Space Under Stairs: Make The Most Of Your Understairs Space

Typically the space under stairs in most homes is largely an underutilised area, often awkwardly shaped and difficult to organise. However, this understairs space can be used with great effect, adding functionality and value to your home. It just needs some thoughtful planning and careful assessment of you and your family’s needs to establish how to make the most of this quirky little nook.

With a little imagination and some skilled tradesmen it is possible to transform the space under stairs into just about anything, instead of simply being a place to dump coats, umbrellas and wellies.

The possibilities are almost endless, but any understairs installation will need to be planned like any other home improvement project.

Below you will find our top four suggestions for fully utilising the space under stairs.

• Cloakroom
  • One of the most popular uses for understairs space is a cloakroom – somewhere you can store unsightly coats, hats and shoes. A cloakroom installation is usually a relatively simple job and is suitable for almost all understairs spaces. Nobody wants to see muddy wellies and outerwear, so storing them inside an understairs cloakroom seems like a logical move.

• Lavatory/Bathroom
  • If you have a large enough space under your staircase you may be able to install an additional bathroom. For some homes there may only be space to have a toilet and wash basin but for others there may even be space to fit an extra shower too and maybe even a reduced size bathtub. An understairs bathroom not only adds additional washing facilities, it will also add additional value to your home too.

• Storage Closets
  • Using the space under your staircase as a closet is a great way to make a home for those everyday items that you don’t want to see. For example, many understairs closets become homes for wifi routers and wireless printers. The central location of your stairs means that it’s an ideal place to position your router if you want to achieve the best connection speeds for everyone in the home. Understairs closets come in a variety of shapes and sizes but almost always they will feature an angled opening. This can lead to a tricky installation. However, with the help of an experienced carpenter, it is possible to create a professional finish by using angular doors. You may even be able to match your closet doors with the interior doors of your hallway, creating a seamless finish.

• Book Shelves
  • If you’re a reader and you have more books than you know what to do with but you’re reluctant to let any of them go, an understairs bookshelf may be the perfect use of this otherwise unmanageable space. The great thing about an understairs bookshelf is that typically bookshelves can fit into all shapes of spaces – even if your understairs space is more like a nook.

As you can see, there are lots of ways in which you can utilise the space underneath your staircase. Now all you have to do is decide which option is best for you and your home.