Transform Your Home Starting with the Staircase

Home remodeling can easily turn into a complicated mess. Walls need to get knocked down, floors need to be ripped out, furniture needs to be replaced – all these big jobs mean big bills to pay, and that’s not always something we want.

Believe it or not, there are many great ways to transform your home, working with what you already have. This means spending way less money and getting to use your creativity to update your pad. Just take a look at your staircase.

Let’s Talk Staircases

A staircase is full of possibilities. Think about it: a staircase is nothing but a hollow structure. Underneath those stairs is a sizeable amount of space. Some people call it an alcove or a cupboard. To a lot of homeowners, this is just a vacant area, or maybe some kind of storage unit, but there are much more clever ways to utilize the space underneath your stairs.

If you have a lot of books, try fixing a cabinet space in this area. This way, you can have all of your books tucked underneath the stairs. Not only can this look stylish, but it can take away the need to keep a cumbersome bookcase in the house, freeing up more walking space.

If you have a pet, you may want to try turning this vacant area into a kind of dog house or kitten corner. It won’t take much. You can even fix a small pet door, if there’s a wall already there. Fill up the alcove with a nice dog bed or even a play center for your cat to climb on.

There are so many more uses for a staircase alcove. Most people just turn this space into a shoe closet, but where’s the fun in that?

If you have a sizeable wine collection, with very little investment you can turn that space into a wine storage area. People oftentimes sanction off a huge chunk of their kitchen space to store their wine. There’s no point to this. Underneath a staircase, the wine can be stored in a dry space where sunlight will never hit it. It’s like a mini-cellar with very little work involved.

If you like to exercise, try building an exercise station there. You can keep all your free weights and mats in one place. Fix a door and you can exercise right at home, put away your equipment and then shut the door. It keeps the clutter of equipment out of the way.

You could even turn the alcove into a kind of relaxation nook. Put a small twin-size bed in with fabric-laden walls. All of the sudden you have a hidden room where you can relax, read and take a nap without getting caught!

Are you a gamer? Do have a kid that plays video games? If you do, you know that video game consoles and TV sets result in a sea of tangled chords and clutter from disc cases and spare controllers. Why not build a video game nook? You can install a hinged door, fit in an electronics station and even tuck in some fold out chairs for an easy gaming set up. Not only will this keep all of the gaming paraphernalia in one spot, it’ll make it easier to tell if your kid’s on top of their homework!

If you’re in desperate need of some convenient office space, why not fix a computer desk area there, instead? You can keep all the wires and tucked right underneath and install a desk unit with a slide-out section for easy access.

Are you a music lover? CDs, record collections, instruments, amplifiers – the typical collection of equipment and valuables can take up a mass of space. This can make it difficult to clean up the house for company. That’s why this alcove area can be so useful.

If you have a nice stereo system, try building a neat space for the main unit. You can then fix the speaker outlets anywhere around the house, using some discrete adhesive strips to line the wiring along the walls. Now your home radiates with music and your main unit is in a secure, easily hidden area. Plus, you can fit a clever cabinet space on the bottom for storing less-used CDs and cherished memorabilia.

Do you like to record music? A staircase alcove is perfect for building a makeshift vocal booth. Just fix the walls with some acoustic materials to dampen the sound, hook up your gear and now you have a perfect, enclosed spot to record music.

There are many ways to remodel your home with little money and lots of creativity, and lots of possibilities can be found right at the staircase. Even if you’re already using this area, whether for storage or otherwise, try reassessing how you use that space. You may surprise yourself with the ideas that come to mind.