Cupboards

In the states we tend to have closets, in the UK we tend to have cupboards. I've learned that a cupboard is basically any walled off small space, which means those tiny "closets" above and below the stairs are cupboards. In fact, the one above the stairs is known as the landing cupboard, and the one at the bottom of the stairs has some other name. There's also an airing cupboard, which is the space that holds the hot water heater. There's a history to why it's called the airing cupboard, something about that space being used to heat the house, or dry clothes. It's still very common to have an airing cupboard and dry/warm your clothes there.