Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in Kingston upon Thames
We make alcove units for homes in all 16 neighbourhoods we list across Kingston upon Thames, designed after a visit and made in our workshop., made in our workshop and fitted in your home, and fitting on weekdays or Saturdays by arrangement.
Alcove Units in Kingston upon Thames
Alcove units in every part of Kingston upon Thames
The furniture is made in our workshop, then fitted. Find your neighbourhood in the lists below for local details. To get started, use the contact form.
Biggest places in Kingston upon Thames
What else we make in Kingston upon Thames
- Fitted home offices
- Fitted cupboards
- Built-in bookshelves
- Walk-in wardrobes
- TV and media units
- Under-stairs storage
- Bespoke kitchens
- Fitted wardrobes
- Loft storage
- Window seats
- Wall beds
Postcode districts
About alcove units in Kingston upon Thames
Even a chimney that is been blocked or capped needs some ventilation to help stop damp. We keep any vent clear when we design alcove units, rather than boxing it in. If there are signs of damp on the chimney breast or in the alcoves, they’re best sorted before fitting so the new furniture starts on a dry wall. Most enquiries start with storage that suits a period room and everyday clutter left on show; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
At the end, we tidy up. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you. How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and go through the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- We send a quote in writing for the units.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Quotes in Kingston upon Thames
The finish affects the cost: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- Saturdays by arrangement
- 300+ projects completed
Ask for a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. We measure everything properly during the design visit, along with the walls, floor and ceiling. To arrange it, use our contact form and tell us about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Local landmarks in Kingston upon Thames
The streets we cover here include those near Tiffin School, Church of St Luke and The Grey Horse pub and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include Kingston Grammar School (close by, under half a mile south), St Luke's CofE Primary School (within half a mile east) and Canbury Gardens (within half a mile north-west). Kingston upon Thames has its own railway station: Kingston station. Well-known places in the area include Kingston Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Bentall Centre (under half a mile south-west). Green spaces nearby include Rose Walk and Kingston Hill Road area.
Alcove units across Kingston upon Thames: local notes
Across Kingston upon Thames, a living room might be a double reception room in a terrace or a single open-plan space in a block. Either way, alcove units are planned around how the room is used day to day. You choose the colour, and whether it is sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand.
About 34% of the homes in Kingston upon Thames went up between 1919 and 1939, and about 21% before 1919, 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. Around a third of the homes in Kingston upon Thames (about 34%) date from between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Houses from the 1920s and 1930s often have a bay window and a chimney breast in the front room, which shape where alcove units go. Detached and semi-detached houses are home to about 44% of households in Kingston upon Thames, the 2021 Census shows. A house like that usually has more rooms to plan around than a flat, and sometimes a driveway that makes unloading easier.
In London, the route into a home matters as much as the room, so the way in is measured along with the room.
Kingston upon Thames: Near listed buildings like Church of All Saints, under half a mile south-west of the centre of Kingston upon Thames, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. Living in a block of flats near Kingston station? Then each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Why people ask for alcove units in Kingston upon Thames
Others want a proper home for books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with each shelf set to suit it.
Here are some of the needs we are asked about most:
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
What affects the price in Kingston upon Thames
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
- The internal fittings
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- Where a van can park, like a permit bay or a bay suspension
In London, parking can affect the price. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. Let us know about parking during the design visit, so we can plan for it.
Helping us understand the room
Before the design visit, it helps us to know about:
- Where you live, with the postcode
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- What the furniture needs to hold
If you know what you want, say so; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Is bespoke worth it?
Shelves in some flat-pack furniture are thin and can bow under books. Shelves in a bespoke unit are sized for the span and the load, using birch plywood where strength matters. Still, a decent off-the-shelf unit can be the sensible choice if you’re renting or moving soon.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Have they thought about parking near you?
Could you do it yourself?
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job, and it is easy to buy.
The real difference is in the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. Off-the-shelf furniture cannot normally do that in an older room.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If you live in a flat, getting the furniture in is planned from the start. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so each section is sized to get through.
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall.
Questions we’re often asked
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
That’s a job for your electrician. Ideally it is done before fitting so the sockets line up with the design. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need someone to let us in. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
Do you work outside London?
No. We work in London and nowhere else.
Do pictures help?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit. It helps to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Kingston upon Thames?
It’s easiest to fill in our short enquiry form with a few details about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
It can be done with some care: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. We don’t treat damp, so any damp should be sorted before fitting day.