Multipurpose furniture is very much on trend with buyers, according to a Mintel report.
The news, entitled 'Minimize Me... Functional Furniture in Demand' by the analyst, highlights how purchasers in the US in particular are looking to useful items of furniture that suit their homes and lifestyles.
For commercial buyers, the same benefits apply when opting for multipurpose furniture well suited to the space in which it is intended to be used.
In restaurants, for example, the right selection of furniture helps table configurations to be changed at short notice to accommodate sizeable bookings.
Meanwhile, in bars rearranging the furniture is an easy way to create dancefloor space on nights when there is a DJ or live music, without sacrificing that same space on nights with no live entertainment. However, it is still ultimately about finding furniture that looks good once in place.
Mintel also notes a gender divide among those buying for their own homes. Some 46% of men are likely to base their buying decision primarily on the functional aspects of a given piece of furniture, the analyst found.
But for the majority (51%) of women, it is the aesthetic appeal that remains the most convincing factor in determining a purchase.