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If you’re looking for ways to get your home more organized and less cluttered, take a look at your staircase—or, more specifically, check out the space under the steps. While this area is often forgotten, it’s time to think of it as a blank canvas for storage or a usable space instead of ignoring it. From a place to stash your clothes to a home for your favorite wine and cocktails, maximize this new-found space and say goodbye to the clutter.
Here are 11 under-stairs storage and design ideas that blend form and function.
1. Set up a Bar or Snack Station
Multi Trade Building Services / multitradebldgserv
From happy hour to snack time, the space under the stairs can be transformed into a spot that houses cocktails for adults or juice boxes for the kids. If you have stairs that lead to a basement or living room, you’ll want to steal this idea because it opens up extra space in the kitchen.
In this design from Multi Trade Building Services, the sloping space at the bottom of the stairs is the perfect spot for custom wine holders. The cabinet and drawer add extra storage for barware essentials or crowd-pleasing snacks. A small fridge that keeps the drinks cool is the finishing touch on this under-the-stairs bar.
2. Create a Cozy Pet Hideaway
Emily / homeofcarliles
Make your home even more pet-friendly by giving your four-legged friend their very own storage space under the stairs. Tuck their pet bed into an alcove so they can snuggle but still be close to all of the action in the room. Use drawers or baskets to store items like their food, treats, toys and other accessories. You can also add their food and water bowls to help contain any spills or messes. Emily from Home of Carlies finished off her dog’s new space with a few pieces of decor that matched the aesthetic of her kitchen.
3. Build a Wardrobe
Mats Bromander / bromanders_handverk
If your closets are feeling cramped and cluttered, it’s time for more space. Even with lots of corners and angles, you can upgrade the empty spot under the stairs into a wardrobe. Divide the space by hanging some items up high and storing others, like out-of-season clothes, in the deepest parts of the closet. Designer Mats Bromander took advantage of multiple flights of stairs by adding a wardrobe to one area and a set of drawers under the adjacent flight for additional storage and flexibility.
4. Create a Custom Pantry
MK Construction & Builders Inc / mkconstructionchicago
In this design, MK Construction & Builders Inc turned the space under the staircase into a pantry. Here you can store items such as food, bakeware, cookware, cleaning supplies and goods that you purchased in bulk. The built-in storage helps reduce clutter in a high-traffic area and allows you to make the most of your living space.
5. House Your Favorite Wines
Malu Grasso / malugrassodecor
Below-stairs wine cellars are aesthetically beautiful and a great place to show off your vino collection. Because it is a comparatively compact cellar, you’ll have a bigger budget for upgrades like a beautiful glass door or an advanced climate control system. Turned into a wine cellar, this traditionally under-utilized space can now be used to entertain and bring friends and family together.
Even if you don’t put in an actual cellar, just adding a few wine racks can be a good option.
6. Build a Home Office
Janel Holiday Interior Design / janelholidayinteriordesign
Stop using your kitchen table as your desk: Instead, make the space under the steps a nook-sized home office. A desk with built-in storage is ideal because it makes it easy to store essentials like files, paper and office supplies. Don’t worry if your desk doesn’t have cabinets— you can add your own or create shelves above the desk for additional storage. Finally, be sure to add plenty of decor to personalize the space. Hanging wallpaper is a great way to distinguish the nook from the rest of the room and make it feel bigger.
7. Construct a Coat Closet
Devon Grace Interiors / photography by Dustin Halleck
Every house needs a place where you can hang your coat when you come home at the end of the day. If you’re working with limited space, create a closet under the stairs. This closet can store more than just coats. If there is extra space, you can stash away your out-of-season wardrobe. It can also function as a daily drop zone where your family kicks off their shoes and hangs their coats and bags.
8. Design a Special Spot for Kids
Devon Grace Interiors / photography by Dustin Halleck
From books to toys and everything in between, kids have a lot of stuff. Instead of stashing all of their favorite items in bins and boxes, create a cozy corner that is designed especially for them. In this under-the-stairs nook designed by Devon Grace Interiors, the low-profile bench is a sweet spot for kids to snuggle up and read. The door leads to extra storage for larger toys and the shelves on the front of the door can hold a few of your kid’s favorite items.
9. Extend Your Kitchen
Devon Grace Interiors / photography by Dustin Halleck
If your kitchen needs decluttering and is lacking wide open spaces, maximize every square foot by opening up the space under the stairs. From extra upper and lower cabinets, added counter space for prep work and even a new spot for appliances, there are so many creative ways to utilize this hidden space waiting under the stairs.
10. Display Your Favorite Collections
Maestri Studio / photography Jenifer McNeil Baker
Uncovering the space under the stairs gives you more room to display some of your favorite collectibles that might otherwise be gathering dust in a box. Whether you add a beautiful piece of furniture or built-ins, the new alcove gives your favorite sentimental items and collection a place to be enjoyed. For an added design feature, incorporate a few canister lights so that your display has the chance to really stand out
11. Stash Out-of-Season Items
Amanda Haynes / thehouserevive
Not sure where to hang everyone’s coats in the summer? Need a spot to house Christmas or Halloween decor when it’s not on display in your home? Make the most of your under-the-stairs storage by adding shelves for large storage bins and hooks for hanging out-of-season clothing items until they are ready to be worn again.
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