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The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Mirrors, caddies and skinny shelves: 12 space-saving tricks to make small rooms feel bigger
Large rooms need more – and bigger – furniture, so small rooms just need fewer, smaller pieces, right? Not entirely. In fact, there's a lot more to creating a successful small space than that. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. When looking at a room, don't just think about the floor plan; consider it as a three-dimensional space and ask yourself: what can be hung from the ceiling? What can be wall mounted? How many hooks could I put on the back of that door? Find the perfect skinny shelves to fit in that gap behind the door and suddenly you've freed up a lot of space in the rest of the room. We asked interior designers and architects for their tips and products for making small spaces work harder and feel bigger than they are. Fermob Alizé end table £239 at Fermob 'Occasional' furniture is too much of a luxury for small spaces, where each piece has to earn its keep. Look for side tables that double as stools for squeezing extra guests around the table, or ones that conceal generous storage. I've used a wicker laundry basket from Zara Home as a side table, with a circular Ikea tray on top (it's also great for stashing away toys at the end of the day). Mine are no longer in stock, but you just need to match the diameters of each, or you could try this H&M basket on its own with the lid inverted. Also think about pieces that can double as outdoor furniture. Designer Hannah Campbell of Campbell & Cottrill recommends Fermob for small, lightweight tables: 'We recently supplied one of these for a client with a balcony, and it's been used inside all winter as an extra side table.' La Redoute Mathéo hideaway cabinet desk £819.99 at La Redoute£820 at Next There are lots of great occasional desks, from vintage bureaus sourced secondhand, to foldaway and wall-mounted designs (Wayfair does a hideaway version with a top shelf that squeezes in another element of storage). Then there's this striking design from La Redoute, which is on the expensive side but so functional it's almost like buying another room – and it looks great even when tidied away for the weekend. Overdoor oak caddy £65 at Futon Company Make the most of the backs of doors by adding hooks – for everything from coats to tomorrow's work outfit (I've used H&M ones for years). They can also accommodate tote bags full of hard-to-store occasional stuff. Better still, get an overdoor caddy like this clean-lined oak version from the Futon Company. Mushroom wall light £48 at John Lewis In the past few years, rechargeable lights have become a mainstay. They work brilliantly in spaces where wiring is hard to access or looks ugly. Campbell recommends Pooky's Scoon table lamp, Fermob's Balad lamps and Fatboy's Bolleke lamps. Rechargeables are also perfect for by the bed, eliminating clutter. This simple design from John Lewis is dimmable and comes in eight colours and finishes. Bayonne triple hanging basket £28 at Futon Company Don't forget the ceiling. Free up surface space by placing indoor plants in clusters of macrame hangers – Etsy is great for these – or place plant pots and drip trays in a triple hanging basket. They are also a great way to keep cuddly toy collections close to a child's bed. Storage 02 From £449 at Swyft Edward Martin of Delve Architects recommends incorporating a built-in dining bench in kitchens wherever possible: 'As well as seating, they provide storage underneath, through pull-out drawers or a liftable lid. When the dining table is not in use, it can be pushed in close to the bench, providing more floor space.' Meanwhile, Campbell is a fan of ottomans in smaller living rooms and bedrooms, like this velvet one from Swyft, which comes in eight colours. Anyday Laguna shelving unit £129 at John Lewis Vodka table £179 at Futon Company There are many ways to boost storage in the kitchen. 'If space is tight, a plate rack over the sink is a two-for-one move allowing plates to drip dry,' says interior designer Jill Macnair. Dunelm's practical corner storage rack maximises space on a small worktop. If gadgets are taking over your surfaces, look for stacking storage – Debenhams does a three-tier kitchen organiser. For something bespoke, Lugna has a great shelving range for tight spaces that would work well in the kitchen. Wall-mounted shelves are an obvious go-to in smaller spaces. Macnair suggests using overlooked spaces in halls and corridors and above doors. 'Ideally, run the shelf wall-to-wall in a nice wood or MDF painted the same colour as your walls,' she says. For a shelving system, Martin says: 'Nothing beats Vitsoe's 606 hanging system. It keeps storage off the floor to create the illusion of space. You can customise them to create study areas, bookshelves or closed storage.' If you're on a budget, most shop-fitting suppliers sell similar customisable ranges, for example, Trade Systems. Irregular rattan wall mirror £199.99 at Zara Home Mirrors are a small spaces cliche for a reason, but they can be used in unexpected ways. In its Fortyfour house project, architecture studio Fardaa used mirrors as unobtrusive fronts for kitchen cabinets, positioned above head height to create extra storage. They also work well as plinths in kitchens and bathrooms to give a floating effect that makes rooms feel bigger. Or keep it simple with a statement piece. 