Exciting topic alert! Help me organise my under stairs cupboard!

[IHeartKingThistle]

Honestly, it's a disgrace. It's very big and there's an extra bit that goes round the corner at the back IYSWIM.

At the moment there are a couple of hooks and two very small shelves at the front. There are so many coats on the hooks that they stop the door from closing. I can't see in there either. We had those stick on lights but they are rubbish!

It is stacked full with coats, scarves, bags, wellies and sporting/photography stuff. It goes so far back that I have no idea what is at the back and no way of getting to it.

Just got rid of the buggy so that's a bonus, and shoes are elsewhere so not an issue.

Anyone got any magical solutions for me?

We've just put in a system where when you open the door, you have a shoe rack. That pulls out and then a little rack for bags / brollies etc., comes out... and then you can push it all back in.

It's very cool. And actually quite exiciting!

That sounds very fancy!

This is definitely lustworthy for those with a tidiness aspiration.

oooooooooooh

What kind of house/under stairs cupboard do you have? I'm jusr about to sort out ours and this is what i'm planning:

On the left as you open the door (the bottom of the stairs are on your left too, iyswim) there is already a shelf about 1.5m off the floor (it is the width of the stairs/cupboard ie front to back, it also goes as far back as the slope of the stairs). This is the depth of a norma shelf, due to the depth available.

Under that at about 75cm off the floor ther is a shelf that is twice the depth (obv it is the same width...) as the gradient of the stairs allows for this. This easily accommodates two big plastic boxes - recycling size. There is then also lots of room on the floor as the space stretches as far as the bottom of the stairs. So not much used stuff can go at the back. The vacuum cleaner goes at the front.

Opposite the door are the meters, which is a bit of shame as it leaves a not very tall space on the floor. Also the ladder must go here as there is nowhere else inthecupboard or house to accommodate it.

Then, this is the exciting and new bit i'm about to do. I'm going to buy one of these and put it to your right as you go in through the door, as high as i can without making it unusable. Then i'll get one of these and put it at child height. Then their shoes will go on the floor (if ikea still sold those wooden shoe racks for really cheap i'd get one of them to bring order to the shoes, but they don't, so i won't). I may also get one or two of these for the dds to store their hats/scarves/gloves in and their umbrellas, but i'm not sure where i'll put them, so maybe not.

Can you tell i am excited about my comprehensive storage solution?!?

Wow you have thought a LOT about your cupboard! Really like the idea of child height hooks and would never have thought of those carrier bag holders as accessories holders!

The stairs turn halfway so the cupboard slopes down towards the back. Annoying as all the height is at the front but tall things then block what's behind. Hmmm...

It goes at a right angle at the back too, but it's v low height, like having a random cave there!

KellyMarieTunstall that looks brilliant. I never thought of having pull out cupboards. I know a joiner who could do that too.

Love those pull out cupboards. Want to sort out understairs cupboard now, but have so much more visible space to sort out first.

I have indeed thought a lot about that cupboard, thank you for noticing! The transformation is now complete and it is simultaneously quite exciting and behind a closed door so therefore invisible!

In your position i think i would build some shelves on the left hand side, potentially round the corner it there was room/it was worth it. With fewer and fewer shelves (at the top) as the slope of the stairs is reached. The shelves should be as wide as poss whilst still allowing you to pass.

A friend of mine has a cupboard like yours (i think...) but instead of having a random cave that bit is separate and accesible from the outside. Although this is only possible because she is end terrace.

I have just agreed with the carpenter what he is going to do to turn the existing cave under the stairs to turn it into the under stairs cupboards of my dreams. I have thought long & hard about it & this is what is going to happen (bear in mind that stairs are in kitchen and effectively form one wall of the kitchen)

• first cupboard (in the highest bit) - cupboard which will take ironing board, hoover & brooms. The inside of the door will have a thing to hold the iron as well as hooks for adult's aprons & children's aprons.

• next cupboard - five shelves. The top shelf will cut off the angle & be for vases; the next shelf will be shallow and will take the big roasting dishes and things that we use about twice a year; the next shelf will be shallow and take the big serving platters that we use about twice a year; the next shelf will be deep and take the wok, giant saucepan, pyrex & similar which, again, are rarely used; the next shelf will be quite deep and will take spare mugs, glasses & wine glasses (the day-to-day ones will be in a wall unit); bottom shelf (effectively the floor) has yet to be allocated but will probably be more of the above. Outside of the door will be painted with blackboard paint for useful lists; inside of the door will have hooks for book bags, swim bags etc

• next cupboard - three shelves. One to cut off the angle which has yet to be allocated. The next shelf will have a big container for the paper recycling & the bottom one will have a big container for the tins & plastic recycling (general waste & food waste in a under unit bin; glass recycling straight to the garage);

• final cupboard - shelf to cut off the angle & then the floor. This will be for DC's art & craft stuff.

That sounds amazing! Sadly our cupboard doesn't run along the side of the stairs like that but dives straight underneath - the stairs turn in the middle so thecupboard door is right next to the foot of the stairs iyswim. So the ceiling of the cupboard gets lower as you go deeper into it, meaning you can't get to anything at the back!

Any ideas?