Under Stairs Storage for Mrs Groves - Case Study

Under Stairs Fitted Furniture Groves 3

Bespoke under stairs furniture from Custom creates clever storage solutions.

Original Design Appointment:         October 2014

Fitting:                                                 December 2014

Location:                                             Wimborne

Client Brief:

The customers brief was very simple -  they wanted under stairs furniture to maximise storage under their hallway stairs, which blended in with the hallway and complemented the new glass bannisters.  The main requirements were storage for the ironing board and vacuum, but also for shoes, coats and boxes containing craft work materials. They wanted a clean look and did not want any handles to catch on as they walked past. They also asked if there was anything James could design to hide the wall meters and telephone points in another area of the hall.

Fitted furniture created:

James looked at everything that needed storing in the space and designed each under stairs furniture section around this specific need.  The tallest area was perfect as under stairs storage for hanging coats and storing the ironing board and vacuum. The customer had a particularly heavy vacuum, so plinths were added to the bottom of the doors to give an external appearance of a plinth fitted to the floor in the usual way. As these opened with the door, it meant that the customer could roll the vacuum into the storage without having to lift it up. 

Internal shelves were fitted to hold the craft boxes and clever pull out drawers were fitted in the lower angles to give the appearance of doors to maintain a clean streamlined look.  When the drawers were opened the under stairs storage space was maximised by fitting another drawer inside, so that the top and bottom of the space could be used for shoe storage.           

  

So that every inch of space was used productively, a pull-out wine rack was incorporated into the lower angle – a request that the customer did not think could be achieved!         

To maintain the stylish, contemporary look of the hallway, James designed the meter cupboard to match the under stairs storage, keeping a clean, streamlined design.  Shelves were also incorporated into the cupboard for extra practical storage and cable holes put into the unit for the telephone wires to feed through.          

The gradient of the under stairs area was quite steep, so it was important to design each section carefully to maximise storage but keep it a practical use of space.  By keeping the carcase and doors all in a smart white gloss, the under stairs furniture complemented the contemporary look of the hallway and by using push-touch catches rather than handles, the fitted furniture did not become obtrusive.  The gloss also expanded the space by giving a soft reflective feel. 

Design Challenge:


The main design challenge for this fitted furniture was the newell post that came down from the upper- stairs.  If a door had been designed and made to fit under this, space and height would have been lost which would result in the overall look being compromised.  So our production team came up with a door designed around the post that looked like a full height door, but when opened, showed how careful design and fitting allowed the door to open around the newel post, maintaining the required streamlined look.                 


The client was absolutely delighted with the finished under stairs furniture and was so pleased that their brief had been fully understood. They had a simple but clear brief and felt that we had gone above and beyond their expectations, especially with some of the design ideas and production solutions that we had come up with.  The pull out wine rack was a definite winner!

Learn more about our under stairs storage and fitted furniture case studies on the Custom Creations blog. We are a trusted manufacturer of fitted furniture in Bournemouth, Southampton and surrounding areas. Contact us to find out more on 01202 823231 or email office@customcreations.furniture.