Inhabitat

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my dad built some of these into our stairs at my mother’s request when we built our house in ‘93. kept small tools in them for quick jobs around the house. very handy.

have also seen drawers built into the baseboard below the kitchen cabinets.

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And you could change the opening to a hand slot under the overhang to avoid a tripping hazard.

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Oops I left the drawer open…

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I thought people didn’t have these for a couple reasons:
1) the space under stairs is typically used as storage already, as a small misshapen room.
2) Drawers aren’t good for standing on.

Is there some additional support given to each step to make up for the lack of support for direct downforce weight?

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I’m certain that as this is a company, that they are well educated in the mechanics and construction of stable stairs that can withstand the same forces as any others.

And honestly the drawers would take a few inches at most from any “misshapen room” and they are inches from the top of the room that I recall never being used in my house.

These would be even less obtrusive in houses where there may be only a couple of steps from living room to dining room and the like.

Use nice wood, add pretty knobs and keyholes. It would be a conversation piece and a nice addition of character to a home.

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This isn’t anything new. My grandparents had drawers in their basement stairs, and their house was built at least as far back as the 40’s. It was used for the same thing as Lindsey said, tools and the like.

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sean:

the usual construction of steps does not use the vertical pieces to bear the load of the individual walking etc. the two wooden pieces that support the planks look kind of like this:

__| /
__| /
__| /
/
/
/

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This has to be the most dangerous thing I have ever seen – does anyone out there realize that stairs are the number one location for accidents in a home.

This is only “BRILLIANT” if that word now means “created by a world class moron”.

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AJ and others: I’m confused as to what is so dangerous about this? Like I said earlier, we’ve had these in our home for years. The step is not weak, does not sag, and is not any more prone to causing accidents than a step that doesn’t have a drawer. Our drawers had a cut-in ledge you slid your fingers under to open, there were no projections. And what makes anyone think the drawer would open when you step on the tread above it? That doesn’t make any sense.

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A very good idea. I’ll be designing something like this for my bottom three stairs in my basement. Fantastic!

I thought I’d reply to some of the rational concerns:

“The space under stairs is typically used as storage already, as a small misshapen room”
If you look closely, it’s only the bottom three stairs that have the drawers. Under my basement staircase, that bottom set of drawers would be far more than the tight sliver of space under them as part of a misshapen room.

“Drawers aren’t good for standing on”
The “step” is primarily supported by the flat surface that you walk on and the diagonal boards that hold them. While the vertical board does provide support, it wouldn’t be enough that the removal of that board would affect the stability of the step provided the right materials are used. I’d be concerned about warping possibly causing the drawer to stick, but I’ve seen plenty of steps in “modern-style homes” that have no vertical board (both wood and metal).
Back-patio (deck) steps typically do not have vertical boards for support (admittedly, these are usually repaired/replaced every 5-10 years depending on climate).

“Hand Slot”
Actually, the positioning of the hand slot is ideal. It’s so far off to the side and is set far enough back that it is very unlikely to cause tripping. I like the design because I prefer to have a metal tab to grab at, but either would work.

“Spring Loaded Drawers”
I think this would be my biggest concern. If you have elderly folks living in your home you’d certainly want to ensure that the drawer is never left open. Springs could ensure that carelessness doesn’t result in broken bones.

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I thinnk I like the idea of having the drawers come out a the sides. The bottom drawer could be, say, the steps high and one deep, with a triangular front, Then you have the rest of it be bookcases on wheels, that slide in and out, two or three steps deep, all the way to the back.

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I have a book somewhere around my house that has stairs with drawers. It’s a pretty old book. I think it was about storage in small spaces. You have to get pretty creative in places like NYC. Where you basically live in a single room.

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this is ages old

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Good ideas are cyclical. This is an old concept finding a brand new audience.

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for all those who criticize this design for its safety reason–chill out! that is a big reason why american design is so dowdy at times; too much focus on safety and practicality. and yes safety is important, but this is not unsafe if designed and used responsibly. i think it’s a great idea. and for those of you worried about structure…this website shows some great stairs without cabinets that could easily accomodate cabinets underneath
http://www.trendir.com/archives/cat_stairs_balustrades.html

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I saw a house once, in San Francisco, that the renovators had built in drawers that opened off the side, into the hallway alongside the stairs. They had also added rollout bookshelves and umbrella/cane storage beneath some of those drawers. They used press-latch catches, so there were no handles, so that you couldn’t tell there was even anything there. Really neat!

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When my son was young, I built a loft bed in his bedroom that included three 12″ high by 12″ wide steps. In each step was a drawer for his toys. The bottom drawer was 3′ long; the next was 2′ long; and the last was 1′ for the small toys. This was 20 years ago.

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some of you people are ridiculous…

structural support? use thicker wood!! (i bet you can even get it approved by the building inspector)

worried about tripping? get a closing mechanism!!!

it’s really sad when so called ‘designers’ shoot down creative ideas for such stupid reasons. don’t you people have anything better to do than whine? if you don’t like it, don’t do it!!

i think all of you nay-sayers are boring and paranoid, and would probably love to live in some ugly, piece of crap developer home… just because they are cheap and “safe”.

btw, ’safety’ and ‘fear’ are illusions.. they are something you create (or someone creates for you) in your mind.

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Good grief, I mentioned the idea of spring loading mechanisms on the very first post, but as Erin and others have pointed out, people have still whinged about the “tripping hazards”… And to be honest Betty, I doubt all of the nay-sayers are designers - I assume most people that design for a living will see this as a good (if previously used) idea…

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As a designer, I think this is a really cool idea. I actually wasn’t surprised to discover that it’s been done before, but it’s nice to see old, but worthwhile ideas brought back. Particularly as people are realizing that we gave up many such ideas for the sake of excess.

