Selecting the best furniture for your home or apartment can turn even the most brilliant shopper into mush. There is an endless amount of options for each piece, and even more options just for those individual selections from materials, castors, construction, veneers, and you still have yet to choose the color palette or style.

In the world of design, no phrase is used more often than "form follows function." Functionality must be the first and foremost factor especially when designing for small rooms that often require individual pieces to perform multiple tasks. The following is a countdown of the top 4 performing furniture pieces and how they can work best in your home, because like Goldilocks choosing a bed, each piece of furniture must feel just right - for you.

The slipper chair starts our list at #4. This armless, lightweight piece is flexible and is easily moved around from the dining room to the living area to anywhere you need it. Place them readily around your dining room table for everyday seating, one at each side of the fireplace to provide additional seating for company when entertaining and serve as easels for your favorite framed artwork Monday through Friday. Choose from an array of slipcovers for a more formal look and to easily and inexpensively dress your home up for the holidays.

#3. A console table can work alone as a hall piece for loose change and keys, or be a team player as a room divider between living and dining areas while serving as storage for all of life's knick knacks. Purchase a sofa table that is just slightly lower than the back of your sofa and chairs to allow it to back up to any seating group in the home providing a place to set drinks, lamps to light the room, or a favorite jewel box set on top of a grouping of books. Choose one with lots of storage below the table top or even shelves for a small book collection.

#2. The day bed sustains itself as seating during the day turned bed come sun down. Backless versions can be placed in the middle of the room to provide for seated conversation in both directions while trundle bed versions provide two sleeping areas for company. Push the day bed against the wall or purchase one that already has a back, and serve up a plethora of decorative pillows for comfortable lounging and added decor. They come in multiple fashions to coordinate with every décor and can be as humble or sophisticated as the situation calls for.

The #1, ultimate multi-tasking furniture piece ever invented goes to the incredible, functional ottoman, the chameleon no home should be without. The ottoman does more than merely prop your feet at the end of a long days work. Set a tray on top and instantly turn the ottoman into a coffee or side table. Place generously around the home to be used as impromptu seating and storage when you choose ones with built in hidden cubby holes. And when Mom's not looking, they can double as solid stools for young ones to reach the top most shelves. When purchasing an ottoman, consider the weight and construction methods; if you plan on repositioning the piece on a regular basis, investing in a piece with solid, light weight construction will more than be worth the effort. Many styles will also come on castors for free and easy movement.