Southwark · London
Under-stairs storage in Rotherhithe, Southwark
Under-stairs storage in Rotherhithe: pull-out drawers, cupboards and coat storage under the stairs. We visit to measure and discuss the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- A dark, wasted space under the stairs
- No room for a small desk or a place to work
- Struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter
Under-stairs storage designed for your room
Under-stairs storage in Rotherhithe
Some under-stairs spaces are open enough for a small desk. We can build a desk with shelves above and a drawer or two below. If you’d like a socket or a light, your electrician fits it and we plan the furniture around it. It’s worth talking through at the measuring visit in Rotherhithe. If your home has struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter and storage that doesn’t match the hallway, under-stairs cupboards made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
A large share of the homes around Rotherhithe date from 2000 onwards, and newer houses that have had the loft converted often have sloping ceilings and eaves to use. For lofts, the storage goes into spaces that are already converted or boarded. Elsewhere, fitted storage is fixed to plasterboard walls with fixings that suit it.
The quote names the materials: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. The finish is stated too, whether that is spray painting or hand painting.
- Place
- Rotherhithe (SE16, SE8, E1W)
- Area
- Southwark
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Materials and finishes
Plinths and scribe strips
In older houses, walls and floors are seldom straight. Scribe strips and a plinth take up the difference. That keeps the lines neat all round.
Moisture-resistant MDF
Because it cuts cleanly, MDF is ideal for the angled panels that follow the stairs. We use a moisture-resistant grade, which stays stable and takes paint well. Most of what you see on the finished storage is MDF.
Neighbourhoods near Rotherhithe
Other services in Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe homes and under-stairs storage
About 39% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Rotherhithe went up since 2000, and about 34% between 1973 and 1999, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The National Heritage List has 23 entries within half a mile of the centre of Rotherhithe. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and the furniture can be designed around them rather than over them. About 39% of homes in the streets around Rotherhithe were built since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Newer homes often have little built-in storage, and their walls are typically plasterboard on studs, so the fixings for under-stairs cupboards are chosen for the board.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Church of St Mary Rotherhithe, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent. If you live near Russia Dock Woodland, under-stairs cupboards can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things. Living in a block of flats near Canada Water station? Then each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Rotherhithe is part of the London Borough of Southwark, about 3 miles south-west of East Dulwich. We cover Rotherhithe as part of our work across Southwark, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Rotherhithe is one of the places in Southwark where we make under-stairs storage, and the borough has 21 places on our list.
In SE16, SE8 and E1W, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Bush Road, Gomm Road and Swan Road, for under-stairs storage and any of our other fitted furniture. Rotherhithe sits close to the A200. If your home is on one of them, tell us during the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover Surrey Quays (1 mile south), Surrey Canal (1 mile south), South Bermondsey (1 mile south-west), Millwall (1 mile south-east) and North Greenwich (1 mile south-east). Other parts of Southwark we cover include East Dulwich (3 miles south-west), Herne Hill (4 miles south-west), Elephant and Castle (3 miles west), Bankside (3 miles west), Southwark (2 miles west) and St George's Fields (3 miles west).
What’s near Rotherhithe
Our area takes in the homes around The Ship York pub, St Mellitus College and Bacon's College, among other places. There is a railway station in Rotherhithe itself: Canada Water station. Other landmarks nearby include Tower of London (1.6 miles north-west) and Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (close by, under half a mile south-west). For a walk, there’s Lavender Pond.
Is bespoke worth it?
Ready-made drawers come in set depths, and the space under a staircase is often deeper than any of them. Bespoke drawers are made to the depth you have, so the back of the space is used too. Each one is sized for what it will hold, from shoes to the vacuum cleaner. Separate ready-made pieces can make an open-plan room feel unplanned, whereas fitted furniture can define each part of the room.
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. We’ll talk through what you need inside at the measuring visit.
Why us?
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- More than 300 projects completed
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
Practical tips
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. A few pointers help:
- Think about what you will keep in each drawer
- Clear the space before the design visit if you can
- Measure your vacuum cleaner and ironing board
- Let us know about parking near your home
Once the fitting is done, the storage is ready to use. Paint needs time to cure fully, so treat the new finish gently at first. Avoid sticky tape, heavy knocks and harsh cleaners while it hardens.
Keep sharp or very heavy items away from the painted fronts. Put tools in a case so they don’t knock the paint. Minor chips can be touched up with the matching colour.
What under-stairs storage can’t fix
We make and fit furniture, and we don’t do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. Please bear these in mind too:
- Reshaping or rebuilding the staircase
- Changing where a meter sits, which isn’t carpentry
- Any wiring or new lights, which need an electrician
Not sure whether your space suits under-stairs storage? You can use our contact form and we will tell you. How a job runs, step by step.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Hand-painted finish
- Pull-out drawers
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Birch plywood
Your questions about under-stairs storage in Rotherhithe
I live near Canada Water station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Southwark and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Rotherhithe?
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. It helps to tell us about parking at the design visit.
How is under-stairs storage priced?
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. Drawers typically involve more work than plain shelving, and the finish makes a difference too. We set it all out in a written quote.
Can I send photos before the visit?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit. It is useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
Can you fit furniture to uneven walls?
Walls and floors that are not true are part of the job in older homes. The furniture is scribed to follow the walls and levelled on feet or a plinth, so it sits tight to the room.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not typically. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
Fitting day, step by step
Fitting day follows a set order: we protect the floors, bring the sections in, set them level, scribe them to the walls, fix them and finish them. Then the room is tidied and we look over the work with you. How long the fitting takes depends on the shape of the space and the number of drawers and doors, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Newer homes often have stud walls, so fixings go into the studs or use fixings made for the board. Floors are protected throughout, as many newer homes have finished floors that mark easily, and dust is kept to a minimum.
- You tell us about the space under the stairs.
- We come to measure and discuss the design.
- We send a written quote covering the design, materials and finish.
- The storage is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and run through each drawer and door with you.
- Treat the fresh paintwork gently while it cures; a hand-painted finish is easy to touch up later.
Preparing the room
- Let us know about parking near your home
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Tell us about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
Starting with a design visit
Photos help us understand the room before we visit. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them give us a good feel for the space, along with rough sizes. To share them, drop us a line using the contact form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.