'A large-scale wall mirror will create a brighter, more open feel, enhancing the sense of space,' says interior designer Antonia Winkler von Stiernhielm of Studio Anton. Primrose ottoman double bed £1,495 at Button & Sprung Chadwell ottoman double bed £300 at Argos I recently bought my first one of these – beds with storage underneath – and experienced a 'where have you been all my life?' moment. They are much easier to access than I imagined and store A LOT – bedding, books, out-of-season clothes, luggage. 'I frequently recommend Ottoman beds for clients' spare rooms, where space is at a premium,' says Winkler von Stiernhielm. Adding a valance can soften their aesthetic, she says. Jimi wall-mounted bedside table £169.99 at La Redoute Wall-mounted 'floating' furniture is a brilliant way to free up floor space and boost the sense of flow in a room. There are lots of great floating nightstands, so think about your bedside storage needs. Look for designs that feature a drawer for clutter and a shelf for books. Danderyd drop-leaf dining table £199 at Ikea These designs typically transform from a console table to space for dinner à deux – or more if you open both leaves. They were a mainstay of the postwar kitchen, and it is still easy to source vintage versions on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or local forums (it's much harder to find new versions). Melamine finishes have a cheery, nostalgic feel; also look for versions with a built-in drawer or cupboard.
Fashion Network
28-04-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Caught between tariffs and uncertainty, companies weigh stockpiling strategies
As the trade war's boundaries keep shifting, companies across industries—from luxury goods to electronics and pharmaceuticals—are debating whether to send additional inventory to the United States, despite the uncertainty complicating their decisions. Some companies moved quickly, shipping goods to the United States even before the additional tariffs announced by former President Donald Trump were scheduled to take effect on April 2. Although the tariffs were later suspended for 90 days, leaving an extra 10% in place for most countries except China, which remains heavily taxed, many businesses had already accelerated their shipments. French cosmetics company Clarins was among the early movers. According to Lionel Uzan, president of Clarins North America, "We stockpiled enough for three months, which amounts to about $2 million worth of products. Since all our products are made in France, it's not a model that's easily replicated," he said. Although few companies admit it openly, the trend spans multiple sectors. In March, Swiss watch exports to the United States—the leading market for Swiss watchmakers—rose by nearly 14% compared to the same month last year. Planning ahead Ireland, home to many major multinational pharmaceutical companies, offers an even more striking example. In February, Irish exports to the United States surged by 210%, reaching nearly €13 billion, with approximately 90% made up of chemical and pharmaceutical products. French furniture manufacturer Fermob sells its designer pieces worldwide, with the United States accounting for about 10% of its annual revenue. The company anticipated the situation months in advance, starting preparations following the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. "We started planning as early as the fall to ramp up production, especially in January and February," said Baptiste Reybier, managing director of Fermob. "We sent about 30% more inventory to the United States." The shift in strategy is also evident in freight activity. Lufthansa Cargo recently reported "a rise in demand for shipments to the United States," noting that the trade war "prompted companies to accelerate various stages of the supply chain." The company added that similar trends were observed for car shipments from Europe to the United States. The trend extends to U.S.-origin exports as well. Japanese daily Nikkei recently reported that major Chinese technology companies stockpiled billions of dollars worth of artificial intelligence chips from American chipmaker Nvidia, anticipating new restrictions from Washington on chip sales to China. Rapidly outdated goods However, stockpiling does not come without risks. "We have observed this phenomenon, but with a very opportunistic, short-term approach," said Matt Jochim, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey. Among the biggest concerns is the risk of shipping goods quickly becoming obsolete and getting stuck in warehouses. "In much of the electronics sector, technology evolves so rapidly that it's better to avoid stockpiling outdated chips or devices," Jochim warned. "You have to decide how far to go carefully. Everything is so uncertain. And it's not just about the latest tariffs—the tariff regimes keep changing," he added. Fermob, for its part, said it moved cautiously. "Otherwise, you're just swapping one risk for another. Stockpiling ties up financing, and there's always the risk of sending the wrong products," Reybier acknowledged. "Having a local subsidiary, an office, and warehouses made things easier for us," he concluded. "It's too early to tell whether we should have sent even more." By Marie-Morgane Le Moel, with AFP bureaus
Japan Today
27-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Trump trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling
