Would you put a home office under the stairs?

Perhaps it's the influence of popular fictional character "Harry Potter," but it seems that everyone wants to do something with their cupboard under the stairs these days. Of course, that's because it makes a lot of sense to use this space wisely. Ask any architect, and they'll be able to tell you just how many square feet of the average home is wasted space beneath the staircase. 

While the most common solution utilizing the area under the risers is to use it as a storage closet, many homeowners lately are becoming more creative and finding innovative uses for this part of the home. 

Since this part of the house is typically about the width of a desk, consider turning it into a home office. Rather than putting a door on the narrow part under the stairs - like you would for a closet - leave it open and place the desk horizontally along the long part of the wall. By opening up the wider side of the space, so that a chair can fit as well. 

Of course, if you're planning on making the room under your main steps functional as an office, allow the balustrade from the above staircase to be an integral part of the design scheme. Keep this in mind when you're picking out the hardware for your desk to ensure that the tie together. 

If you want to make the office stand out, you could paint it an interesting color and tie that to the stairs by using the same hue on the staircase newels