Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bromley · London
Alcove Units in Aperfield
In Aperfield, we design alcove units around the room you actually have. We design your alcove unit at a visit to your home, make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Units that sit well with original features
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- A place for a small desk
Alcove units for your home in Aperfield
Alcove units in Aperfield
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, while the shelves hold books and the things you want on show. The top of the cupboard makes a useful surface at a comfortable height. Heights are agreed with you to suit the room and your things. If your home has space for a growing book collection and clutter with nowhere to go, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish can solve it.
In an area like Aperfield, where interwar homes or semis make up much of the housing, many living rooms have been opened up to the dining room behind. That leaves a long room with a chimney breast on one side, which suits alcove units along that wall. Cable routes for a TV or speakers, and space for set-top boxes, are planned at the measuring visit.
A written quote follows the design visit. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so it is clear what’s included.
- Place
- Aperfield (TN16)
- Borough
- Bromley
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Practical tips
Most of what helps is simple. Here’s what we suggest:
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Mention parking and access when we visit
Do not let stored things block the chimney breast vent, even when the cupboards fill up. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units.
Also near Aperfield
Also in Aperfield
Living-room storage in Aperfield
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Aperfield were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 29%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 25%), 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. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Aperfield include St Mark's Church (Grade II), about 0.5 miles north-west. Where a home is listed, listed building consent can be needed for inside works that affect its character, like fixing into original panelling. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Bromley is no exception. Where a street in Aperfield is controlled, a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension from the council. Let us know about parking during the design visit.
If your children go to Biggin Hill Primary School or a school nearby, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. The wider area includes historic houses like Down House, about 1.7 miles north. For a period home anywhere nearby, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. Living in a block of flats near Oxted station? Then the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Aperfield is about 6 miles north-east of Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley. Homes in Aperfield are part of the area we cover for alcove units. Our work takes in places right across Bromley, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
Here we cover the TN16 postcode area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street such as Main Road, Haig Road and Lotus Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Biggin Hill (1 mile north-west), Berry's Green (1 mile north-east), Single Street (1 mile north-east) and Luxted (1 mile north). Elsewhere in Bromley, we also cover Orpington (6 miles north-east), Bromley (7 miles north), Beckenham (8 miles north-west), St Mary Cray (6 miles north-east), Chislehurst (7 miles north) and Plaistow (8 miles north).
Landmarks near Aperfield
Our area takes in the homes around The Old Jail Public House and Charles Darwin School and the streets around them. The closest station to Aperfield is Oxted station, roughly 4 miles south-west. Open spaces near Aperfield include Betsom's Hill.
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
If you’re handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder.
From workshop to your room
At the end, we tidy up. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. A front path or side gate can make the carry from the van simpler. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors, stairs and doorways are protected on the way in.
- You get in touch about alcove units and the room they’re for.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- We make the units in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF, which takes paint well, and birch plywood.
- We fit the units in your home and scribe them to the walls.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
Preparing the room
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
Ask for a quote
A quote begins with a few details from you: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you’re ready, drop us a line using the contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and discuss the design, then send a quote in writing.
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Flats, leases and landlords
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, and that is best sorted before fitting day. We can’t give advice on leases.
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. Fixings are chosen to suit whatever the wall is made of, after checking the walls at the measuring visit.
FAQs: alcove units in Aperfield
Do you make alcove units for homes in Aperfield?
Yes, we work across Bromley, Aperfield included, and across the rest of London. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with some details.
Do you cover homes near Oxted station?
Yes, homes across Bromley and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can tell us about the room on our contact form with a few details about the room.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. You can have a desk in one alcove and cupboards in the other. We will plan the desk around how you work.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It is best done before the units go in, and we can tell you where the units will sit so the sockets end up in the right place. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Aperfield?
The first step is to get in touch through our contact form with a few details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
What alcove units can’t fix
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. That means:
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
- Painting the walls, ceiling and woodwork around the units
If in doubt, you can use our contact form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Hand-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Scribed side panels
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves