Multifunctional Furniture With Double Value

Usually a two-for-one deal means two identical items for the price of one. But this phrase takes on a whole new meaning as out-of-this-world home creations aim to serve more than one function: like a magazine rack that doubles as a drink holder (left), or a stylish stool that can be flipped and used as a trashcan.

Design-wise, some of these multifaceted items are funky and futuristic-looking, while others -- such as a bed that pops out of chest -- are a hybrid of two traditional and otherwise ordinary pieces of furniture.

Many are genius space-saving mechanisms, among them an ironing board that when upright becomes a looking glass, or a wall mirror that unfolds into a dining room table.

If you tend to be indecisive about decorating or are always rearranging your apartment, having an item this versatile might be a blessing. Perhaps that cocktail table can become a planter, a vase, a stool or a trashcan?

Here are but a few examples of these ingenious designs....