Staircase with built-in drawers is a clever way to add more storage to your home

If you’ve ever experienced the panic that occurs when you receive that “I’m coming by in 5 minutes” text — a panic born of the fact that your home is filled with clutter and there’s nowhere to hide it — we have a solution for you. Clever retailers are producing stairs with built-in drawers, and we can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner.

Stairpro Staircases, a custom staircase builder in Australia, is offering their customers InStep Drawers, stairs with built-in secret compartments in which to hide your mess. The drawers have tiny handles under the lip of each step that are so unobtrusive, visitors won’t even know they’re there.

A video posted to the company’s YouTube account shows how handy these drawers are and also how seamlessly they blend into the staircase itself:

According to the Stairpro website, the InStep Drawers are built with solid, sturdy timber. They open and close smoothly and silently, utilizing soft-close technology.

And because they’re so well hidden, they’re ideal for storing stuff that needs to be safe, such as important papers. What a great way to use space that’s normally unused!

The patent is still pending on these understair storage staircases by Stairpro. But the idea isn’t exactly new. Bunk beds with storage under the steps, for example, have been around for a bit:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkUZT_xn0sv/

But if want drawers underneath your own stairs, it looks like you’ll need to build them yourself. We were unable to find any U.S. manufacturers offering this particular product. Luckily, you won’t have to go into this project blind.

Self-described maker Sebastiaan Mollema posted a video to his YouTube channel that shows him building his own set of staircase drawers. He also offers downloadable schematics on his Etsy page and an accompanying step-by-step post on Instructables:

We love the idea of using under-utilized space for additional storage. Here’s a great example of under-the-stairs wine storage from the Simply Storage U.K. Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGqaNPFTgT/

We also love this under-the-stairs display storage idea shared on Instagram by Very Verweij:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzYs05lHbOb/

Avar Furniture in London builds under-stair storage customized for homeowners. They create everything from under-stair bookcases and cupboards to wardrobe storage, furniture and drawers. How amazing is this?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsXYaGzBhPW/

Here’s what the drawers look like when closed:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwJf_QnBu08/

Some other ideas we’ve seen for hidden storage around the house include headboard bookcases, under-the-bed drawers, wall safes, mirror-front medicine cabinets, coffee tables and ottomans that open up to reveal additional storage.

What inventive ideas have you implemented to save space and create storage?