Taking advantage of all your usable space is important, especially if your home is not large. Under the stairs is a great place to find additional space.
The easiest way to use this space is to enclose the area and install a door for access. The space is great to store games and other items you don’t use every day. If your stairs are enclosed with drywall, you can open the area, frame in a door, add some shelves and have instant storage. Disguising the door can be managed by adding some decorative moldings for visual interest to an otherwise plain wall.
Depending on how much space you have under the stairs, you can add lighting and a small desk or a pull out shelf as a desk area. This is also a great “kid space”, to make into a great fort or playhouse; after all, the space is probably “kid size.”
A more advanced use of this space might require a contractor to add pull out shelves or drawers for storage of wrapping paper to make it a gift wrapping center. You can store all the wrapping supplies at arm’s length; and once the task is finished, there is nothing to put away. Just close it up and your are neat and tidy once again.
If your stairs are more easily accessible to the kitchen, you can create under-stair storage for all your oversized products that are too bulky for your pantry or cabinets. Use it to store appliances that are not used daily or additional dishes you use for the holidays.
You can dress up the space with a great color and interesting lighting. You may find it a great place to experiment with different uses, as it would be a shame to waste this valuable space.
A word of caution: always make sure the door can be opened from the inside if it is used for storage as it might be an inviting place for small children to play hide and seek.
