By Gwen Jader Daily Herald Correspondent
If you need to furnish or decorate a condo or apartment or even just a second bedroom or office, you may wish to check out new furniture lines created for small spaces.

Major furniture chains are promoting lines with names such as Urban Innovations, Small Spaces and Loft 21 to attract condo and apartment dwellers.


Retailers have made the designs mistake-proof for small spaces. Sofas are 85 inches or less in length, less than 34 inches deep and have no large arm treatments so that pieces can be easily moved through a doorway or narrower hallway.
Unique casters, pivot tables and swing-out shelves give consumers extra shelf space when needed. Computer desks have storage so that keyboards can be tucked away when not in use.
Low-profile beds give a Zen-like feeling of peacefulness. Both the low-profile and platform bed designs typically feature hidden storage compartments.
Console tables can be placed along a wall or behind couches and then opened up to seat eight for dinner. Glass-top tables trick the eye by exposing more floor area.
Furniture pieces also do double-duty. For example, a breakfast bar converts to a full-sized dining table when the sides are extended. An ottoman can be used as seating or for holding a tray filled with drinks and appetizers. An upholstered leather bench can be used for seating as well as storage.
Wickes
The new Urban Innovations line is showcased at Wickes Furniture’s first Chicago showroom at 2606 North Elston Ave., located just minutes from I-94.
More than 8,500 of the store’s 48,000 total square feet of display space are dedicated to designer vignettes of living rooms, bedrooms, offices and dining areas that show how to maximize space and style.