A tiny home creates interesting challenges for even the most seasoned home builder and designer. Whether you are working on your own tiny home or consulting with a professional home builder, it's important to inspire yourself with interesting design ideas. Here are some ways to integrate storage or other activities into the staircase of your tiny home:

1. Staircase and kitchen cupboards

Imagine your kitchen sink, stove and countertop against one of the walls of your tiny home. Now, instead of traditional closed kitchen cabinets, you have open shelves above this area. However, rather than just being shelves, these pieces of timber are staggered in such a way that one end is for kitchen storage while the other end serves as part of the staircase leading up to your loft.

Talk with your home builder about integrating this idea into your design. These shelf-steps work perfectly for the top half of your staircase, but you can embrace another alternative for the bottom of your staircase.

2. Built-in tansu chest

A custom designed tansu chest can work for part of your stairs or for the whole staircase. Essentially, a tansu chest is a traditional Japanese chest that's designed to look like a set of stairs. You can buy one and place it in your home leading up to your loft, or you can customise one for your tiny home.

3. Laundry and clothes storage

Turn your staircase into a makeshift closet and laundry facility. Some of the stairs can harbour pull out drawers and shelves whilst two of the stairs can hold a small washing machine and dryer. If you like, even create a small drawer to hold clothes pins and a line which can be stretched to a hook on the other side of the house anytime you need to air dry clothing.

4. Kitchen table stair style

Instead of integrating kitchen cabinets and stairs, integrate stairs and your kitchen table. In this innovative design, the stairs are open, and there are no closed risers between the steps. The stairs are also attached to the wall and protruding out from it.

A stair relatively close to the ground acts as your seat. The next stair above that is your kitchen table. If there are two people living in your tiny home or if you like to have guests, attach another mini stair step on the other side of the table so someone can join you as you eat.

Creative stairsteps are one of the most interesting parts of building a tiny home. If you want more unique ideas, contact a new home builder.