Tower Hamlets · London
Stepney Under-Stairs Storage
Under-stairs storage in Stepney: pull-out drawers, cupboards and coat storage under the stairs. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, built in our workshop and fitted by us.
- Struggling to reach the gas or electricity meter
- Nowhere to keep the vacuum and ironing board
- Stairs open to a room, with clutter on show
Under-stairs storage for your home in Stepney
How we make under-stairs storage for Stepney
Where the space under the stairs opens onto a room, a compact desk can fit beneath it. A built-in desk with shelving and drawers can turn the space into a quiet corner for paperwork. 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 during the design visit in Stepney. If you are living with a hallway crowded with coats and shoes and no room for a small desk or a place to work, under-stairs cupboards made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish can solve it.
A good share of the homes around Stepney were built between 1945 and the early 1970s. Homes from that era tend to have simpler shapes than older houses, with fewer recesses, so under-stairs cupboards often create the storage the house never had. Walls may be concrete, block or brick, so fixings are chosen for the wall.
The quote names the materials: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it suits the job. It also says how the furniture will be finished: spray painted or hand painted.
- Location
- Stepney (E1, E2)
- Borough
- Tower Hamlets
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What under-stairs storage can’t fix
As carpenters, we leave some work to other trades. It helps to know these before you plan the job:
- Moving gas pipes under the stairs
- Making good the walls and ceiling, which is for a plasterer or decorator
- Electrical work under the stairs, which your electrician carries out
Not sure whether your space suits under-stairs storage? You can tell us about the room on our contact form and we’ll tell you before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Pull-out drawers
FAQs: under-stairs storage in Stepney
Do you cover homes near Whitechapel station?
Yes, homes across Tower Hamlets and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can send us a few details through our contact form to arrange a design visit, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Does a conservation area in or near Stepney affect fitted furniture?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Should I choose drawers or cupboards under the stairs?
It depends on the shape of the space and what you want to store. Drawers make the low end useful, because you pull the back of the space to you. Cupboards suit the tall end, for coats or a vacuum cleaner.
Is it possible to match the colour of my hallway?
Yes. We paint the storage in the colour you choose, by spray or by hand. It can match the walls, the stairs or the woodwork, so it looks like part of the house.
How long does it take to fit under-stairs storage?
The time 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. The storage is made in our workshop first, so the time in your home is spent fitting. We know the hall is a busy route, so we keep it as clear as possible.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by arrangement. Tell us when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.
Fitted storage in Stepney
Homes built between 1945 and 1972 make up about 31% of the housing in the area around Stepney, with about 30% built since 2000, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Stepney include Church of St John on Bethnal Green (Grade I), about 0.6 miles north, and St Augustine (Grade II*), about 0.5 miles south-west. Listing covers the inside of a building as well as the outside, so works that affect a listed home’s character, like removing original joinery, can need listed building consent. It is worth speaking to the council’s conservation officer before the design is final. About 80% of households in the area around Stepney live in purpose-built flats, according to Census 2021. For a flat, under-stairs cupboards are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early.
Mansion House, about 1.7 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, the space under the stairs may hold the meters or the fuse board, and the cupboards are planned around them. For families living near Redlands Primary School, a place for each person’s coat and shoes stops the hallway filling up. If you live in a flat close to Whitechapel station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Stepney is part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, about 1 mile west of Whitechapel. We design and make under-stairs storage for homes in Stepney and across Tower Hamlets. Our work takes in places right across Tower Hamlets, large and small.
We make under-stairs storage across the E1 and E2 postcode area for under-stairs storage. You will find streets here like Beaumont Square, Rectory Square and Carlton Square, and homes on each of them are within our area for under-stairs storage. Stepney sits close to the A11 and B120. If your home is on one of them, tell us during the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Other places close to Stepney include East End of London (1 mile south-west), Ratcliff (1 mile south), Bethnal Green (1 mile north-west), Whitechapel (1 mile west) and Limehouse (1 mile east). Elsewhere in Tower Hamlets, we also cover Old Ford (2 miles north-east), Poplar (2 miles south-east), London Docklands (2 miles south-east), Canary Wharf (2 miles south-east), Isle of Dogs (3 miles south-east) and Leamouth (3 miles east).
Landmarks near Stepney
Around Stepney, we cover homes near Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College, Black Horse Public House and Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives, among other places. There is a railway station in Stepney itself: Whitechapel station. Well-known places in the area include Tower of London (1.4 miles south-west) and The Royal London Hospital (within half a mile west). Green spaces nearby include Lavender Pond and Tower Hill.
Materials and finishes
Pull-out drawers
Some pull-outs are tall, with a rail for coats or room for a vacuum. Shorter drawers lower down suit shoes and bags. The design visit is where we agree the mix.
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting can be done on site after fitting. Small marks are simple to touch in later, which helps in a well-used hall.
How fitting works for under-stairs storage
You won’t need to do much on the day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and the room should already be cleared. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on how much storage you want under the stairs, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Communal stairs in older blocks often have tight landings, so the size of each section is set by the stairs as well as the lift. Where the building has a caretaker or managing agent, it’s useful to tell them before fitting day. We cover the floors in shared areas on the way in.
- First we hear what’s under your stairs now and what you need.
- At the design visit, the space is measured and any meters are noted, because they must stay accessible.
- We talk through drawers, cupboards and coat storage, and send a quote in writing, with the finish set out.
- Every part is made at our workshop, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home and check every drawer and door with you.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
How to get a quote
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and talk through the design with you. Afterwards, we send a quote in writing for you to look over. To book one, get in touch through our contact form.
Related advice
How we price under-stairs storage
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- The overall size of the piece
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How square the room is
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside.
Before the design visit
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Any ideas or images you’ve saved
- How you want to use the space
- Your postcode and the borough
You do not need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, send us a few details through our contact form. The written quote follows the visit.
Looking after your furniture
People planning under-stairs storage often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Consider the colour of the hall, the stairs and the skirting
- Mention any parking rules on your street
- Count the coats and pairs of shoes in daily use
- Empty the cupboard so we can measure every corner
A soft, damp cloth is the best way to keep the fronts clean. Dry them afterwards, and avoid abrasive pads and strong solvents. The edges of drawers and the areas around handles pick up marks first.
Every so often, look at the handles and hinges. Tightening a screw early stops a small looseness becoming a problem. If a door drops or a drawer starts to catch, fill in our short enquiry form and tell us what’s happening.