Under Stair Reading Nook

Alice Faggi
by Alice Faggi
8 Materials
$150
1 Week
Easy
When we first looked at this house, I always thought that the open space under the stairs would make the perfect reading nook for the kids. Fast forward three years and I finally made it happen.
When we bought this house, the lower stairs were open and wrapped in carpet. In fact, the banister was completely different, and completely dangerous for small children, you can see the before pictures here. This space served as a catch all of toys, random storage boxes and the only space for our large dog’s crate. That dog is crate trained and if left out while we are gone, will destroy a few of the kids toys as retribution. So the crate has to stay put. It’s only been recently that the girls have started playing under here which is what’s motivated me to finally make this space more intentional. And fun.
I’m actually surprised that the carpet was even able to be ripped off of these stairs since there were about 5,729 carpet staples under here. I removed them all, patched, sanded and caulked before I used my favorite primer.
I used leftover navy paint for the walls (mostly SW Naval with a touch of SW Salty Dog from our dining room makeover) and acrylic craft paint for the back of the stairs.
I used these cloud decals and put my kiddos to work. They were so excited to finally be able to help and it took every bit of restraint in my body to no go back and “fix” their cloud placement. It’s so fun to include them in the design and implementation of these house projects, especially in a space that is exclusively for them.
I couldn’t be happier with the finished product and the girls absolutely love it. I let Big Nugget pick out what pillows she wanted (all from Home Goods). The rainbow curtain is tulle that I wrapped around a tension rod and tucked under the dog crate – I have a video tutorial coming soon to our  YouTube page. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Head over to the blog to see more pictures and a full list of resources to make your own under stair rainbow reading nook.
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Alice Faggi
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 4 questions
  • Flower girl Flower girl on Jul 29, 2020

    I love your project! However I am also concerned with the electricity. I had a very bad experience when I was young that should never have happened. I am thinking that the light hanging down could be in the way sometime, and also, is connected to a gfci outlet or circuit? Never know what is going to happen with creative young ones.

  • Diana Diana on Jul 29, 2021

    How do you prevent head bumps on the stairs?

  • Erin Erin on Aug 06, 2021

    You got rid of the crate?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 53 comments
  • Linda Abate Linda Abate on Aug 06, 2021

    This is an awesome area to have for your little one(s) to have a private space where they can read, draw and just relax and take a little nap. Such a great use of this space.

  • Carollynda Carollynda on Aug 06, 2022

    I lived in an 1860's farmhouse for 22 years, and we had a half bath under the stairs. it was about 2 1/2' x 4 ' and not very high. 6'1" Husband and I used it all the time, at least 10X more than the other 2 full baths!! It was off the kitchen and convenient! 😸🐈️🐴

Next