Stairs that conceal hidden drawers a growing trend

A popular trend in staircase design is using the structure to act as more than just a portal to another level of a building. Recently, homeowners have found that a staircase can act as a useful, and hidden, storage area.

In place of traditional risers, many homeowners have inserted drawers, not unlike the kind you would find in your average dresser, beneath the treads of the stairs that are supported by gliders attached to the stringers.

Although this isn't a new method of home organization, it has taken off over the past few years as a wonderful way for homeowners to contain clutter without taking up valuable closet space. Instead of having to buy a new piece of furniture to store random items, these drawers can blend right in with a traditional staircase, with no one being the wiser.

You don't need to necessarily look into buying a lot of alternative stair parts to accomplish this look. Although you will need added supports beneath the treads where you replace risers with a drawer, you can purchase basic items like balusters and newels of any design to match the look of your home.

In the main stairwell, you may decide to go with a look that blends in easily with the general aesthetic of the space, avoiding obvious handles or pulls on your drawers that will give your staircase away as a storage unit.

If you are turning the stairs leading to a child's space into a pseudo-dresser, then you can be a little more creative, color-coding the risers or even labeling them to signify the items within.

This isn't a project you should take on by yourself, so be sure to have an architect or contractor assist you in building a set of stairs that doubles as a storage unit.