Richmond upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in Richmond upon Thames
From one end of Richmond upon Thames to the other, we can design, make and fit alcove units. We visit, measure and talk it through before we quote.
Alcove Units across Richmond upon Thames
Neighbourhoods we cover in Richmond upon Thames
We make cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Every neighbourhood has its own page, listed below. To get started, use the contact form.
Largest neighbourhoods
Also in Richmond upon Thames
- Fitted wardrobes
- Window seats
- Built-in bookshelves
- Bespoke kitchens
- Loft storage
- Under-stairs storage
- Walk-in wardrobes
- TV and media units
- Wall beds
- Fitted home offices
- Fitted cupboards
Postcodes in Richmond upon Thames
How we make alcove units for Richmond upon Thames
In a tall room, a full-height alcove cupboard holds a great deal. In a bedroom, it can become a small wardrobe or a linen cupboard, while in a dining room it can keep china, glass and table linen. At the design visit we ask what you plan to keep there, and set out the shelves and rails around it. Typical reasons to get in touch are a desk that tucks into an alcove and bare alcoves beside the fireplace, and the answer is made at our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
When we arrive on fitting day, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. The sections made in our workshop come in next, one at a time. How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote.
- You get in touch with a short description of the alcoves and your ideas, even if the design is only a rough idea so far.
- At the design visit, we measure both alcoves, check the walls and look at the skirting and picture rail.
- We send a quote in writing setting out the layout, materials and finish. If anything needs changing, just tell us.
- The cupboards and shelves are then built in our workshop, each one sized to its own alcove.
- Fitting day: the units go in, are scribed to the alcoves and levelled on a plinth or feet.
What affects the price in Richmond upon Thames
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. The figure comes in your written quote after the design visit.
Why homeowners in Richmond upon Thames choose us
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Designed for the room you have
- 300+ projects completed
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Getting a quote
It’s useful to see the room before we come. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line tell us a lot about the space, particularly with rough sizes. To send them over, use our contact form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.
Near you in Twickenham
In Twickenham, that includes homes near The Cabbage Patch pub, St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary School and Marble Hill Park, among other places. Nearby too are Richmond upon Thames School (a few minutes’ walk north) and St Richard Reynolds Catholic High School (under half a mile east). The nearest railway station is Twickenham station, roughly 0.5 miles north-east. Well-known places in the area include South Middlesex Hospital (0.6 miles north) and Treaty Centre (1.8 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Ham Lands.
Alcove units across Richmond upon Thames: local notes
Shelves for books, cupboards for clutter and a place for the TV: that is what most living-room enquiries from Richmond upon Thames come down to. Alcove units can do all three in one design, built in our workshop and fitted on the days set out in your quote.
About 38% of the homes in Richmond upon Thames went up before 1919, and about 24% between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. 9 of the 19 places in Richmond upon Thames with their own pages here have their centre inside a conservation area, going by Historic England’s records. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission.
We make fitted furniture for every kind of home in Richmond upon Thames, from Victorian terraces to new-build flats. Wherever you live, it starts with a visit and a quote.
Twickenham: For a flat near Twickenham station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. Near listed buildings like Church of All Hallows, about 0.5 miles north-east of the centre of Twickenham, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent.
Do you need alcove units?
In bedrooms, the alcoves may be the only place for hanging space. Built into the alcove, a cupboard holds clothes without taking over the room.
Here’s what alcove units can help with:
- A place for a small desk
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Space for a growing book collection
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
The depth of an alcove is set by the chimney breast. A shop-bought cabinet may stick out past the chimney breast or leave a deep gap behind it. Bespoke units are made to the depth you want, whether that is flush with the breast or a little shallower.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Real projects you can actually look at
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Where they’ll park and unload
Before and after fitting day
None of this takes much effort. What we’d suggest:
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Check whether there is a vent in the chimney breast
- Make the alcoves easy to reach for measuring
Do not let stored things block the chimney breast vent. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away, which protects the units too.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, because constant heat is not kind to a painted finish.
What affects the cost of alcove units
What you pay depends on:
- How big the furniture is
- The internal fittings
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- Parking near your home
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Getting in touch
A few details help us understand the job before we visit. When you contact us, it is useful to send:
- Approximate measurements of the space
- How you want to use the space
- Your postcode and the borough
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
We quote once we have seen the room. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, and the written quote comes after. Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. To arrange a visit, fill in our short enquiry form.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can use the full height and width.
Questions from Richmond upon Thames
Should both alcoves have the same units?
It is up to you. A matching pair balances the chimney breast, but you might want a desk on one side and cupboards on the other. We can keep the details the same so they still look like a pair.
Do you cover Richmond upon Thames?
Yes. We design and make alcove units for homes in Richmond upon Thames, and the process is the same everywhere we go.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so we scribe each unit to follow the wall. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It is up to you. Full-height units give the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We’ll go through what suits your room when we visit.
Where is the furniture made?
Everything is built in our workshop for your room, then fitted in your home. It’s built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission, even in a conservation area. If the building is listed, works affecting its character can require listed building consent.
What happens when you come to measure?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and discuss the design with you. Access and parking are worth talking about too, and a quote in writing follows.