Using the space under the staircase for storage purposes is quite common, especially in small houses and apartments. There are numerous under stair storage ideas that can work and some are pretty ingenious and unexpected. We gathered ten of our top favorite tutorials and can’t wait to share them with you in the hopes to inspire you to optimize your own staircase design and to maximize storage in a way that’s both clever and practical.

This staircase/ storage unit combo is simply perfect for this 30 square meter apartment in Paris. It’s a custom design created by studio Schemaawhich blends these two elements in a very harmonious and seamless manner. This is a storage unit just as much as it is a staircase and vice versa.

A similar staircase and storage unit combo was created byMinimal Designfor a four-storey house that has a small footprint. The space underneath the staircase was closed up and turned into a storage area with shelves and compartments. The design is not just clever but also highly-functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Sometimes building a closed storage module under the staircase is not possible and that usually happens when there’s a floating staircase design or an open door or hallway to take into consideration. Even so, it’s still possible to make good use of the space underneath the stairs. An option is to set up a small sitting area with a comfy chair or some stools and a small table. This combo created by Refresh Design is a good source of inspiration.

Another way to maximize the usefulness of a staircase is to have a set of pull-out drawers embedded into its landing platform. It’s not the most storage-efficient option on the list but it’s perhaps the best option if you want to maintain a minimalist and sophisticated design yet still take advantage of available storage strategies. This particular design was created byPost Architecturefor a home in Toronto.

This staircase features a shoe storage nook embedded right into it, at the base. When the drawer is closed it becomes almost unnoticeable, blending in perfectly. This is a design thatFraher Architectscame up with when they renovated a home in London. It’s an idea that can come in very handy when optimizing entryway spaces.

Another great under stair storage idea is inspired by a tiny 19 square meter apartment located in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The interior was remodeled byStandard Studiowho took advantage of every little bit of space. Their strategy was to create multifunctional furniture pieces, one of which was a storage unit with stairs built into it which offer access to the loft bed.

The staircase and the storage unit don’t necessarily have to be one and the same structure in order to be a great combo. Check out this elegant design created by architectsEdouard BrunetandFrançois Martens. It features a suspended metal staircase with a sculptural design which unfolds like a paper fan, complemented by a wood storage unit placed just below it on the floor. The storage unit is an extension of the staircase and the transition between the two is as seamless and as comfortable as possible.

Lots of things can be stored under a staircase. Most often it’s shoes, clothes and accessories but that’s not always the best option. The staircase of this home in Amsterdam has a built-in bookcase which holds the owner’s entire collection. It’s a great combo, one that suits this particular home and perhaps yours too.The design was created byMarc Koehler Architects.

The idea of under stair storage generally implies a custom design and that usually means you have the freedom to decide exactly how you want to divide the space based on what you want to store in each compartment or how you want the final design to look like. A particularly interesting design in this sense is the one created byBuj+Colón Arquitectosfor an apartment which they remodeled in Madrid. They gave the apartment a plywood storage unit with stairs built into it. It contains both open and closed compartments of various shapes and sizes.

Why stop at incorporating storage compartments into a staircase when you can actually do more than that, such as also having a desk built into the structure or giving the staircase a totally unique design, one which reflects your style and which suits your particular lifestyle? If that’s an idea that you’re interested in, check out this custom design created by studio Mieke Mejjer. It incorporates a suspended staircase and a workspace and storage unit combo. These two elements are separate but acts as a pair/ complementing each other and being a whole all while maintaining their individuality. The design also helps to maintain an open and airy look throughout the apartment.