Clever planning and some ingenuity

In many homes a neglected area is the space under the stairs. Many leave this space empty and some may place a desk or table under it. This area really need not be ignored or treated as waste. If well utilised the area under the stairs can actually give you that precious extra space you desperately needed, writes Harkiran Sodhi

THERE are many ways to save space in the home. Sofa-cum-beds are just one of the options that were discussed, but apart from these there are numerous objects that, though are essential in our homes, tend to clutter up the area. Finding ways to reduce this clutter while still keeping things handy is the real need.

Shoes, which are a part of our daily life, often land up being pushed under the bed for lack of better space. Searching for them when you need them in the morning not only means having to go down on your knees and sifting through the many assorted pairs, but also means that this is one area that is poorly cleaned. Shoe racks are the best idea if your room has the space to accommodate one, but there are many other solutions to this problem. Shoe bags can be bought or made and hung up either in the cupboard or then behind the doors. The only problem with these is that they have to be washed periodically to keep them clean and also that they tend to tear after a little usage.

Plastic tubs in rectangular shapes can be used to fit in shoes, particularly children’s pairs, and slid into the lowest shelf of the cupboard. This way the shoes can be picked by simply pulling the tub out. Also, the lowest shelf is often the least used of all the shelves in the cupboard.

Garden chairs, though a necessity, can be a problem when they have to be stored in during the night or the rainy season. Even if you buy the stacking variety which do save space, these still tend to clutter up the area. Collapsible chairs are a good investment for those with tight storage space. These are just as comfortable to sit on and fold up into just the stackable frame, and best of all, the cloth sling can be removed and washed whenever needed.

Dining tables are another piece of furniture. These takes up a lot of space. Thankfully, there are ways of surmounting the tight space in a dining room. If you entertain quite often and, therefore, need a larger dining table for that purpose but find the room getting cramped with the large-sized table on a daily basis, there are ways out for you. A dining table style that was easily available some years ago and is now again making it’s way back into homes is the extendable table. This table can be kept at a regular size to seat four or six depending on your family size, but during a party, by pulling at an extending plank, you can increase the seating capacity by four to six more.

Drop leaf tables are another option where the sides of the table are dropped down to make it more compact and easier to tuck away when not needed, or to simply reduce the seating capacity and covered area of the table. There are many people who have extremely tight dining space. For them the style of table popular in many Bombay flats is a good choice. These tables are fixed onto the wall with hinges at the required height. When needed the table tops can be opened, and collapsible legs give it support on one end.

Lazy Susans are shelves that are made specifically to utilise the dead corners in every room, particularly the kitchen. When the counters are being made with shelves under them, there is invariably a corner where the two counters meet, which is dead space.

This is triangular in shape and much deeper than the rest of the shelves which makes it difficult to reach in for the corners. Lazy Susans are revolving shelves which turn the entire depth of the shelf around to you when you open the door. These have either wooden or then plastic-coated wire racks which are fitted onto a central rod which revolves when the door is pushed open.

In many homes a neglected area is the space under the stairs. Many leave this space empty and some may place a desk or table under it. This area really need not be ignored or treated as waste. If well utilised the area under the stairs can actually give you that precious extra space you desperately needed.

Cupboards under the stairs are rather common, but using this as a closed storage room to stack the garden chairs or the kid’s cycle is often better utilisation. A reasonable sized toilet can easily be fitted under the stairs, giving you an accessible guest toilet without having to make the guests walk thorough your entire house. If the staircase is generous in size then an entire bathroom can easily be accommodated here as well.

Tight spaces are very much a part of our lives and will continue to become tighter as the demand on the already limited space becomes more. Clever planning and a little ingenuity are all that are really needed to fit in all you want into the limited space you have.