An extra room: 5 clever ways to repurpose the under-the-stairs area in your home

Clever use of space.

In so many houses in Ireland today, the layout is very same-ish. Which, in my opinion, can be a bit of a snooze-fest. I mean; gone to view new housing developments lately and thought: 'Wow, these kind of all more or less look the same (don't get me started on the navy on the bottom, white on top kitchens!) don't they?' Yeah, me too. However, if you fancy doing something a bit different with your under-the-stairs area (instead of the downstairs toilet that everyone else has there), here are five seriously fab ideas: 1. Interactive playroom Monica Chavez, the home blogger behind House of Esperanza, turned her under-the-stairs area into an interactive and fun playroom for her toddler,, where he can go to read, make puzzles, and play with his toy cars. Image via House of Esperanza/Instagram 2. Wine cellar I mean; no words needed here. Except – please, please someone make us one of these! Image via Pinterest 3. Extra storage Let's face it, we could all do with some extra storage space in our homes. And why not take advantage of the unused area under your stairs to do just this? Image via Ikea 4. Home office Suddenly, we are all very much in need of a home office – and where better to put it than under the stairs? Image via Mesterhus.no 5. Reading nook Couldn't you just imagine curling up here on a rainy autumn afternoon with your new book...? Image via Decorpad.com