A few months ago, we posted an article that asked: LADDER vs. STAIRCASE, which would you choose for your Tiny House RV? The overwhelming opinion was that a staircase was preferred, but only if it didn’t overwhelm the living space. It sounds like we need to get creative!

Below you’ll find FIVE SPACE SAVING STAIRCASE IDEAS to get your inventive juices flowing.

1). Japanese Tansu Steps

Wooden staircase made from drawers, leading to two wooden doors, exemplifies the charm of a Tiny House. Wall decor above the stairs includes a small clock and a vase with flowers, adding a cozy touch reminiscent of Tumbleweed designs.

Japanese Tansu Steps are available for purchase, but if you’re looking to save some cash, try building them yourself. Start from scratch or modify an existing bookshelf. Stack and secure wood storage boxes or antique crates (such as Tiny House Giant Journey did in the video below).

Tansu Step Cabinet. Image credit: Pinterest

2). Tiny Spiral Staircase

In a tiny space, an average-sized spiral staircase will dominate the great room. So if you’re interested in this aesthetic for your Tiny House RV, you’ll have to get creative and think tinier. Molly and Zack’s tiny spiral staircase design (1st image Photo Credit: Mark Fisher) was featured on the TV show Tiny House Nation. Francis Camosse used this same design in his Tiny House RV (2nd image Photo credit: Telegram.com).

Three people are sitting and standing in a tiny house with wooden walls, a spiral staircase, a green bed, and various items on shelves and the countertop, creating a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of finding tranquility in an old tumbleweed town.
A person climbs a small, spiral staircase in a compact Tumbleweed tiny house with a loft, white walls, a teal kitchen appliance, and various kitchen items visible on shelves.

3). Alternating Tread Staircase

This form of climbing might take some getting used to (ask any sailor), but it’s a great space saver. After a few climbs, you’ll start to remember: right, left, right, left. Muscle memory will have you ascending and descending with ease.

First photo is from Tiny House Living. Second photo credit: Stylish Eve

A small kitchen in this Tiny House with wood paneling features a stove, oven, microwave, and open shelving. A ladder leads to a loft above, and a wooden door with windows is open. A "Texas" sign is mounted on the wall, giving this Tumbleweed-inspired space a charming rustic touch.
A person is walking up a steep, narrow staircase with alternating tread design, featuring wooden steps and a metal handrail in their tiny house.

4). Folding Staircase

A wooden attic ladder extends down from a ceiling hatch in a carpeted room with beige walls, leading to an open doorway with natural light coming through a window, reflecting the cozy charm reminiscent of a Tumbleweed tiny house.

Wouldn’t it be nice to retract or fold away your staircase when not in use? Perhaps the above example is a bit steep (almost a ladder), but with the right handrail it could work! For a bit of whimsy, enjoy the innovative “Disappearing Staircase” design below. In what other ways could we fold away our stairs?

Photo credit: Loft Centre Products 

 

5). Repurposed Staircase

Remember the stairs from your childhood playground or bunkbed? Could you find a similar set that could be repurposed for your Tiny House RV? Maybe you could snag a set of steps from a dilapidated sailboat or manipulate a set of “pet steps?” Check your local resale shop, garage sales, estate sales and craigslist. Keep searching! Who knows, you might find the perfect set of stairs for free!

Could you repurpose these stairs? Photocredit: Mental Floss

Want to do it yourself? Learn how to make the above staircase from a set of IKEA storage shelves, click here

YOUR TURN! Share your creative staircase ideas below!

An empty playground with a slide in the foreground and a basketball hoop in the background, set against a backdrop of trees and a partly cloudy sky, looks so quiet that you half expect to see a tumbleweed roll by.