Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Tower Hamlets · London
Alcove units in Bromley, Tower Hamlets
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, designed for your room in Bromley. After a design visit and a written quote, it is built in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Units that sit well with original features
- Space for a growing book collection
Need alcove units in Bromley?
Alcove units in Bromley
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes. Each unit is built in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. If you’re living with alcoves that are wasted space and bowed walls and sloping floors, that’s what alcove units are for, made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Many homes around Bromley have been built since 2000, and newer homes tend to have open-plan living rooms with no chimney breast. That means alcove units often create the structure of the room, framing a screen or running a full wall. Plasterboard stud walls are common in newer homes, so heavy pieces are fixed into the studs or stand on the floor.
The quote comes in writing, so you can read it at your own pace and share it with anyone else involved. It records the design, the materials and the finish we discussed.
- Location
- Bromley (E3, E14, E15)
- Area
- Tower Hamlets
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, leases and landlords
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Let us know about them during the design visit.
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations. We can’t give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
Why people ask for alcove units in Bromley
A move into an older home is a common reason. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are the natural place for it. It’s easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
Requests we hear often include:
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
Sutton House, about 2.2 miles north-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Choosing a carpenter
- How they handle walls that aren’t straight
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
Materials and finishes
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting can be done in your home once the units are in. It’s easy to touch up later, and it suits a period room.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF in a moisture-resistant grade is stable and paints beautifully, so we use it for doors, panels and the faces you see. It is a good match for alcoves on an external wall.
Caring for painted furniture
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They’re worth knowing before and after fitting:
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, like a record player
- Plan any new sockets with your electrician before fitting
Don’t let stored things block the chimney breast vent. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away, which protects the units too.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks to stop rings and water marks on the paint. Dry any spills quickly.
Also near Bromley
Other services in Bromley
Bromley homes and alcove units
Homes built since 2000 make up about 52% of the housing in the streets around Bromley, with about 18% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Bromley include Tide Mill (known As the House Mill) (Grade I), under half a mile north-east, and The Widow's Son Public House (Grade II*), less than half a mile south. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features like panelling can require listed building consent. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. About 52% of homes in the streets around Bromley were built since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. In homes built since 2000, living rooms are often open-plan with stud walls, so alcove units are fixed into the studs or stand on the floor.
Living in a block of flats near West Ham station? Then the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in. Close to Bob's Park? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Bromley is about 2 miles west of Whitechapel, within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. We cover Bromley as part of our work across Tower Hamlets, and the process is the same everywhere we work. We cover places right across Tower Hamlets, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
In E3, E14 and E15, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. Whether you live on a street like Bow Road, Bruce Road and Edgar Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Three Mills (1 mile north-east), Mill Meads (1 mile north-east), Bow Common (1 mile south-west), Mile End (1 mile west) and Bow (1 mile north-west). Elsewhere in Tower Hamlets, we also cover Whitechapel (2 miles west), Spitalfields (3 miles west), Tower Hill (3 miles south-west), Bethnal Green (2 miles west), Cambridge Heath (2 miles north-west) and Shadwell (2 miles south-west).
Near you in Bromley
The streets we cover here include those near The Widow's Son pub, Bow School and East London Arts & Music and the streets around them. Bromley’s nearest station is West Ham station, about 1 mile east. Well-known places in the area include Stratford Centre (1.4 miles north-east) and London Gas Museum (0.5 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Old Ford Island.
How fitting works for alcove units
Before anything is fixed, we set the furniture level. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference, which keeps the lines straight. After that, it’s fixed to the wall using fixings that suit the wall, whether that is solid brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Stud walls can carry pipes and cables, so we check before drilling, and heavy pieces are fixed into the studs or stand on the floor. Any new sockets or plumbing are for your electrician or plumber.
- You get in touch with a short description of the alcoves and your ideas.
- We visit to measure, look at how the walls run and note the skirting, picture rail and any vent.
- We send a written quote setting out the layout, materials and finish.
- Once you’re happy, the units are made at our workshop.
- We fit the units, scribe them to the walls and set them level.
Preparing the room
- Tell us about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Starting with a design visit
To make a start, get in touch through our contact form and tell us which room you have in mind and roughly what you’d like. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.
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Your questions about alcove units in Bromley
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Bromley?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit.
Can you make alcove units for a home in Bromley?
Yes, Bromley is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Tower Hamlets and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps. If there’s damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
How long will the fitting take?
It depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, then send a written quote.
How do I get a quote?
The first step is to get in touch through our contact form and let us know about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.