Loft area at staircase

[Pawprint 0]

Hi, we just bought an EM. There's a lot of unused space at the staircase area but no way to access the top of it, and I really want to be able to hang stuff there - hubby is a painter so the walls will get filled up soon. I was thinking of creating a loft area or getting some kind of retractable ladder that can access the top of the staircase area. Has anyone done this before? TIA