard of style and ease.

'We've seen this for years in Asia and Europe, where they're used to small spaces, but [multifunction furniture] is only newly arriving here, and not just in tiny apartments,' says Steve DeHaan, executive vice president of the National Home Furnishings Association, which represents some 1,600 American companies.

After falling during the financial crisis, furniture sales are starting to recover. In 2010 to 2011, sales of furnishings started to grow an average of almost 5%, says Libby Bierman, an analyst at the private-sector monitoring firm Sageworks. 'People who put off furniture and decorating purchases are focusing on their homes again,' she says. As a whole, U.S. retail furniture companies did around $85 billion in sales in 2011, Mr. DeHaan says.

Some of the demand for flexible furniture originates with consumers becoming accustomed to phones that also function as televisions, and from music players that double as remote controls, says William Harris, one of four principals at the New York-based AvroKo, an architectural firm that specializes in custom, high-design projects. Mr. Harris says people see a perceived value in objects that have multiple functions: ''It looks great,' they may say, 'but show me what else it can do.' Why not make a bar cart that turns into a DJ table? Why not have postal boxes that double as wine locker?'

Houston-based Lauren Rottet, founder of Rottet Studio, encourages her clients to forgo a formal dining room for a home office with a desk that can double as an occasional grand table, for that rare event that calls for one. 'Gone are the days when we set the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so why waste the space.' she says.

Steven Gambrel, an interior decorator who sells custom furnishings, has seen many designers move into this niche. 'Designers are acutely aware of space limitations, and want dual-function rooms that are modern and fit with the way we live now.' His e-commerce site, Dering Hall, sells a piece by Richard Shemtov that is a coffee table with storage and a top that can be removed for extra seating, if needed. It retails for nearly $3,000.

Because the technology to create these pieces is often complex, it often costs more. Ms. Cahen's Clei Lollisoft bunk beds retail for around $9,650. The Aramith dining room table, which slides open to reveal a pool table, goes for about $10,595. There are 17-inch lacquer side tables manufactured by Ozzio that pull out to 115-inch dining room tables that sell from $3,995.

Steelcase has a hydraulic desk with a treadmill beneath so you can work out while you work. Turkish designer Fevzi Karaman is developing an apple-green credenza that opens up to reveal a kitchen sink, a stove top, even a trash can. Japanese designers have brought to life a coffee table that becomes a futon plus table and chairs (by Kewb) as well as book shelves that are also jungle gyms (by Koichiro Hoshino). Anders Lundqvist's GOS3 Work Table adjusts from 28 inches to 47 inches so you can dine, work and write at it.

Retailer Restoration Hardware has a Hemingway-style steamer trunk for $4,495 that can serve as a seat at the foot of a bed, then open up to a fully functioning office, filing cabinets, computer desk and all.

Mr. Harris, of AvroKo, recently created a morphing kitchen-appliance wall, complete with refrigerator and oven, which rests on a track and can be pushed (gently) after dinner to reveal a guest room with a Tempur-Pedic bed, leather soundproofed walls and integrated lighting and outlets. The concept grew from a desire for increased utility and convenience. The kitchens sold out as soon as they hit the market, Mr. Harris says.

The biggest retailer in the multifunctional space in the U.S. is Resource Furniture, which launched in 2000 as a traditional furnishing distributor. In 2007, however, founders Steve Spett and Ron Barth discovered a few innovative European brands and decided to focus instead on multiuse furniture manufacturers. Since then, Resource Furniture's sales have increased more than sevenfold. The company says multifunctioning furniture sales made up 93% of the 53% sales increase it experienced in 2011.

Demand for the furniture also stems from children moving back in with Mom and Dad after college and from more people working from home, says John H. Brennen III, executive vice president of Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., which manages large design marketplaces, including Boston Design Center and LA Mart.

'Consumers are refurbishing or redesigning, and placing smaller orders: a one-room remodel, for example, rather than a complete design for a new house,' Mr. Brennen says.

Sarah Susanka, a Raleigh, N.C.-based architect and author, has been championing the 'not so big' concept for 30 years. The new space-saving solutions aren't only for urban areas or for bohemian coastal lifestyles, she says; they work well in places like New England, where homeowners are reluctant to give up their rarely used formal dining rooms.

Ms. Susanka suggests creating spaces that can grow and change as people age. In her Not So Big Showhouse in Libertville, Ill., Ms. Susanka created an 'away room' with a fold-down bed, an office and soundproofing so owners can escape children hogging the airwaves. The 'away room' could become a ground-floor bedroom for an aging owner who could no longer climb steps to the master bedroom, for example.

