Lewisham · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Downham
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. Our work on under-stairs storage in Downham starts with a design visit, and everything is built in our workshop.
- Coats and shoes piling up in the hall
- Stairs open to a room, with clutter on show
- Wanting a quiet corner for paperwork
Under-stairs storage in Downham
Materials and finishes
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting gives a slightly softer look than spraying. It’s done on site, in the colour you choose. Touch-ups are simple if the paint is ever knocked.
Pull-out drawers
A tall pull-out drawer can hold coats on a rail or a vacuum cleaner standing up. Lower drawers suit shoes, bags and boxes. The design visit is where we agree the mix.
Under-stairs storage in Downham: what you get
Every staircase has its own shape. The soffit slopes, the stringer sets its own line, and floors are often a little out of level. We scribe the storage to the stairs and the walls, so it looks as though it has always been there. It’s the part of the job a boxed unit simply cannot manage. Typical reasons to get in touch are stairs open to a room, with clutter on show and nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board, and the answer is made at our workshop from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
An interwar house usually has a proper landing, sometimes with a recess or an airing cupboard, which can hold fitted storage for linen and spare bedding. Around Downham, where interwar homes and semis are a big part of the housing, it is worth looking up as well as down. Any boiler or hot water cylinder keeps the access and ventilation its maker asks for.
We write quotes in plain English, without jargon. They say what will be made, what it is made from and how it will be finished.
- Location
- Downham (BR1, SE6, SE12)
- Area
- Lewisham
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near Downham
Also in Downham
Is it time for under-stairs storage?
A hallway full of shoes and coats is a common reason to get in touch. With a rail, hooks and shoe drawers under the stairs, the hall stays clear, and the family has an obvious place to put things.
Some of the things we are asked to solve include:
- An under-stairs cupboard full of clutter
- No room for a small desk or a place to work
- A staircase with untidy space beneath it
- A tired under-stairs cupboard that stands out
For an older house near St Barnabas, under-stairs cupboards are scribed to walls and stair strings that are rarely straight.
Choosing a carpenter
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
Fitted storage in Downham
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Downham were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 72%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 11%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. About 72% of homes in the area around Downham date from between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Interwar houses normally have a straight flight of stairs with a cupboard below, often holding the meters or the fuse board, so the design keeps them reachable. In inner London, a large part of the street parking sits inside borough-run controlled parking zones. A van working in Downham will usually need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension arranged through the council, which often needs notice. Let us know about parking near your home at the design visit.
For families living near Rangefield Primary School, under-stairs cupboards can give school bags, shoes and sports kit a proper home. If you live near Downham Fields, living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and under-stairs cupboards can give those things a place.
Downham is in the London Borough of Lewisham, about 4 miles north-west of New Cross. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Downham is part of that. In Lewisham, Downham is one of the places we cover, and the borough has 22 places on our list.
Postcode districts we cover here for under-stairs storage: BR1, SE6 and SE12. Streets in the area include Shaw Road, Arcus Road and Brook Lane, and we cover homes on all of them for under-stairs storage. Other places close to Downham include Plaistow (1 mile south), Grove Park (1 mile north-east), Sundridge (1 mile south-east), Chinbrook (1 mile east) and Bellingham (1 mile west). We also make under-stairs storage in nearby places such as New Cross (4 miles north-west), St Johns (3 miles north), Deptford (4 miles north), Lewisham (3 miles north), Surrey Canal (5 miles north-west) and Sydenham (3 miles west).
Landmarks near Downham
In Downham, that includes homes near Bonus Pastor Catholic College and Holy Trinity College Bromley and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Grove Park station, about 0.8 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are The Glades (1.6 miles south) and Prefab Museum (0.7 miles north-west). Not far away are Downham Woodland Walk.
How fitting day works
When we arrive on fitting day, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. Next, we carry in the sections made in our workshop, a piece at a time. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the space and the design, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Semis and detached houses often have a front path or a side gate, which can make carrying in easier. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors, stairs and doorways are protected on the way in.
- You get in touch with some details and, if you like, a sketch. It is useful to say whether the meters are under there.
- We visit to measure and talk about how you will use the space.
- Your quote sets out the design, the materials and the finish.
- Your storage is built in our workshop, cut to the angle of your stairs. The materials are moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The storage is fitted and set level, ready for the first coats and shoes.
Before we arrive
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Ask for a quote
A quote begins with some details from you: the room, rough measurements and some photos if you have them. When you are ready, get in touch through our contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Advice
Common questions about under-stairs storage
Can you make under-stairs storage for a home in Downham?
Yes, we work across Lewisham, Downham included, and across the rest of London. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Downham?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the measuring visit.
What does an under-stairs cupboard cost?
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Drawers normally involve more work than plain shelving, and the finish makes a difference too. Everything is set out in a written quote after the visit.
Can you match the storage to my hallway?
Yes. The storage is spray-painted or hand-painted in a colour agreed with you. You can match it to the walls, the banisters or the skirting, so it sits quietly in the hall.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Can I send photos before the visit?
Yes, they help. Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space. You can send them when you drop us a line using the contact form.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
Off-the-shelf storage is not designed around a meter or a fuse board. Fitted in front of one, it can make access tricky for readings and safety checks. Bespoke storage is planned around them from the start. Off-the-shelf furniture comes in a few set depths, which may be too deep for one spot and too shallow for another. With fitted furniture, the depth is chosen for the room.
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Why us?
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- More than 300 projects completed
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what to look for in a quote.
Tips worth knowing
People planning under-stairs storage often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Bring paint colours you like to the design visit
- Tell us if the hall is being decorated
- Let us know about parking at the measuring visit
- Note the things that need a home under the stairs
Decorating around the storage is for your decorator, and it is best to protect the new paintwork while they work. Masking tape can lift fresh paint, so it shouldn’t go on the new finish. Should you have a question about the storage, tell us about the room on our contact form and we’ll help.
Sharp tools and heavy boxes can chip a painted edge. Store tools in a box or bag, not loose against the doors. A small chip on a hand-painted finish is easy to touch in.