A Cosy Understairs Reading Nook

Bespoke residential joinery

Objective

We needed to create a visually appealing space under this staircase- to disguise the services that are mounted to the wall. This area is home for the mains water, electric and gas supplies, whilst also housing the underfloor heating manifold and control centre.

With two young children, storage for toys and books was an essential requirement.

Our Approach

We surveyed the space, and initially worked out methods of being able to hide, but easily access the valves, electrical consumer unit etc when needed. Along with considering the functional aspects (somewhere to sit and read, somewhere to store toys, store books etc) we were able to form the shape of this project. 

We then refined this using 3d modelling, and opted to block paint the space to made everything feel more built in and integrated.

The Outcome 

A lovely space, heavily used by the children and visiting guests especially! With a wall here, a sofa would have eaten up floor space, but this option is recessed and unobtrusive. There are 3 drawers for the children’s toys, and this encourages them to tidy up after themselves. The large angled door has a rolling storage box that is easy to pull out of the way to access water, gas and electric services. The entire back panel and base of the seating are easy to remove for maintenance on the underfloor heating.