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Obviously the stairs are designed with drawers in mind, pointing out that you might not be able to retrofit your existing stairs to look exactly like this doesn’t change that it’s a good idea and that it can be done.

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Hi Folks…Speaks volumes about the state of ingenuity/innovation in design generally that this simple and obvious idea is seen as ‘brilliant”. This is a “clever” idea and the kind of thing that our design pros overlook continually in their frantic race to create “design fashion”.
The DUMB BOX we live and work in is the result of such design myopia. We need fresh eyes with a long view from our design pros and this clever idea is an example of that good vision.
Thanks for listening…Michael

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Hi , nothing new really ,My parents had a house with a similar system.but a whole lot safer than an open drawer.it was a hinged top and i have built one with a hinged riser instead, and one was done with a screened hinged front as well,so you can see if it is shoes or what not .
thanks ,Bernard Miron,
Orleans On.

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You could have one of these drawers as a secret compartment for valuables. It would obviously need to be lockable and look just like the other steps (no obviously visible handle to mark it out). It would make a good hiding place.

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This is a great idea! Instead of having shoes lying around at the bottom of the stairs they could be put away neatly inside a drawer. All of you that are so concerned with treads splitting or the step not able to support weight should really take a look at most stair construction, especially open-tread stairs that do not have any support except at the edges. They make these out of wood too, even only 2 or 3 inches or so thick for an average size residental stair (or even less than an inch out of steel). A Material will warp or crack only if it is too thin. But stairs are constructed to support a lot of weight. Filling the gaps with someting will not make the material any weaker. This is an irrational concern. Ask any architect or designer.

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Ah yes, the prefect place to store babies.

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..And *i’m* guessing the rest of you have never seen and old Japanese home; they’ve been using storage as steps and vice versa for centuries. Google “tansu” sometime if you’d like to see the ORIGINALS….

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Of course, the problem with any “self-closing” mechanism idea is that it’s very unreliable. It’s easy to get stuff jammed in the closing path and no “self-closing” apparatus will fix this. I just looked at 2 dressers in the house and of them, there were 3 drawers with stuff stuck in them so they couldn’t close properly and weren’t closed. One sock, one set of underwear, and a scarf. In a staircase drawer, this would leave the drawer edge sticking out in front of the edge of the tread, just ready for you to step on it, have it slide open, or catch your foot on the sock, whatver. Horrible idea. Old idea. Still dangerous after all these years.

And BTW, Marc is an idiot. ZOMG Wood is stronger in Britain because you are so superior in every way!!!11

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This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title o.us poetry. Thanks for informative article

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Geeezzz.. Good idea or not, Why so much bashing? If a designer wants to create something great!, but be willing to accept a bit of criticism. This forum is to express differences of opinions for constructive value (I hope).

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Great design. I love using unused space. Great for storing hiking gear! Plus it’s more accessible than shoving it all in a crowded closet.

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I thought umbrellas were actually originally used for the sun ” silk parasols for the ladies” and then were used for rain protection later following introduction of water proof materials.

The stairs are a good idea for many of living in ever smaller spaces.

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good grief. It never fails to dishearten me when I see the comments from the fools trying desperately to find fault with a good idea, Fortunately they seem to be the minority here, nevertheless, I wish we cold find a design solution for them ;)

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Blum makes a self-closing drawer slide that would hold one shut. Rev-a-lock is a magnetic lock that does not open without passing a magnet over the face of the drawer. these are used for child-proofing, and work great. I am a cabinet builder . I love this idea. I would probibly go with the lid idea instead of the drawer, but this would work. I will definately have some sort of storage under my stairs when I build my house. Also, enough of bashing Americans, nationality has nothing to do with this at all.

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Setting aside the fact that I couldn’t care less about parasols and it is not relevant to the discussion…

This really is a great idea. What everyone is fussing about is implementation, and people who are bashing the idea are not required to utilize it in their homes - after all, if you’re going to trip and fall on it, you would know yourself better than anyone else would, right? And if you’re so worried about it sagging and breaking, then have it installed by a certified professional. Not only in high-cost living space areas such as NYC and Tokyo, but also for some individuals in less densely occupied areas but with lower income (less money = less space = more need for storage), it would also be a useful idea.

On the minus side, wouldn’t there be a problem for those who want to “hide” their drawers with the flip-top lids? I can see repeated use leaving arced scuffs on the walls. I wonder if there’s a way to prevent damage to the walls and paint, perhaps with ball bearings inset into the side of the treads when you lift it? If that issue could be fixed I would definitely use the flip-top method rather than the drawer, personally.

Of course, because I’m an apartment-dweller it’s not a suitable method for me as of now, but in the future it’s a method I’m sure I will be using (unless the stair-side bookshelves take up too much space ._. Man do we need book space).

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Unfortunately, we live in a society that require warnings to tell people not to use the hair dryer in the tub. Personally, I like the Darwin approach… survival of the fittest. Don’t coddle the inept, weed them out.

I like the idea, and since I don’t leave drawers open, I would definitely use these. I have seen tons of stairs that don’t have a center support, and the space underneath goes begging for use. As a few others have said, if you don’t want them, feel free not to use them, but show enough sense to recognize that these have been engineered to stand up to use.

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love this site!!!! lets just hope i can afford some of the things iv already taken a shine too!!!