This Genius Ikea Foldable Dining Table Is Perfect For Small Apartments

If you're a small apartment dweller, you're no stranger to making the most of every surface and piece of furniture. You know the meaning of "convertible" even if that applies to things you yourself have made multi-purpose, like using your oven for storage. Luckily, Ikea always has a genius solution for tight living spaces with impressive feats of design that pack the most uses into single pieces — and affordable pieces at that. When it comes to your kitchen and dining area, our recent favorite from Ikea is the NORDEN gateleg table. 

Gateleg tables have been around since the 1500s in England, though Ikea's is a sleek, modern update. They're small pieces to begin with, but then have hinged flaps that fold or hang; when you want to use them, you swing out the gate-like leg to support them. The NORDEN table is a double gateleg, with flaps and swing-out legs on each side, making it one of the best items to make your small kitchen exponentially more functional. It starts as a lean storage piece with six handy drawers. It's 29" tall, 31" long, and only 13" wide, making it easy to slide into just about any nook or cranny. When both flaps are used, the table becomes nearly 60" wide, large enough to comfortably seat four people. You can also just use one flap if seating two people, or if you want the NORDEN to function as a breakfast nook or work space. 

When it comes to hacks for making the most of a small kitchen, it doesn't get much better than such a multifunctional table. Ikea's NORDEN design is $350, a steal when you consider that it's a table, nook, desk, and storage piece all in one. It comes in white or a light birch wood color, and is made of particle board. NORDEN seamlessly matches most kitchen design motifs, and is also easy to clean with just a cloth and bit of soap and water or cleaning solution. It weighs about 100 pounds, so may not be something you can move around a lot — ideally, you can keep it where you can fold and unfold the flaps as needed. The six drawers are an especially appealing feature, considering you can keep anything you might use at the table right there, like napkins, utensils, rolled placemats, candles, and more.

Ikea reviewers love the versatility of this table. Some say they only have to unfold both flaps when they have guests, some use it for other creative needs like for sewing machines. There seems to be enthusiastic agreement among NORDEN owners that it's a lifesaver in studio apartments and generally compact homes, and that it's well constructed and durable. To further maximize the space-saving magic of this table without sacrificing style, get Ikea's FRÖSVI folding chairs at $50 each. They help the NORDEN become the best way to entertain in a small kitchen.