Woman tired of cluttered hallway creates storage under the stairs with clever DIY hack

A woman has revealed how she created a secret storage nook in her stairs to hide her shoes - or to 'hide the kids' as some people online joked.

Heidi Bennett, 24, from Staffordshire, decided to declutter her hallway in lockdown with a clever storage solution with the help of fiancé George.

The project involved creating a hidden nook under their bottom stairs, which can be lifted up to store things like shoes and other items that take up unnecessary space in the room.

The couple purchased stud work timber, gas struts and door hinges at B&Q for £25.

And after only four hours, their hidden stair nook was complete.

Heidi and George completed the project in four hours (Jam Press)

"We took inspiration after seeing something similar on a DIY page I follow," Heidi, a paediatric nurse, said.

"We have lived here for a year after buying our first home together and want to put all the clutter that accumulates in the hallway in the new storage area.

"It was actually super simple to make.

"George lifted the carpet and marked out the outline, then cut out steps using a jigsaw.

It was much simpler than they thought it would be (Jam Press)

"He then built wooden supporting framework to reinforce the staircase structure.

"Then we installed the hinges and gas struts, and cut and re-fit the carpet."

Heidi later shared the results in a post on Facebook, which has so far attracted 8,000 likes.

Since being shared online, a number of people say they want to recreate the 'crafty' storage solution themselves.

The couple can hide their shoes in there (Jam Press)

One person said: "That is the best thing I've seen in ages and I can think of a lot of uses for it."

"That's awesome. This guy's three steps ahead," joked someone else.

A third person commented: "This is absolutely brilliant and just so clever."

Meanwhile, others expressed it would make the perfect hiding spot from unwanted visitors - or each other.

You wouldn't even know it was there (Jam Press)

"Great hiding place from an axe murderer," one person commented.

"Be ace for hide and seek," one person wrote, tagging a friend who then added, "From the police..."

Another person joked: "Somewhere to hide the kids."

Others were scared of creepy crawlies getting in to the house, with one person writing: "I would love to do this but would be scared of the spiders."

And one man, who was less of a fan, claiming they could "say goodbye" to the structural integrity of the stairs.

The clever storage solution isn't the couple's first DIY project, as Heidi and George have previously transformed their spare room into a dressing room.

She added: "Since moving into our home we have completed lots of DIY - being in lockdown has given us the time to get things done.

"My favourite is definitely my dressing room."

What do you think of the hidden storage space? Let us know in the comments below.

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