17 Staircases Featuring Clever Seats and Storage
It’s not just about the ups and downs. These staircases also provide storage, display and seating
You might think stairways are just about getting from one floor to another. But they can be so much more. Apart from being architectural features, staircases can provide space for storage, display, reading niches, secret hideouts and more. The following examples from around the world will have you stepping up your staircase game.
2. A reading nook in a playroom of this Los Angeles home takes full advantage of under-stair space. The bookshelves beneath the seat pull out like a drawer to reveal more storage. The small door to the left opens to a hideout for the kids. The door to the right leads to a powder room toilet.
3. What can’t this staircase do? In France, this design features a work area, plenty of storage and display space, and what appears to be a sleeping nook with a blanket. Perhaps for a dog? We say, “Oui, s’il vous plait!”
How to squeeze in a home office
How to squeeze in a home office
4. Also in France, this staircase begins as a cushioned bench beneath a platform that features display space for sculpture and artwork.
5. To help make this compact Cape Cod getaway more airy and clutter-free, and to add extra storage space, architect Chris Brown opened a walled-in staircase to create some breathing room and bring in natural light from the floor above.
Plywood boxes with MDF-fronted drawers beneath the stairs take full advantage of this space and create storage for shoes and other essentials. The column facing the kitchen has carved cubbies for a coffee machine, microwave and compact wine cooler, and a display shelf.
Brown says taking advantage of under-stair space for storage like this works especially well when the staircase is against an exterior wall of a home. “In this case, an open stair would not have been visually interesting because there is nothing to see past the stair,” he says.
He’s designed similar stair storage to hold vacuums, folding chairs and home gym weights.
Brown says taking advantage of under-stair space for storage like this works especially well when the staircase is against an exterior wall of a home. “In this case, an open stair would not have been visually interesting because there is nothing to see past the stair,” he says.
He’s designed similar stair storage to hold vacuums, folding chairs and home gym weights.
6. In this children’s bedroom, a staircase of rift-cut white oak with resin panels leads from a play area to a sleeping loft. A bookcase door beneath the stairs opens to reveal a hidden path to a lower-level play area. The remaining space stores toys, and there’s also a pullout laundry basket.
“There is always some usable floor area below enclosed staircases which can be used for storage, whether it is through built-in cabinetry, as in this stair, or via a partial walk-in closet tucked beneath,” says architect Tom Carrubba.
See more cool kids playrooms
“There is always some usable floor area below enclosed staircases which can be used for storage, whether it is through built-in cabinetry, as in this stair, or via a partial walk-in closet tucked beneath,” says architect Tom Carrubba.
See more cool kids playrooms
7. “In New York, our small apartments often require us to get creative with space,” says architect Sarah Zames.
To connect a kitchen to a loft above, she designed a unit inspired by ship ladder stairs to minimise the amount of floor space used. A series of walnut-veneered stacked boxes displays books and mementos.
To connect a kitchen to a loft above, she designed a unit inspired by ship ladder stairs to minimise the amount of floor space used. A series of walnut-veneered stacked boxes displays books and mementos.
8. A cabinet door opens to reveal deep storage drawers in this New York home.
9. In Burlington, Vermont, a small bench at the bottom of this staircase makes for a good spot to put on shoes. Shelves on the other side store books and display objects.
10. This nautical-inspired staircase with storage cubbies and drawers connects a bedroom to a loft above. (The loft has a regulation-compliant staircase, so this secondary version didn’t need to meet local regulations.)
11. An elegant staircase in Melbourne features a corner seat and a bottom tread that extends to form a spot in front of a roaring fireplace.
12. Talk about double duty. A concrete ramp next to this staircase provides a sliding exit. You could also use it to push strollers and trolleys up and down.
Indoor slides and secret passages
Indoor slides and secret passages
13. An artistic French staircase blurs the lines between steps and book storage.
14. In this London penthouse apartment, the staircase cantilevers off a large cabinet unit that features a snug little reading spot below.
15. A steel landing in this Austin, Texas, home turns into a bench with book storage below.
16. One of the stair steps in this New York saltbox home turns into a bench and bookcase.
17. Multiple wooden landing pads extend to create display and seating space in this French home, showing that a simple staircase can be about so much more than ups and downs.
TELL US
Have you turned your staircase into extra storage? Share your tips in the Comments below.
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Browse a gallery of statement staircases
TELL US
Have you turned your staircase into extra storage? Share your tips in the Comments below.
MORE
Browse a gallery of statement staircases
For further visual impact, she painted the treads in British paint company Farrow & Ball’s Railings paint.