The post The Forgotten Corners of Your Home That Could Become Its Most Useful Space first appeared on Crafting Your Home.
Every home has them: those strange, in-between spots that never quite made it onto anyone’s decorating to-do list. The landing at the top of the stairs. The awkward triangle underneath them. The blank wall in the hallway nobody’s ever quite known what to do with.
According to designers, these aren’t dead zones. They’re some of the most underrated real estate in your entire house, and many homeowners are finally noticing. Here’s how the pros are turning forgotten corners into some of the most functional, best-looking parts of the home.
The Landing at the Top of the Stairs Deserves an Actual Job
Stair landings might be the single most overlooked square footage in the average American home. They’re too small to feel like a real room, too open to ignore completely, and as a result, they usually end up as either bare, forgotten space or an accidental catch-all.
Atlanta-based designer Kristen Proctor of Edge and Ethos Designs says that’s a missed opportunity, especially in homes with a traditional, Southern-leaning style. “For Southern homes that favor charm and sophistication, we often approach landings as mini sanctuaries, ideal for a quiet reading nook or pause point between floors,” Proctor explains. Her go-to formula: a tailored settee or sculptural bench in durable, high-performance fabric, paired with a petite side table in marble or antique brass. “A petite side table in marble or antique brass adds function without crowding,” she notes, finishing the look with layered books, a catchall dish, or a small vintage painting for personality.
Jessica Davis, an Atlanta-based designer with Atelier Davis, takes a different but equally practical approach, treating landings as prime real estate for a gallery wall. “It’s a great place to mix photography and two-dimensional art with something more three-dimensional and textural, like a woven cotton wall hanging,” Davis says. Since landings tend to see a lot of foot traffic, she also recommends flooring that can handle wear without feeling precious. “I love a cotton flatweave rug,” she notes, “it’s the perfect place to add a bit of fun texture to the floor, without being too plush, to avoid a tripping hazard.”
For homeowners short on square footage, designer Kelly Neely says the fix doesn’t require any floor space. “If space is truly limited, use the vertical space to fill with artwork,” Neely advises, adding that a well-placed center table or storage bench can quietly solve a lot of clutter problems in a landing that’s just slightly larger.
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The Space Under Your Stairs Is Bigger Than You Think
If landings are underrated, the space beneath the stairs might be the most wasted square footage in the entire house. According to survey data from moving and storage company Neighbor, cited by House Digest, 32% of Americans wish they had more space in their current home, and 45% say they specifically want a larger home the next time they move. For many households, some of that missing space may have been sitting under the staircase all along.
Part of the reason this area gets neglected is structural: the space is often an awkward, sloped shape that doesn’t fit standard furniture. But according to House Digest, that irregularity is exactly what makes it such a good candidate for custom-built solutions, whether that means cleverly-cut built-in cabinets for hidden storage, a compact home office tucked into the tallest section, or even a small mini-room for a specific purpose, like a reading nook, a pet’s dedicated corner, or extra pantry storage just off the kitchen.
The key, according to home design coverage of the space, is resisting the urge to treat it purely as a dumping ground for whatever doesn’t have a home elsewhere. Once it’s outfitted with real shelving, a defined purpose, and consistent maintenance, that awkward triangular void can quietly become one of the most functional storage areas in the entire house, without requiring a single square foot of new construction.
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Even the Stairs Themselves Are Getting a Second Look
Interestingly, it’s not just the areas around the stairs getting attention this year; the stairs themselves are having a real design moment too. According to Yelp’s 2026 Home, Beauty, and Lifestyle Trends forecast, searches for “stair runner installation” have jumped 402% year over year, while searches for “stair refinishing” climbed 26%.
Dallas-based realtor Julie Provenzano described this shift succinctly, noting that details like patterned stair runners “add personality and style to one of the most used and often most seen parts of your home.” Homeowners are increasingly treating what used to be a purely functional passage- plain risers, generic carpet, a quick coat of paint- as an actual design opportunity, whether through bold runners, painted risers, or refinished treads that finally get the attention the rest of the house has had for years.
Put together, these three overlooked zones- the landing, the space beneath it, and the staircase connecting them- tell a pretty clear story about where home design is headed. Homeowners aren’t necessarily looking for bigger houses anymore. They’re looking more closely at the square footage they already have and realizing that some of the most valuable, most useful space in the entire home has been sitting right there, unused, the whole time.
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