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Collection by Diana Budds

Clever Under-Stair Storage Solutions

When every square foot of storage counts, consider the little-used and often-overlooked spaces underneath staircases.

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This wooden staircase doubles as kitchen shelving in the English designer's home. Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler's vast collection of colorful cookware.
This wooden staircase doubles as kitchen shelving in the English designer's home. Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler's vast collection of colorful cookware.
Photo by Osamu Abe
Photo by Osamu Abe
More adult playthings, like this pair of bikes live under the stairs, whose cutouts break up the plane of plywood and double as peepholes for kids at play.
More adult playthings, like this pair of bikes live under the stairs, whose cutouts break up the plane of plywood and double as peepholes for kids at play.
“Try to group uses and find solutions that solve multiple problems,” Borowski counsels. As an example, Pozner cites the idea of having the loft stairs double as clothing drawers. Though he eschewed a handrail, preferring a cleaner look, Pozner says that the slipperiness of the stairs “remains a work in progress. We had grooves, but they hurt my feet.” The pair are now looking into heavy-duty felt treads.
“Try to group uses and find solutions that solve multiple problems,” Borowski counsels. As an example, Pozner cites the idea of having the loft stairs double as clothing drawers. Though he eschewed a handrail, preferring a cleaner look, Pozner says that the slipperiness of the stairs “remains a work in progress. We had grooves, but they hurt my feet.” The pair are now looking into heavy-duty felt treads.
Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.
Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.
Three-year-old Ran Sugiura peers out the front door of her Tokyo home, a concept-driven yet surprisingly livable piece of architecture that her parents describe as uniquely well suited to the family’s flexible “futon lifestyle."
Three-year-old Ran Sugiura peers out the front door of her Tokyo home, a concept-driven yet surprisingly livable piece of architecture that her parents describe as uniquely well suited to the family’s flexible “futon lifestyle."