'Fold-down beds and multifunctioning furniture are the best way to tailor your space to fit you and the way you live,' Ms. Susanka says.

At Ms. Cahen's California home, her music room is now occupied by her mother, so the lacquered wall and sofa are tucked beneath the bed. It's so comfortable, her mother plans to stay for six weeks. 'Now we can use the space so much more efficiently, and never get locked into the idea that one room serves only one function,' she says.

Corrections & Amplifications
An earlier version of a photo caption with this article incorrectly stated that an Ozzio table sold by Resource Furniture is a side table that expands to seat four people. It is a console table that expands to seat 12 to 14 people.

HEIDI MITCHELL

有时候，一张桌子应该不仅仅只有桌子的功能，沙发、床、办公桌亦是如此。

海琳•卡亨（Helene Cahen）就希望自己的家具能有那样的功能。47岁的卡亨是一名咨询师，她的工作是为企业提供创新和改革方面的建议，她在加州奥克兰山（Oakland Hills）拥有一栋五间卧室的房子，一家人住起来绰绰有余了。然而，与许多家庭的情况相同，她的家人往往只在其中几个房间呆很长时间，而其他那些更为传统的活动空间却积起了灰尘。卡亨的室内设计师、常驻加州核桃溪（Walnut Creek）的夏侬•科比（Shannon Kirby）向她建议，如果换上具有双重功能的家具，她这5,000平方英尺（约465平方米）的生活面积将能得到更充分的利用。

现在人们对家具的要求越来越高，美观的同时最好还能节省空间。《华尔街日报》的Heidi Mitchell在以下视频中介绍了几款能满足上诉需求的多功能家具，包括放倒后能当床的书柜、盖上面板能当餐桌的迷你台球桌等。
科比向卡亨介绍了一家名为Clei的意大利多功能家具企业。卡亨第三个孩子曾经睡过、不久前刚睡不下的儿童床很快就换成了一台跑步机和几个书架，把这些书架转开，一张大号床就展现在了眼前。这个房间现在成为了一个健身室，偶尔还能兼作客房。

卡亨说，“现在我们确实是在利用以往一直就有的这些空间。”她甚至还给家里另外两个房间来了一个多功能的“变身”。她把一个酒窖改为了一个儿童游戏室和储藏室，另一个未曾使用的房间改为了一个音乐室，这个音乐室还在她妈妈偶尔从法国前来小住时用作客房。

如今，更多人都在尽量使每一平方英寸的空间都得到最大程度的利用，于是他们便把目光投向了具有双重功能的家具。这些家具既体现了几代活动翻板桌和折叠沙发的基本概念，又更具风格、更为舒适。

美国全国家用家具协会（National Home Furnishings Association）执行副总裁史蒂夫•德汉（Steve DeHaan）说，（多功能家具）在习惯了小空间的亚洲和欧洲已经出现好多年了，但在美国还只是新事物，而且它不仅仅用于小公寓中。该协会代表着大约1,600家美国企业。

美国的家具销售额在金融危机期间有所下降，但目前正开始回升。私营行业监测分析公司Sageworks的分析师莉比•毕尔曼（Libby Bierman）称，2010年至2011年期间，家具销售额开始以接近5%的平均速度增长。她说，（在金融危机期间）推迟购买家具和家居饰品的人正重新关注家庭（装饰）。德汉表示，总的说来，美国家具零售企业在2011年的销售额大约达到850亿美元。

专门从事定制和高设计工程的纽约建筑企业AvroKo四位合伙人之一的威廉•哈里斯（William Harris）认为，对灵活多变的家具的部分需求源自消费者使用其他物品的习惯，他们习惯了还可当电视看的手机，具备遥控器功能的音乐播放器。他说人们看到了多功能物品所具有的感知价值，人们或许会说，“它看起来真棒，不过让我看看它还有没有其他功能。”既然如此，何不做一辆可以改为DJ操控台的饮料推车呢？何不打造一个还可当酒柜用的信报箱呢？

瑞泰特工作室（Rottet Studio）的创办人、常驻休斯顿的劳伦•瑞泰特（Lauren Rottet）则鼓励客户摒弃传统的餐厅，将其改为家庭办公室，摆上一张可以扩大两倍成为大餐桌（在偶尔有需要的极少数情况下）的书桌。她认为，一家人摆好餐桌吃饭的日子已经一去不复返，为什么还要浪费这些空间呢？

