City of London · London
Wall Beds in Blackfriars
We make wall beds in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Blackfriars. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Somewhere comfortable for guests to sleep
- More floor space in a studio flat
- A guest bed that disappears in the day
Wall beds for your home in Blackfriars
Wall beds in Blackfriars: what you get
The cabinet is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray painted in our workshop or hand painted. Doors on the front can look like a run of cupboards, so the room doesn’t read as a bedroom by day. If you are living with a hobby room with a bed for guests and a storage wall with a bed inside, wall beds made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish can solve it.
Many homes around Blackfriars date from the post-war decades. Post-war bedrooms tend to be simple shapes, so fitted furniture can run cleanly across a wall. Some have a built-in cupboard over the stairs already, which can be opened up or reworked. Walls may be concrete, block or brick, so fixings are chosen for the wall.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. The finish is stated too, whether that’s spray painting or hand painting.
- Place
- Blackfriars (SE1, EC1M, EC1N)
- Borough
- City of London
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Bedroom storage in Blackfriars
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Blackfriars were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 40%) and since 2000 (about 27%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. 35 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of central Blackfriars. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. About 40% of homes in the streets around Blackfriars were built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Post-war bedrooms are usually simple shapes, which suits fitted furniture along a whole wall, fixed to suit the wall.
Dr Johnson's House, about 0.2 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, solid external walls can be cold, so ventilation behind wall beds is part of the design. Close to Bernie Spain Gardens? Morning light matters, so tall pieces go where they won’t shade the window.
Blackfriars is about 1 mile east of City of London, within the City of London. We can visit homes in Blackfriars on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. We cover places right across the City of London, large and small.
We work across SE1, EC1M and EC1N for wall beds. Whether you live on a street such as Oat Lane, Bear Lane and Shoe Lane or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for wall beds. The A4 and A40 run close to Blackfriars; on busy main roads, unloading wall beds takes a little planning. If you are just outside Blackfriars, we also cover Temple (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile west), Bankside (1 mile south-east), Smithfield (1 mile north) and Clare Market (1 mile west).
What’s near Blackfriars
Around Blackfriars, we cover homes near London Nautical School, St Mary-at-Hill and St Alban's Church of England Primary School. Also close by are Barts Health Archives (within half a mile north-east) and The Black Friar pub (within half a mile south-east). There’s a railway station in Blackfriars itself: London Blackfriars station. Other landmarks nearby include Montfichet's Tower (less than half a mile north-east) and St Brides Crypt Museum (less than half a mile north-west). For a walk, there is St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Do you need wall beds in Blackfriars?
Studio flats and small one-bedroom flats are another reason. With the bed away, the main room is a living space again until bedtime.
If you recognise any of these, it is worth talking to us:
- A home office that also sleeps guests
- A real mattress for visitors
- Hiding the bed when it’s not in use
- A flexible room for a growing family
For a flat near London Blackfriars station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
Questions we’re often asked
How do you fit wall beds in a flat in Blackfriars?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Wall beds are made at our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Will a conservation area stop me having wall beds fitted in Blackfriars?
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, internal works that affect its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
No. Any new wiring, sockets or lights need an electrician. We’ll design around them.
Is the furniture spray painted or hand painted?
There are two options: a spray finish from the workshop, which is smooth and even, or hand painting, which can be done in your home. The finish is agreed in your quote.
How much does a wall bed cost?
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Each wall bed is different, so we price it after measuring. To get started, send us a few details through our contact form.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Just mention it when you get in touch.
Caring for painted furniture
New paint needs time to cure fully, so go gently with it for a while. After that, a few simple habits help:
- Choose a mattress that suits the mechanism
- Keep children away while the bed moves
- Plan where chairs and desks will sit
- Decide who the bed is mainly for
Follow the mechanism maker’s guidance each time you lower and lift the bed. Lower it steadily and keep the space in front clear, with children kept well back while it moves.
If you live in a leasehold flat, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. Your lease is something to check with whoever manages the building.
What happens on fitting day
You will not need to do much on the day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand, as we will have talked about during the design visit. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the bed and the cabinets around it, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Estates sometimes have their own parking rules alongside the council’s, so it helps to tell us at the design visit. On the day, the sections are carried in, assembled and fixed. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- You let us know about the room and who the bed is for.
- We visit to measure up and look at what the wall is made of, as the bed must be fixed securely.
- A quote follows, setting out the design and finish.
- We build and finish everything in our workshop, from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit it in your home, with the mechanism fixed as its maker specifies.
Before we arrive
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician beforehand
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
How to get a quote
Every quote follows a design visit. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and discuss the design with you, then send a written quote. Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. To book a design visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Related advice
Why bespoke in Blackfriars?
Ready-made wall bed units are available and usually cost less, and they can work in a simple space. They come in set sizes and finishes and rarely allow for an uneven wall or an alcove. A bespoke cabinet is built for the room. Off-the-shelf furniture tends to leave gaps at the ends of a wall and space above it, while fitted furniture fills the space. Every width is made for the room.
Every room is priced on its own, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. Spray painting and hand painting are different processes, which affects the cost. You’ll see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Blackfriars
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Saturday work by arrangement
- Fitted tight to walls that are not straight
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made and what a quote should include.
What we do not do
We’re carpenters, so some jobs belong to other trades. It’s useful to know these before you plan the job:
- Supplying mattresses
- Decorating around the cabinet
- Getting consent under your lease
Not sure whether your space suits wall beds? You can use our contact form and we will tell you. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it’s made from
- Shelves or a desk alongside
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
- Fold-down bed mechanism
- Spray-painted finish