Some firms started shipping more goods to the United States even before Donald Trump's tariffs announcements By Marie-Morgane LE MOEL Stockpiling is the reflex response by firms to the imposition of tariffs, but with the rapidly-changing position of the Trump administration, companies are finding that it isn't so straightforward this time around. Whether it's the luxury, electronics or pharmaceutical sectors, U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictability complicates the calculations of firms. Some companies didn't wait for Trump's April 2 announcement of massive "reciprocal" trade tariffs: they had already begun shipping more of their goods to the United States. In the end, Trump backed down quickly on the "reciprocal" tariffs, pausing them for 90 days except for China. That still left the global 10 percent tariff in place, as well as the 25 percent tariffs on European steel, aluminium and cars. French cosmetics firm Clarins didn't hesitate and stepped up shipments to the United States at the beginning of the year. "We've built up three months of stocks, which represents $2 million in goods," said Lionel Uzan, the head of Clarins's U.S. operations. With all of its products made in France, Clarins had few other options to mitigate the tariffs. Even if they don't all acknowledge it so openly, firms in many different sectors are stockpiling their products in the United States. In March, exports of Swiss watches to the United States jumped nearly 14 percent compared to the same month last year. More striking is Ireland, which plays host to a number of international pharmaceutical firms. Its exports to the United States jumped 210 percent in February to nearly 13 billion euros ($14.8 billion), with 90 percent of those being pharmaceutical products and chemical ingredients. Fermob, a French manufacturer of metal garden furniture that sells around 10 percent of its products in the United States, said it began planning for U.S. tariffs once the result of the presidential election became known in November. It stepped up production in January and February. "We've sent around 30 percent of our extra stock to the United States," said the company's chief executive, Baptiste Reybier. That extra production has benefitted transportation firms. Lufthansa Cargo said it has seen in recent weeks "an increase in demand for shipments to the United States". The trade war "has incited companies to accelerate certain stages in their supply chains", it told AFP. "A similar trend was seen for the delivery of cars from the EU to the United States," it said. The phenomenon also concerns U.S.-made goods. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported recently that Chinese tech firms were snapping up billions of dollars of artificial intelligence chips made by U.S. firm Nvidia in anticipation of Washington imposing export restrictions. Stockpiling is not a solution, however, said analysts. Matt Jochim, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey who helps companies with supply chain issues, called stockpiling "a very short-term opportunistic" move. He said the practice has limits as tariffs are constantly changing and it isn't always practicable. "In a lot of the electronics space, it's also hard to do, because the technology changes so quickly, you don't want to get stuck with inventory of chipsets or devices that are the prior version," he said. Fermob said it was taking a measured approach to stockpiling. "Otherwise you're replacing one risk with another," the manufacturer's Reybier said. "You have to finance stocks and there is also the risk of not having sent the right product." Having a local subsidiary with warehouses also helped, Reybier added. "It's too early to say whether we should have sent more or not." © 2025 AFP
Free Malaysia Today
27-04-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump's trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling
Firms across various sectors started shipping products in the US amid trade uncertainties ahead of the 90-day tariff pause deadline. (AP pic) PARIS : Stockpiling is the reflex response by firms to the imposition of tariffs, but with the rapidly-changing position of the Trump administration, companies are finding that it isn't so straightforward this time around. Whether it's the luxury, electronics or pharmaceutical sectors, US President Donald Trump's unpredictability complicates the calculations of firms. Some companies didn't wait for Trump's April 2 announcement of massive 'reciprocal' trade tariffs: they had already begun shipping more of their goods to the US. In the end, Trump backed down quickly on the 'reciprocal' tariffs, pausing them for 90 days except for China. That still left the global 10% tariff in place, as well as the 25% tariffs on European steel, aluminium and cars. French cosmetics firm Clarins didn't hesitate and stepped up shipments to the US at the beginning of the year. 'We've built up three months of stocks, which represents US$2 million in goods,' said Lionel Uzan, the head of Clarins's US operations. With all of its products made in France, Clarins had few other options to mitigate the tariffs. Discreet stockpiling Even if they don't all acknowledge it so openly, firms in many different sectors are stockpiling their products in the US. In March, exports of Swiss watches to the US jumped nearly 14% compared to the same month last year. More striking is Ireland, which plays host to a number of international pharmaceutical firms. Its exports to the US jumped 210% in February to nearly €13 billion, with 90% of those being pharmaceutical products and chemical ingredients. Fermob, a French manufacturer of metal garden furniture that sells around 10% of its products in the US, said it began planning for US tariffs once the result of the presidential election became known in November. It stepped up production in January and February. 