JOI-02 · Built-in storage

Built-ins that respect thick walls

Porto apartments often hide useful depth behind arched alcoves and blank ends of corridors. We fill those pockets with presses, shoe cupboards, and media housings that sit flush to plaster rather than floating as freestanding boxes.

In Cedofeita corridor flats we favour shallow depth (28–35 cm) so coats and bags stay off the floor without narrowing the walkway past a neighbour’s door.

Window seats and under-stair volumes

Where a bay window faces the street near Santa Catarina, a seat with lift-up lids stores winter bedding without a second wardrobe. Under-stair triangles get custom drawers that follow the stringer so no cubic metre is wasted on dead air.

We scribe every face panel to skirting and cornice. Old buildings settle; a square box looks wrong against a sloping skirting line, so we cut the reveal to the room.

What we ask on the first visit

Tell us what must stay accessible — fuse boards, shut-off valves, or a laundry hatch. Built-ins that bury services create expensive openings later, so we leave hinged service panels where needed.

Bring photos of the empty wall and note ceiling height at both ends. A 3 cm fall across a Ribeira room is common; drawers need that noted before we cut sides.

Spec notes

• Alcove presses, hallway cupboards, window seats with storage
• Typical depths: 28–45 cm; heights to cornice or below picture rail
• Facing: painted, oak veneer, or matching kitchen fronts
• Service panels for meters and valves where required
• Fee guide: from €980 for a single alcove press (see Fees)