Barnet · London
Under-stairs storage in Southgate, Barnet
Under-stairs storage for your home in Southgate: pull-out drawers, cupboards and coat storage under the stairs. We visit to measure and go through the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- An old cupboard door that doesn’t suit the hall
- The low end of the space going to waste
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
Ask about under-stairs storage in Southgate
Could you do it yourself?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Cost matters, and it is fair to say so: off-the-shelf furniture typically costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is tricky, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
About our under-stairs storage in Southgate
In some homes the stairs rise from the living room or kitchen, so the storage beneath them is on show. That calls for clean lines, well-fitted doors and a finish that suits the rest of the room. Fronts can be plain or panelled, with handles chosen to suit the room. The result should look like part of the house, not an afterthought. If you’re living with no room for a small desk or a place to work and stairs open to a room, with clutter on show, under-stairs cupboards made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish can solve it.
Landings in houses from between the wars are often roomier than in a Victorian terrace, which can hold fitted storage for linen and spare bedding. Around Southgate, where interwar homes and semis are a big part of the housing, it is worth looking up as well as down. If a boiler or cylinder sits there, it keeps its clearances and access.
The written quote puts the design visit in writing: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If something is not quite right, tell us before anything is made.
- Where
- Southgate (N14, N11, N21, N13)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about under-stairs storage in Southgate
Will a conservation area stop me having under-stairs storage fitted in Southgate?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character may need listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you cover homes near New Southgate station?
Yes. We cover all of Barnet and the rest of London. You can send us a few details through our contact form to arrange a design visit.
What is under-stairs storage made from?
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. Your quote confirms the materials and finish.
Can you match the storage to my hallway?
Yes. The colour is your choice and is agreed in the quote. A spray-painted finish is done in our workshop, and a hand-painted one can be done on site. Either finish can follow a colour already in the hall.
What if my walls and floors are out of level?
That is normal in older homes, and it is what scribing is for. Edges are scribed to the wall, and adjustable feet or a plinth bring the furniture up to level.
How long will the fitting take?
How long fitting takes depends on the shape of the space and the number of drawers and doors, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Because everything is made at our workshop, the work in your home is the fitting itself. We keep the hallway as clear as we can while we work.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall.
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it is worth raising at the measuring visit.
Fitting day, step by step
With the carcasses fixed and level, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. The time the fitting takes depends on how much storage you want under the stairs, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. It’s useful to clear the room and the route before we arrive. Fitting day starts with protecting the floors and setting out the pieces. Each piece is levelled, scribed where the wall wanders and fixed to suit the wall.
- You get in touch and let us know what’s under the stairs now, including any gas meter, electricity meter or fuse board.
- We visit to measure the slope and the floor, and agree a design that keeps any meter or fuse board accessible.
- A quote in writing follows, setting out the design, materials and finish.
- We make it in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a door or panel left where the meters need access.
- We fit it in your home, scribed to the stairs and the walls, with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
How to prepare
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
How to get a quote
If you know what you want, say so; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. The design is talked through at the visit, once we have measured, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Related advice
Why people ask for under-stairs storage in Southgate
Most people get in touch because the space has become a dumping ground. Under the stairs is easy to fill and hard to sort, with things pushed to the back and lost in the dark. Purpose-made drawers and shelves give everything its own place, so you can find what you need without emptying the cupboard.
Common reasons to get in touch include:
- Space under the stairs that’s hard to use
- A fuse board that is hard to get to
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
- Stairs open to a room, with clutter on show
Close to Grovelands Park? Under-stairs cupboards can be designed to hold outdoor kit, from walking boots to picnic things.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
- Have they thought about parking near you?
Southgate homes and under-stairs storage
In the neighbourhood around Southgate, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 59%) and before 1919 (about 16%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. The National Heritage List has 28 entries within half a mile of the centre of Southgate. Older homes nearby may have original joinery, shutters or panelling worth keeping, and under-stairs cupboards can be designed to work around them. About 59% of homes in the area around Southgate date from between 1919 and 1939, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Interwar houses typically have a straight flight of stairs with a cupboard below, often holding the meters or the fuse board, which must stay accessible.
For a family home near Ashmole Primary School, a place for each person’s coat and shoes stops the hallway filling up. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Essex House and Arnoside House, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent.
Southgate is in the London Borough of Barnet, about 3 miles south-west of Finchley. Whether your home in Southgate is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. Southgate is one of 41 places on our list for Barnet.
We work across the N14, N11, N21 and N13 postcode area. Our area takes in homes on streets such as High Street, Station Road and Blagden's Close, along with the roads around them, whether you want under-stairs storage or another piece made for the room. The A111 and A1004 run close to Southgate, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. Other places close to Southgate include Osidge (1 mile north-west), Brunswick Park (1 mile west), Arnos Grove (1 mile south), New Southgate (1 mile south) and Oakwood (1 mile north). Across the rest of Barnet, our area takes in Finchley (3 miles south-west), Barnet (3 miles north-west), Burnt Oak (6 miles west), East Finchley (3 miles south-west), Hendon (5 miles south-west) and Whetstone (2 miles west).
What’s near Southgate
Our area takes in the homes around Ashmole Academy, The New Crown pub and Salcombe School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is New Southgate station, about 1 mile south-west. Nearby you’ll also find Greentrees Hospital (1.9 miles south-east) and Broomfield House Museum (1 mile south-east). For a walk, there’s Barfield Allotments Nature Park.
Boards, parts and paint
Pull-out drawers
The back of an under-stairs space is hard to reach, so drawers that slide out are often the answer. You see everything at once, without reaching into the dark. They can hold shoes, the vacuum or cleaning things.
Moisture-resistant MDF
We use moisture-resistant MDF because it stays stable and gives a smooth surface for paint. It suits the doors, drawer fronts and panels of an under-stairs cupboard, where a smooth, even finish matters most.