This guest post  comes from Anna Aamone of AfterThe Builders.

If  you live in a two-storey house, chances are you have stairs and some space below

them. Don’t let it go unused! People make room dedicated to their hobbies all the time, so

why shouldn’t you? Some of them transform their under the stairs spot into fitness

equipment corner, while pet lovers convert it into nooks specially designed to suits the

needs of kitties and doggies. And indeed the options are practically endless, all it takes is

a bit of imagination. However, if your imagination’s scope is slightly limited, you can always

give some of our awesome ideas a go.

But before we proceed with the ideas, we would suggest you actually clean the place

first, especially if it’s separated by a door which you haven’t opened for years. Collect all

clutter in large cardboard boxes. We suggest you use two boxes – one for items belonging

in the garbage container and a second one for stuff which you don’t intend to use but can

donate to charity. Once clutter is dealt with, vacuum clean and mop the floor, wipe the

walls with a wet piece of cloth and remove all cobwebs. Then spray with some air-

freshener to eliminate the stuffy odour lingering in the air. Now the makeover can

commence!

In case you’re an avid reader and your living room library is already stuffed with tons of

volumes, piling to the very ceiling, our first suggestion might greatly appeal to you. Instead

of hoarding all kinds of rubbish under your stairs why not make use of the space and

transform it into a cosy reading nook? Clean up first, remove all clutter, add some

shelves to store your books on,bring in a small sofa from your living room and you’re done.

Of coarse, you should not forget to install a light fixture or place a floor lamp there, since

reading in the dark is practically impossible. Add a curtain and this will become the perfect

place for privacy and a good read.

Or maybe you’re a citizen of the world and frequently travel all around the globe? If so,

you probably bring a souvenir from each single place you visit and already experience

some severe storage problems. You can convert your under the stairs room into a

souvenir museum in this case. For this purpose you’d probably have to visit the

furniture department and buy a nice glass-case piece with multiple shelves and racks. You

can arrange your entire collection of snow globes, porcelain and nesting dolls there.

Thanks to the glass-case your souvenirs’ colours won’t fade and dust won’t collect as

quickly.

We all know workaholics rarely have spare time for their hobbies (if they have any

hobbies at all!). If your work is your greatest passion, try and transform the empty space

under your staircase into an office space. You can build in some cabinets and shelves to

store your receipts, office documents and pending paperwork you want to finish at home.

The shelves should be spacious enough for you to place all your file-cases but don’t forget

to bring in a small desk for your laptop and stationeries. A nook for your printer is also a

good idea.

It’s a widely known fact fashion maniacs’ closets are simply bursting at the seams as they

are overstuffed with hundreds of ensembles. If you’re one of those people who simply

have no idea where they’ll find place to fit the little Gucci dress they’ve just bought why not

convert your under stairs nook into an extra closet? This is likely the least time-

consuming and easy to make suggestion so far. All it takes is a hanging rack on wheels

where you can hang the clothes you’ve bought on your last shopping spree and some

shelving to place the latest additions to your shoe collection on. Just make sure the under

stairs space is not dank, otherwise your clothes will surely get spoiled by mould.

If you’re inventive with your stairs there’s nothing you can’t do. As we mentioned the ideas

are limitless – it all depends on what your hobbies and interests are. That’s why we tackled

only the most popular of them. Whichever idea you opt for you won’t be making a mistake.

But whatever you do, don’t let the space below your staircase go to waste!

The article is contributed by Anna Aamone who runs a team of decorators in Fulham