Lambeth · London
Under-Stairs Storage in Streatham
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on under-stairs storage in Streatham starts with a design visit, and everything is made in our workshop.
- A meter or fuse board buried behind clutter
- Open space under the stairs that collects clutter
- An under-stairs cupboard full of clutter
Ask about under-stairs storage in Streatham
Under-stairs storage for homes in Streatham
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. For a home in Streatham, it starts with a design visit to measure the space and talk it through. Most enquiries start with a staircase with untidy space beneath it and space under the stairs that’s hard to use, and the answer is made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
With a large share of homes around Streatham built before 1919, under-stairs cupboards in older terraces often house the meters or the fuse board. Meter readers and engineers need to get to them, so the design keeps them accessible. Bays and sash windows in period houses are natural spots for a window seat.
A quote in writing follows the design visit. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Where
- Streatham (SW16, SW2, CR4, SW12)
- Area
- Lambeth
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions about under-stairs storage
My home in Streatham is a period house with walls that aren’t straight. Is that a problem?
Yes, that is normal in older houses: each piece is scribed to the wall and levelled at the base. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Will a conservation area stop me having under-stairs storage fitted in Streatham?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, by prior arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you contact us.
Is the furniture made to order?
Everything is built in our workshop for your room, then brought to your home and fitted. It’s built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
Can I send photos ahead of 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 message us from the contact page.
Can under-stairs storage work around the fuse board?
Yes. We plan the storage so the meter or fuse board stays easy to reach, often with a door of its own. Meter readers and engineers need access, so we never box them in.
How we price under-stairs storage
The price reflects the time and materials the job needs. The main factors are:
- How big the furniture is
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- Doors and drawers, and how many
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
What to send when you contact us
Getting some details early makes the visit more useful. If you can, send:
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
To get a quote for under-stairs storage in Streatham, fill in our short enquiry form. Tell us which room it is and roughly what you have in mind, with sizes if you have them. Next comes a design visit, followed by a quote in writing.
What it is made from
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is made in layers, which makes it strong and stable. It goes into the carcasses, the shelves and the drawer boxes, and its edge can be left visible or painted to match.
Pull-out drawers
A tall pull-out drawer can hold coats on a rail or a vacuum cleaner standing up. Shorter drawers lower down suit shoes and bags. We plan the mix at the design visit.
Honest limits
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Moving a gas or electricity meter, which is arranged through your energy supplier
- Plastering and decorating around the new storage
- Gas pipework, which needs a Gas Safe engineer
If in doubt, you can get in touch through our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
What it is made from
- Birch plywood
- Spray-painted finish
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Coat hooks and shoe shelves
- Pull-out drawers
How fitting day works
At the end, we tidy up. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and answer any questions. How long fitting takes depends on how much storage you want under the stairs, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so neighbours may appreciate a note before fitting day. Each section is sized for the tightest door or turn. Saturdays can be arranged.
- First we hear what’s under your stairs now and what you need, like coats, shoes or the vacuum cleaner.
- We measure the space, the slope and the floor, and note any meters or fuse boards, because they must stay accessible.
- We talk through drawers, cupboards and coat storage, and send a written quote.
- The storage is built in our workshop and painted in your colour.
- We fit it in your home and check every drawer and door with you. The way to any meters is left clear.
How to prepare
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
Getting a quote
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Related advice
Storage in Streatham homes: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 55% of the housing in the streets around Streatham, with about 17% built between 1919 and 1939, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). That matters for under-stairs cupboards, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. The Streatham High Road and Streatham Hill Conservation Area is close by, within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Streatham. Fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. Around Streatham, about 55% of homes date from before 1919, well above the figure for Lambeth as a whole, about 40%, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. So older-house details are more likely to come into the design of under-stairs cupboards.
Living in a block of flats near Streatham station? Then the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in. Close to Streatham Common? Living near green space often means muddy boots, bikes and outdoor kit, and under-stairs cupboards can give those things a place. Near listed buildings like Roman Catholic Church of the English Martyrs, under half a mile north-west of the centre of Streatham, older homes may keep original joinery that under-stairs cupboards can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent.
Streatham is about 3 miles north of Stockwell, in the London Borough of Lambeth. We design and make under-stairs storage for homes in Streatham, as part of our work in every London borough. Streatham is one of 22 places on our list for Lambeth.
Every home in SW16, SW2, CR4 and SW12 is covered for under-stairs storage, from the main roads to the quieter streets. If your home is on a street like Stanthorpe Road, Gleneagle Mews and Madeira Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for under-stairs storage. Streatham is near the A205 and A216; on busy main roads, unloading under-stairs cupboards takes a little planning. We also cover Streatham Park (1 mile west), Furzedown (1 mile west), Streatham Hill (1 mile north), Hyde farm estate (1 mile north) and Grange Mills (1 mile north-west). Across the rest of Lambeth, our area takes in Stockwell (3 miles north), Kennington (4 miles north), North Brixton (3 miles north), Little Portugal (3 miles north), Clapham (3 miles north) and South Bank (5 miles north). As one of the bigger places in Lambeth, Streatham is covered for under-stairs storage and everything else we make.
What’s near Streatham
We fit furniture in homes around Waldorf School of South West London, Bishop Thomas Grant Catholic Secondary School and The Holland Tringham pub, among other places. There’s a railway station in Streatham itself: Streatham station. Well-known places in the area include Clockworks Museum (1.1 miles east) and Tooting Bec Hospital (1 mile west). Open spaces near Streatham include Biggin Wood.
Places near Streatham
Other services in Streatham
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Period walls are rarely flat, and floors are often out of level. Standard units show the gaps, and filler strips can only hide so much. Our storage is scribed to the walls and stairs and set level, so the lines look right. Tall ceilings in older homes leave a band of empty wall above standard furniture, and that space collects dust instead of storage. Built-in pieces can run to the cornice or the picture rail.
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying, and that’s part of the price. Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Streatham
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Designed for the room you have
- 300+ projects completed
- A design visit, then a written quote
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made or what to look for in a quote.