Inspiration lacking....

I've been severly lacking in design inspiration lately... maybe because there's only a few things I can do with the remainder of our house, or maybe because I've been so busy lately that I haven't had the time to randomly search the internet or keep up on my blog-stalking.... hmmmm..... well, I've pulled something I had bookmarked awhile back (on Dezeen Design Magazine), simply because I thought it was neat. Didn't know where to talk about it and since I've been lacking inspiration, maybe this will help bring me (and you!) some ideas.... or, at the very least, a little eye candy....

If you're lacking in storage space, why not use the area under your stairs? (Stairs rarely have structural elements under the middle of them - just the top & bottom - so why not make use of this space)

That's right...those are mirros on the risers (the part that is vertical), so it reflects the runner on the tread of the stairs (cool concept...but I think this would freak me out the first few times, as it would also reflect you as you walk up the stairs...)

Loved the gold paint job above the umbrella & shoe rack.  If you're going to drip paint on purpose, you may as well make it a statement and make it obvious!

A cool divider between the stairs and the mudroom...

{images via Dezeen}