Under stairs cupboard solutions ......

[Sue]

I need easy access to things stored in my understairs cupboard, including meters (which I'm not willing to pay to have moved outside).

I used to have just one door, but the door blocked the whole of the hallway when it was open.

I removed the door and replaced it with a curtain, but it was still a pain getting at things at the end of the cupboard. Everything else had to be taken out to get at them, and then put back again :

Then I removed the panelling under the stairs, but since then it's just all been left open, and although things are tidily stored it just looks a mess with hoover, stepladder, brooms, shopping trolley, ironing board, overflow freezer, random boxes of bird food, etc etc :))

I considered having a carpenter build a system of doors/drawers, but because of the narrow passageway (further narrowed by a radiator) I decided that that wasn't going to be workable.

It seems to me the only solution is a curtain (would have to be divided into several lengths) or what I've recently discovered is called a string curtain, however there are issues because of the triangular shaped space with the curtain slipping down.

I have googled it and found various possible solutions (eg very thin hem so curtain doesn't slip. Clips. Velcro.) but I'm not convinced any of them are going to work very well in practice.

OK getting to the point, has anybody actually used a curtain or curtains or similar to hide the contents of their understairs cupboard, and if so did it work and did it look OK or did it look totally naff???

There are lots of houses like mine (small terrace) round here, so surely other people have had the same problem - and hopefully solved it?!

[PeckhamNicola]

We had just one door to our under stairs cupboard. As you say, made the low end virtually inaccessible. We had a small triangular door fitted at the low end which has done the trick for us. It's on a magnetic catch, press in to release, so no low level door handle which might otherwise have attacked our ankles. Doesn't answer the curtain question I'm afraid.

[Sue]

Thanks, wouldn't work for me now because there's nothing left to fit the door in :))

But may help others, hopefully.

[TheCat]

an idea...

[Sue]

Thanks TheCat, I've considered that kind of thing, but my hallway/passageway is far far narrower than in that picture - the drawer would not open fully into it, particularly with the radiator there.

Also, much of what is stored in the cupboard would not be suitable for drawers. I have big things stored in there, not little things like books and shoes.

[Huggers]

ours has one door and then the entire wooden panel can be removed in two sections, the smallest being triangular in shape and closest to bottom of stairs to access different bits. they are on hinges and you just pull them out. this was done in the 1930's! tried to attach? photo but too big!!

[KidKruger]

Sue mine is just open, no partition or door, and absolutely packed with crap and stuff.

[ruffers]

TheCat Wrote:

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> an idea...

That's clever

[Sue]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> Sue mine is just open, no partition or door, and

> absolutely packed with crap and stuff.

Yeh, but I want to hide my crap and stuff, KK :))

[Sue]

Huggers Wrote:

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> ours has one door and then the entire wooden panel

> can be removed in two sections, the smallest being

> triangular in shape and closest to bottom of

> stairs to access different bits. they are on

> hinges and you just pull them out. this was done

> in the 1930's! tried to attach? photo but too

> big!!

Oh that sounds like a clever idea - so you don't actually have doors (apart from your one), you just lift off the panels?

If I PM you my email address, could you send me the pic?

[Huggers]

yes do that and I wll try and take better pics...after cleaning what seem to be ten years of spilt tea off them.

[Sue]

Sounds like my stairs :))

[Salsaboy]

Tried getting rid of some stuff?

[Sue]

Salsaboy Wrote:

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> Tried getting rid of some stuff?

I have had a massive clutter clear in the past year.

However I cannot get rid of essential things like stepladder, hoover, brooms, shopping trolley, toolboxes,ironing board (rarely used but still needed occasionally), laundry basket, bucket, bird food etc..

It's a small house and I have nowhere else to put them.