Most people seem to forget that they can decorate underneath their stairs even though the space is small. With a bit of creativity and decorating style though, you'll soon realize the potential of this powerful space. Even though the space under your stairs is small, it's easy to create a small reading space, a compact home office, or cute telephone alcove. You can also simply use it for a bit of storage space, or as a place to display artwork and collectibles.
How much room you have under the stairs will help you determine how to decorate it, and what to use it for. If there's enough room to stand up for instance, without hitting your head, then you could use it as an office, a small closet, or even as a utility room or a bathroom.
Using the space under your staircase for a small reading or sitting area for example, is quite easy. Simply put a comfortable chair under the stairs, add a footstool or an ottoman, and some light. Your light could be a floor lamp behind the chair, or a wall light if your space is fairly small. You can also install recessed lighting underneath the staircase. If there's room for it, add a small side table next to your chair or put a small bookshelf on the wall. If the space under your stairs is not too small, you could even turn it into a small library. Simply add another chair or two, and more bookshelves.
Decorating the space as a small home office is also an excellent idea. Even if the space under your stairs is small, you can create a compact workspace to use when working at home. For extremely small spaces try using a compact computer cabinet that closes when you're finished with it. Otherwise add a small desk with shelves above attached to the wall, and use roll out file cabinets or baskets to hold your supplies. If your office needs tools such as a fax, phone, or copy machine, try using an all in one machine instead because it will take up much less room.
If the space under your stairs is somewhat shallow in addition to being small, the best way to decorate it is probably with artwork, or as a small display space. You could use small shelves or curio boxes for instance, to display small collectibles or antiques. Other types of art work can be displayed here as well. If you have handmade quilts or embroidery for instance, these can be creatively ether in their own frames, or hanging on display bars. Photography, oil paintings, and other types of artwork will all displayed beautifully and a small space under your stairs. Add accent lights to each art piece, to create even more drama and interest in this area.
Other great things you can do with this space if it's really small, are adding a statue, a water fountain , or a large potted plant.