It would be a fallacy to say I have a big space because I don't. What I have is the opportunity to work with the space I've got and be creative with it. So, when the opportunity came to minimise my furniture to create a little bit of space, I jumped at it, like a rabbit who's just spotted a dangling carrot. I was only too happy to get rid of my tired-looking sofa and Divan bed that's served me well for so long I couldn't possibly squeeze any further use from them. And my decision to replace them wasn't on a whim, it was a long time coming!

As I pondered on how to replace them, I knew I didn't want to fill that space with two new furnitures. Instead, I wanted to get one multifunctional piece, to sit, sleep and use as storage. Which brought me to the conclusion that what I needed was a sofa bed and began the hunt for one that was sturdy, durable enough to withstand daily use and could last a while.

This was how I came across the most sensible piece of furniture, a three-seater sofa bed, made by Cocoon. It was a simple idea, but one that solved the problem of my limited space. It was a well thought-out piece of furniture that was a sofa by day, a double bed by night and came with added storage, in the form of two chunky arm rests, located on either side of the sofa.

When I went to Cocoon's showroom, I took one look at the sofa and was sold! Just goes to show that gifts and talents are meant to be shared. Clearly, Cocoon thought of people like me, living in minuscule spaces and invented a functional piece to help us utilise our space. It's why I love functional pieces, as they always meet a need and serve a purpose, no matter how little or big the product is.

I've posted a video below to show how this fits into my space and help free up some space in my tiny hub. Hopefully, this could inspire more forward thinking in someone else to create things which could be of great use to others. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and this piece of furniture, invented for small spaces, certainly met my needs.

A huge thanks to those who helped me research the best sofa, by literally running around and testing out different sofa brands till we found Cocoon. Also thanks to the staff at Cocoon’s showroom, who answered my twenty questions! You guys are amazing!!

Whether making a book from scratch or customising an off-the-shelf journal like this one, the key thing for me is 'functionality'. A principle I apply to everything I do. This journal ticks all the boxes in terms of functionality and aesthetics, which means there wasn't much to change.

Then, I had a funny thought. What if someone has the same journal as me and we happen to be using our journals in the same space, at the same time. How would we tell our journals apart? The answer was simple, 'customisation'. So, I customised the journal with minimal change to its aesthetics, since the aesthetics was what drew me to the journal in the first place.

All the journal needed was a personal stamp, to make it unique and easily identifiable. For this, I used some wooden lettering, masking tape, black acrylic ink, and a sponge. That was it. I’ve posted the before and after video of the journal below, to show you don’t need much to personalise your book or journal.