When building a house on two or more floors, the owners pay a lot of attention to the staircase’s appearance – and it happens that they forget about the space under it. However, according to the designers, it should never be underestimated: the rational use of every square centimeter of free space will create an ergonomic and comfortable interior. And if you’re interested in aesthetics and convenience, then it’s time to consider understairs as an excellent base for a modern storage system.
Such a solution may be especially reasonable for small house owners, where numerous cabinets are not provided. Cluttering up rooms can lead to discomfort and excessive inconvenience. Moreover, even in spacious, luxurious estates, the space under the stairs is not always used for decoration – they often set up something like a small bar or an exposition of any sports and other awards. In any case, such storage systems remain relevant regardless of the area and layout of your home. It remains only to choose exactly how you will use it – and this is already determined based on the environment and the size of the staircase.
Options for organizing the space under the stairs
In some cases, the house owners immediately see what can be stored in the space under the stairs and equip it accordingly. However, if you are still thinking about what things or products should be used to equip this area, then you should pay attention to three aspects – the height of the stairs and the width of the span, the room closest to it, and the interior of the house as a whole. Based on this, we offer you several of the most rational ways to create conditions for comfortable and organized storage under the stairs.
Wardrobe
If there is still no room in your house for a dressing room or one that is not enough, space will come to the rescue, where you can equip a place for storing seasonal and everyday clothes and linen, shoes and accessories, even bedding and towels.
First of all, it is worthwhile to think over such a dressing room’s plan – if you do not have enough skills or do not know exactly what you want, you should contact a designer who can offer you a couple of sketches. Depending on what exactly you will be storing in such a “room”, pay attention to the following solutions:
Open shelves are rarely used in understairs wardrobe systems, primarily due to their impracticality. However, if you feel like it, you can easily afford a couple of these shelves for things you often wear, such as hats or your favorite sweater.
Another important point is the need to impeccably fit all the dressing room elements into space under the stairs, which most often has a complex and not correct geometry. The most reasonable way out in this case is to order custom made cabinets, shelves, and drawers. It can take a long time to find ready-made solutions, and success is not at all guaranteed.
Closet under the stairs
Traditional furniture construction built into the under-stairs space is the most obvious and yet one of the most practical solutions. We will not even specify what can be stored in such cabinets: it depends solely on your needs.
Depending on the staircase’s configuration and your personal preference, you may prefer a classic wardrobe with two doors or any combination of hinged cabinets and drawers. In any case, you should again turn to specialists to manufacture such a structure to order so that the storage system looks perfect.
Pantry
In modern houses and cottages, there are often layouts where the staircase is located with the end part of the kitchen. In this case, the storage system option suggests itself: the space under the steps can make an excellent pantry.
Depending on your wishes and needs, you can try the following solutions:
The pantry under the stairs allows you to save a lot of space directly in the kitchen and primarily in the working triangle, where you can feel complete freedom of action. If the shelves and cabinets and shelves are closer to the dining area, then you can place the necessary dishes and spices in them within walking distance or at arm’s length, which is incredibly convenient.
Home library
Passionate reading lovers eventually acquire a huge number of books, which often threaten to take over most of the home space. If you already do not have enough cabinets for your favorite volumes and are not lucky to acquire your own office, it is time to move on to space under the stairs.
Those who have already converted it into a library find many advantages in such a solution – this is the opportunity to keep all the books you are interested in before your eyes and arrange a “book depository” without sacrificing either convenience or aesthetics. Open shelves, glass doors, and luxurious wooden shelves – you yourself will determine what novels, stories, and scientific works deserve, without which you cannot even a day.
Regardless of which storage option you choose under the stairs, it is vital to ensure that the elements used for this system fit organically into the surrounding interior. Spectacular dark wood for classics, white paneled doors for scandi, open shelves with baskets for Provence, simple matte shelving in neutral shades for minimalism – the space under the stairs should become an organic continuation of the design without creating the slightest dissonance.
Storing things under the stairs: original ideas
The space under the stairs opens up possibilities for arranging the most unusual storage systems. We offer you some ideas – perhaps some of them will become a source of inspiration for you:
Under stair storage: Conclusions + Photo Gallery
Equipping storage space under the stairs is another aspect of taking care of your home’s aesthetics and comfort. When you use every corner rationally, creating practical and comfortable zones, you yourself will be able to appreciate how harmonious space becomes.
