cover image Portable Furniture: A Practical Guide to Space-Saving Furnishings

Portable Furniture: A Practical Guide to Space-Saving Furnishings

Vicki Brooks. Main Street Press, $20 (191pp) ISBN 978-0-915590-87-2

Urban dwellers may discover some innovative ways to alleviate chronic space crunch as they browse through this enjoyable selection of furnishingsillustrated by drawings and more than 300 black-and-white photographswhich are notable for their space-saving design, utility and flexibility. Brooks, a marketing consultant, offers appliances scaled to fit in a sardine-can kitchen or bathroom; closet systems and modular storage units that will retrieve off-season clothes from beneath the bed; folding and stacking chairs, tables and bookcases; hide-a-bed tables, chairs and ottomans; hanging-file desks; children's (sans cribs) and outdoor furniture. An alphabetical listing of suppliers, their brochures, addresses and phone numbers is included, but toll-free numbers are overlooked. And because tight budgets often go hand-in-hand with tight spaces, Brooks's omission of furniture prices is a major drawback. Designers Book Club and Interior Design Book Club selections. (October 15)