销售定制家具的室内装饰品供应商史蒂文•甘布里尔（Steven Gambrel）发现许多设计师进入了这个有利可图的领域。他说，“设计师们敏锐地意识到了空间上的限制，希望（设计出）既现代、又符合我们当今生活方式的具有双重功能的房间。”甘布里尔的电子商务网站Dering Hall正出售由理查德•谢姆托夫（Richard Shemtov）设计的、带储物空间的咖啡桌，如果有需要，移开它的桌面还可获得更多空间，其零售价接近3,000美元。

由于打造此类家具的技术往往较为复杂，其价格也因此往往更为昂贵。例如，卡亨购买的Clei Lollisoft双层床的零售价约为9,650美元。Aramith公司出产的餐桌，桌面滑开就是一张台球桌，其售价约为10,595美元。Ozzio公司生产的17英寸规格的漆面边桌可以拉伸为115英寸的餐桌，起价为3,995美元。

Steelcase公司生产的液压升降桌在底部还安有一台跑步机，这样一来你就可以一边工作一边健身了。土耳其设计师费夫齐•卡拉曼（Fevzi Karaman）正在设计一个果绿色的餐具柜，打开柜子里头是厨房水槽、灶台面甚至还有垃圾桶。日本设计师设计出了一种可以“变形”为一张蒲团加桌子和几张椅子的咖啡桌（Kewb品牌），以及还可以当做攀爬架的书架（Koichiro Hoshino设计）。安德斯•隆奎斯特（Anders Lundqvist）设计的GOS3工作台的尺寸可调整为28英寸至47英寸不等，可以适应用餐、工作和写字等不同的需要。

家具零售商Restoration Hardware正出售一种售价为4,495美元、海明威风格的扁平行李箱，它可以用作床脚凳，展开后还可成为一个功能完备的办公室，文件柜，电脑桌……一应俱全。

AvroKo的哈里斯最近设计了一面安在滑轨上、包括冰箱和烤箱的厨房电器 ，吃完晚饭后，（轻轻）推开这面电器 ， 后就是一个配备铺有Tempur-Pedic床垫的床、皮革隔音 以及集成照明和电源插座的客房。这个设计理念灵感源自人们对更多功能和更多便利的需求。哈里斯说，这种厨房 一上市便销售一空。

Resource Furniture是美国最大的多功能家具零售商，创建于2000年。最初它只是一家传统家具经销商。到了2007年，其创办人史蒂夫•施佩特（Steve Spett）和罗恩•巴斯（Ron Barth）发现了几个颇有新意的欧洲家具品牌，便决定开始将重心转到多功能家具上。自那以后，Resource Furniture的销售额翻了七番多。该公司称，在2011年53%的销售额增幅中，多功能家具贡献了其中的93%。

Merchandise Mart Properties公司执行副总裁约翰•H.•布伦南三世（John H. Brennen III）指出，大学毕业后搬回家与父母同住的人以及越来越多在家工作的人也推动了对多功能家具的需求。该公司管理着包括波士顿设计中心（Boston Design Center）和洛杉矶集市（LA Mart）在内的一些大型设计中心。

他说，目前消费者只是翻修或者重新设计家居，下的订单都比较小，比如只是翻修一个房间，而不是对一整栋新房进行总体设计。

近30年来，在北卡罗来纳州罗利（Raleigh）的设计师、作家萨拉•苏珊卡（Sarah Susanka）一直都在倡导“不用太大”的理念。她认为，节约空间的新解决方案不仅仅适用于都市或者波西米亚式的海滨生活方式，它们在房主不愿摒弃极少使用的传统餐厅的新英格兰等地区也反响不错。

苏珊卡建议我们构建可以随着自己岁数渐长而扩容和改变的生活空间。她在伊利诺伊州利伯蒂维尔（Libertville）有一套展现“不用太大”理念的样板房，她设计的一间“避世房”内有折叠床和办公区，而且是隔音设计，房主可以呆在房内避开孩子们喧闹的声音。“避世房”还可用作上了年纪、再也爬不动楼梯上主卧去的房主的底层卧室。

苏珊卡说，折叠床和多功能家具是规划空间以适应自己以及自己生活方式的最佳方法。

在卡亨位于加州的家中，音乐室现在由她母亲住着，所以漆面屏和沙发都塞到了床底下。她母亲在这里生活得非常舒适，计划住上六星期时间。卡亨说，“现在我们能更加有效地利用空间，再也不会局限于一间房只有一个用途的想法了。”

HEIDI MITCHELL

（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）