'We've sent around 30% of our extra stock to the US,' said the company's chief executive, Baptiste Reybier. That extra production has benefitted transportation firms. Lufthansa Cargo said it has seen in recent weeks 'an increase in demand for shipments to the US'. The trade war 'has incited companies to accelerate certain stages in their supply chains', it told AFP. 'A similar trend was seen for the delivery of cars from the EU to the US,' it said. The phenomenon also concerns US-made goods. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported recently that Chinese tech firms were snapping up billions of dollars of artificial intelligence chips made by US firm Nvidia in anticipation of Washington imposing export restrictions. 'Short-term approach' Stockpiling is not a solution, however, said analysts. Matt Jochim, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey who helps companies with supply chain issues, called stockpiling 'a very short-term opportunistic' move. He said the practice has limits as tariffs are constantly changing and it isn't always practicable. 'In a lot of the electronics space, it's also hard to do, because the technology changes so quickly, you don't want to get stuck with inventory of chipsets or devices that are the prior version,' he said. Fermob said it was taking a measured approach to stockpiling. 'Otherwise you're replacing one risk with another,' the manufacturer's Reybier said. 'You have to finance stocks and there is also the risk of not having sent the right product.' Having a local subsidiary with warehouses also helped, Reybier added. 'It's too early to say whether we should have sent more or not.'
Malay Mail
27-04-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Trump trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling; analysts call it ‘short-term opportunistic' move
PARIS, April 27 — Stockpiling is the reflex response by firms to the imposition of tariffs, but with the rapidly-changing position of the Trump administration, companies are finding that it isn't so straightforward this time around. Whether it's the luxury, electronics or pharmaceutical sectors, US President Donald Trump's unpredictability complicates the calculations of firms. Some companies didn't wait for Trump's April 2 announcement of massive 'reciprocal' trade tariffs: they had already begun shipping more of their goods to the United States. In the end, Trump backed down quickly on the 'reciprocal' tariffs, pausing them for 90 days except for China. That still left the global 10 per cent tariff in place, as well as the 25 per cent tariffs on European steel, aluminium and cars. French cosmetics firm Clarins didn't hesitate and stepped up shipments to the United States at the beginning of the year. 'We've built up three months of stocks, which represents US$2 million (RM8.7 million) in goods,' said Lionel Uzan, the head of Clarins's US operations. With all of its products made in France, Clarins had few other options to mitigate the tariffs. Discreet stockpiling Even if they don't all acknowledge it so openly, firms in many different sectors are stockpiling their products in the United States. In March, exports of Swiss watches to the United States jumped nearly 14 per cent compared to the same month last year. More striking is Ireland, which plays host to a number of international pharmaceutical firms. Its exports to the United States jumped 210 per cent in February to nearly €13 billion (RM64.7 billion), with 90 per cent of those being pharmaceutical products and chemical ingredients. Fermob, a French manufacturer of metal garden furniture that sells around 10 per cent of its products in the United States, said it began planning for US tariffs once the result of the presidential election became known in November. It stepped up production in January and February. 'We've sent around 30 per cent of our extra stock to the United States,' said the company's chief executive, Baptiste Reybier. That extra production has benefitted transportation firms. Lufthansa Cargo said it has seen in recent weeks 'an increase in demand for shipments to the United States'. The trade war 'has incited companies to accelerate certain stages in their supply chains', it told AFP. 'A similar trend was seen for the delivery of cars from the EU to the United States,' it said. The phenomenon also concerns US-made goods. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported recently that Chinese tech firms were snapping up billions of dollars of artificial intelligence chips made by US firm Nvidia in anticipation of Washington imposing export restrictions. 'Short-term approach' Stockpiling is not a solution, however, said analysts. Matt Jochim, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey who helps companies with supply chain issues, called stockpiling 'a very short-term opportunistic' move. He said the practice has limits as tariffs are constantly changing and it isn't always practicable. 'In a lot of the electronics space, it's also hard to do, because the technology changes so quickly, you don't want to get stuck with inventory of chipsets or devices that are the prior version,' he said. Fermob said it was taking a measured approach to stockpiling. 'Otherwise, you're replacing one risk with another,' the manufacturer's Reybier said. 'You have to finance stocks and there is also the risk of not having sent the right product.' Having a local subsidiary with warehouses also helped, Reybier added. 'It's too early to say whether we should have sent more or not.' — AFP
