Small Space, Big Style...Trundle Beds... Perfect

So you've just found the perfect apartment, but it has more closet space than king-size bed space. Don't worry; you don't have to hit the streets looking for a different apartment. The solution to the small-space question is simple: a trundle bed. And what's even better is that trundle beds, while small on square footage, are big on grown-up style.

Trundles operate in a pair; one slightly smaller bed slides underneath an upper bed (usually a twin-size). The lower bed, which moves on rollers or casters, can be pulled out to act as a separate bed that rests below the upper mattress. Other trundle styles can be snapped into a higher position to create a "single" larger bed.

Today's trundle beds come in a wide range of styles suitable for just about every design scheme - modern and vintage-styled wrought-iron, country-chic, even stately sleighs. These expandable beds offer apartment-dwellers the design options traditional space-savers such as Murphy beds don't; instead of hiding a whole bed away, you can fit loads of personality into a small bedroom by way of the trundle bed's design and your chosen linens. Bump the style factor up another notch by opting for a daybed-style trundle, which can triple as a bedroom (or even living room) sofa for afternoon reading or watching TV.

Should you eventually move to a bigger place, don't hesitate to take your trundle with you. While it's great for guest or children's bedrooms, you can also remove the mattress from the trundle and fill the space instead with a storage drawer compatible with your particular trundle bed design.