Tower Hamlets · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Donnybrook Quarter
We make under-stairs storage in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Donnybrook Quarter. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- Cleaning things with no proper home
- A fuse board that’s hard to get to
- Wanting a quiet corner for paperwork
Under-stairs storage in Donnybrook Quarter
The problems under-stairs storage solve
Sometimes the reason is a meter reading or an engineer’s visit, and the struggle to reach the meter. Planned storage can leave a clear path to the meter or fuse board, and the rest of the space can still work hard.
Typical reasons people contact us include:
- Space under the stairs that is hard to use
- A vacuum cleaner that has nowhere to go
- Storage that does not match the hallway
- Wanting a quiet corner for paperwork
If you live near Grove Hall Park, under-stairs cupboards can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things.
Choosing a carpenter
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Whether the route into your home has been checked
- Can you see real work of theirs?
Under-stairs storage for homes in Donnybrook Quarter
The space under a staircase is often the hardest-working spot in a house, and the least organised. Our under-stairs storage is planned around what you need to store, with pull-out drawers, cupboards or a combination of the two. In Donnybrook Quarter, as everywhere we work, it begins with a visit to measure and plan. People typically come to us about space under the stairs that’s hard to use and storage that doesn’t match the hallway, and the answer is built in our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
A large share of the homes around Donnybrook Quarter date from 2000 onwards, and in a newer house with a converted loft, the eaves and slopes are worth using. For lofts, the storage goes into spaces that are already converted or boarded. Wherever they go, under-stairs cupboards are fixed to suit the wall.
The quote comes in writing, so you can read it at your own pace and share it with anyone else involved. It records the design, the materials and the finish we discussed.
- Place
- Donnybrook Quarter (E3, E9, E20)
- Area
- Tower Hamlets
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Donnybrook Quarter
Also in Donnybrook Quarter
Boards, parts and paint
Birch plywood
The drawers under a staircase can carry a real load. Birch plywood suits them, as it is strong and holds screws well. It also suits longer shelves.
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribe strips are trimmed to follow the wall, closing the gap a standard unit would leave. They’re one reason fitted storage looks built in. The plinth at the bottom does the same job at the floor.
Storage in Donnybrook Quarter homes: local notes
Homes built since 2000 make up about 41% of the housing in the streets around Donnybrook Quarter, with about 22% built before 1919, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Donnybrook Quarter include Lock Cottages (Grade II), under half a mile north-west, and Passmore Edwards Public Library (Grade II), under half a mile south. Works inside a listed home that affect its character, for instance removing original joinery or fixing into it, can require listed building consent from the council. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. About 41% of homes in the streets around Donnybrook Quarter were built since 2000, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Newer homes often have little built-in storage, and their walls are usually plasterboard on studs, so under-stairs cupboards are designed with fixings to suit.
If you live in a period home close to St Paul Old Ford, under-stairs cupboards are scribed to walls and stair strings that are rarely straight. If you live in a flat close to Hackney Wick station, the route in is measured as well as the room, and the sections are sized to fit it.
Donnybrook Quarter is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, about 2 miles south-west of Whitechapel. Homes in Donnybrook Quarter are part of the area we cover for under-stairs storage. Donnybrook Quarter is one of the places in Tower Hamlets where we make under-stairs storage.
We work across E3, E9 and E20 for under-stairs storage. We cover homes on streets like Lyal Road, Wick Lane and Dace Road, along with the roads around them, for under-stairs storage and any of our other fitted furniture. Nearby, we also make under-stairs storage in Old Ford (1 mile east), Fish Island (1 mile north-east), Bow (1 mile south), Hackney Wick (1 mile north-east) and Mile End (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Tower Hamlets, we also cover Whitechapel (2 miles south-west), Spitalfields (2 miles south-west), Tower Hill (3 miles south-west), Shadwell (2 miles south), St George in the East (2 miles south-west) and Wapping (2 miles south-west).
What’s near Donnybrook Quarter
Around Donnybrook Quarter, we cover homes near The Lea Tavern, Mulberry UTC and Mulberry UTC, among other places. The nearest railway station is Hackney Wick station, about 0.5 miles north. Other landmarks nearby include V&A East (0.8 miles north-east) and Westfield Stratford City (1.1 miles north-east). Open spaces near Donnybrook Quarter include Old Ford Island.
Fitting day, step by step
Finishing comes last. With a spray finish from the workshop, there is normally only filling and touching up to do in the room; hand painting, if that is what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. Either way, the finish is the one set out in your quote. On the day, floors are covered first and the sections brought in. Each piece is levelled and fixed to suit plasterboard or block. Hand-painted finishes can be completed once the furniture is in.
- You get in touch and let us know what’s under the stairs now, including any gas meter, electricity meter or fuse board.
- At the design visit we measure the space and plan the storage around the meters, so readers and engineers can still reach them.
- You receive a quote in writing for the storage.
- We make it in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a door or panel left where the meters need access.
- The storage is fitted and set level, and the meter access is checked with you.
Before fitting day
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Ask for a quote
To get a quote, send us a few details through our contact form and tell us a little about the room and what you want the furniture to do. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.
Advice
Is bespoke worth it?
Flat-pack furniture is designed to be easy to carry home and quick to assemble. Bespoke storage is designed for one space and built to suit it, with birch plywood drawer boxes that hold screws well and carry weight. The right choice depends on how hard you want the space to work. Standalone furniture fixed to plasterboard needs the right fixings, and often does not get them. Fitted furniture is planned with fixings into the studs or made for the board.
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: drawers take more making than shelves, and each rail, divider or pull-out adds to the work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside, then set it out in the quote.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Donnybrook Quarter
- Designed for the room you have
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- We visit, measure and discuss the design before we quote
- Work across the whole of London
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made and what a quote should include.
Your questions about under-stairs storage in Donnybrook Quarter
I live near Hackney Wick station. Is that in your area?
Yes. We cover all of Tower Hamlets and the rest of London. You can drop us a line using the contact form to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Donnybrook Quarter?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay, which the council arranges, often with notice. It is useful to let us know about parking at the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
Can you fit furniture to uneven walls?
Uneven walls are normal in older London homes, and the furniture is made to deal with them. Edges are scribed to the wall, and adjustable feet or a plinth bring the furniture up to level.
Which materials go into your under-stairs cupboards?
Our storage is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, then painted. Birch plywood holds screws well, which matters for drawers that carry weight. The materials and finish are agreed in your quote.
Could the space under my stairs take a desk?
Often, yes, where the space opens onto a room and there is enough height at one end. A built-in desk with shelves above and drawers below can work well. New sockets or lights are for your electrician, and we leave a route for the cables.
How long will the fitting take?
How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the space and the design, and your quote sets out the fitting days. The storage is made at our workshop first, so the time in your home is spent fitting. We keep the hallway as clear as we can while we work.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
If the property is let, we will need access agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.