Bromley · London
Derry Downs Wall Beds
Wall beds in Derry Downs: fold-down wall beds built into fitted cabinets. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- A bed that looks like cupboards by day
- A proper bed instead of a sofa bed
- A home office that also sleeps guests
Need wall beds in Derry Downs?
Wall beds for homes in Derry Downs
A wall bed, sometimes called a Murphy bed, lifts up into a cabinet during the day and is lowered again at night. It means a room can work as more than a bedroom, like a spare room that’s also a study. We make the cabinet for your room and paint it in a colour you choose. People typically come to us about a guest bed that disappears in the day and shelves or a desk around the bed, and the answer is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Many 1930s houses have had a loft conversion, adding a bedroom under a sloping ceiling, and the slope can take storage cut to its angle. Around Derry Downs, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a large part of the housing. We work in lofts that are already converted, and the furniture is scribed to the slope and the walls.
The written quote is your record of the job. It sets out the wall bed designed for your room, its materials and its finish, and it is what the workshop builds to.
- Place
- Derry Downs (BR5, BR6)
- Area
- Bromley
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
When you need someone else
Before you plan the job, it helps to know what we do not do:
- Electrical work for reading lights
- Making good the walls after other work
- Supplying mattresses
If in doubt, you can use our contact form and describe the room. How a job runs, step by step.
What it’s made from
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Shelves or a desk alongside
- Spray-painted finish
- Fold-down bed mechanism
Bedrooms in Derry Downs: local notes
About 39% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Derry Downs went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 30% between 1919 and 1939, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. There are 7 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Derry Downs. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. Many London boroughs run controlled parking zones, and Bromley sets its own rules. Depending on your street in Derry Downs, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a council bay suspension may be needed. Parking near your home is worth mentioning at the design visit.
For a flat near St Mary Cray station, it is useful to book the lift and tell the concierge before fitting day. If you live in a period home close to St Andrew's, solid external walls can be cold, so ventilation behind wall beds is part of the design.
Derry Downs is within the London Borough of Bromley, about 1 mile west of Orpington. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Derry Downs is part of that. Our work takes in places right across Bromley, large and small.
Postcode districts we cover here for wall beds: BR5 and BR6. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Kent Road, Park Road and Cross Road, for wall beds and any of our other fitted furniture. The A224 run close to Derry Downs; on busy main roads, unloading wall beds takes a little planning. Other places close to Derry Downs include Orpington (1 mile west), St Mary Cray (1 mile north-west), Poverest (1 mile north-west), Kevington (1 mile east) and St Paul's Cray (1 mile north). Across the rest of Bromley, our area takes in Bromley (5 miles west), Beckenham (6 miles west), Chislehurst (3 miles north-west), Penge (8 miles west), Anerley (8 miles west) and Crystal Palace (8 miles west).
Around Derry Downs
In Derry Downs, that includes homes near Harris Academy Orpington, The Priory School and The Royal Albert pub, among other places. For rail, the closest station is St Mary Cray station, roughly 0.8 miles north-west. Other landmarks nearby include Orpington Hospital (1.8 miles south-west) and London Borough of Bromley Museum (0.7 miles south-west). Green spaces nearby include The Warren.
Fitting day, step by step
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so the day itself is about careful fitting and leaving everything tidy. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the bed and the cabinets around it, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. It is 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 contact us about a wall bed for a spare room or studio.
- At the design visit we plan the bed cabinet and check the stairs, landings and any lift. Mention parking as well, since vans often need a permit or a paid bay.
- We send a written quote.
- In our workshop we build the bed cabinet in sections from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The cabinet is joined in the room, fixed securely and set level, with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Preparing the room
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Ask for a quote
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and discuss the design with you. A written quote follows the visit. To arrange the visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Related advice
Nearby places to Derry Downs
More for homes in Derry Downs
Materials and finishes
Birch plywood
Birch plywood gives a strong carcass around a moving bed.
Bed mechanism housing
We build the housing to suit the mechanism and fix it as the maker specifies. When the bed is up, the front looks like cupboard doors.
Pricing wall beds in Derry Downs
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. This is what makes the difference:
- How square the room is
- The width and height of the space
- Access to the room, such as stairs, lifts and narrow halls
- Parking and unloading on your street
How it is painted is part of the price: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
What to send when you get in touch
To help us picture the room, please include:
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Any ideas or images you’ve saved
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- What the furniture needs to hold
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, fill in our short enquiry form.
Common questions about wall beds
Is parking a problem for fitting in Derry Downs?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to let us know about parking during the design visit.
Do you make wall beds for homes in Derry Downs?
Yes, Derry Downs is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Bromley and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, and then we send a quote.
Do you supply the mattress?
The mattress needs to suit the mechanism by size, depth and weight. We can talk you through what the mechanism allows, so the mattress you choose fits.
Should I send pictures?
Yes, they help. Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space, particularly with rough measurements. To send them, get in touch through our contact form.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture to avoid condensation. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
My walls aren’t straight. Is that a problem?
That’s 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.
The problems wall beds solve
In a studio or a small flat, every bit of floor counts. With the bed away, the main room is a living space again until bedtime.
Here are some of the needs we’re asked about most:
- A flexible room for a growing family
- Somewhere comfortable for guests to sleep
- A studio that works by day and night
- Hiding the bed when it’s not in use
Near listed buildings like Kevington Hall, less than half a mile north-east of the centre of Derry Downs, older homes may keep original joinery that wall beds can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Where they’ll park and unload
- Whether the route into your home has been checked