Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Southwark · London
Alcove units in Camberwell, Southwark
For homes in Camberwell, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Shelving for books and records
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
Alcove units designed for your room
Flat-pack or bespoke?
It’s worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture usually costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
The real difference is in the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. Off-the-shelf furniture can’t usually do that in an older room.
About our alcove units in Camberwell
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, chosen part by part. MDF suits doors and panels because it paints so evenly, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in the colour you choose. People normally come to us about worn or badly fitted alcove units and empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Around Camberwell, most households live in purpose-built flats, so living rooms often double as dining rooms or home offices. Alcove units can bring shelving, closed storage and a screen into one run, keeping the floor clear. Fixings are matched to the wall, whether it is solid or plasterboard.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the alcove unit we’ve designed for the room, what it’s made from and how it’s finished, and the workshop works from it.
- Place
- Camberwell (SE5, SE15, SE22, SE24)
- Area
- Southwark
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Looking after your furniture
Most of what helps is simple. What we’d suggest:
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Think about what you will store before we meet
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in, even when the cupboards fill up. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away.
Keep heaters and very hot lamps from standing right against the paintwork, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
How we price alcove units
There’s no set price, because there’s no set room. The things that affect it are:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- Spray painting or hand painting
- The overall size of the piece
- Access to the room, such as stairs, lifts and narrow halls
Awkward rooms take more time: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. That’s reflected in the quote, written once we’ve measured up.
Getting in touch
To give us a picture of the room, it helps to include:
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Where you live, with the postcode
- Any ideas or images you have saved
- The type of home and how the room is reached
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you don’t, that’s fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we have measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Questions from Camberwell
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Camberwell?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Camberwell?
At the design visit, we measure the way in as well as the room. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it is worth checking those early.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
The fitting depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
Can an alcove unit include a desk?
Yes. Many people use one alcove for a desk and the other for cupboards, or matching desks in both. We will plan the desk around how you work.
What happens during the design visit?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. We’ll also ask about access and parking, and afterwards we send a written quote.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch.
The problems alcove units solve
A chimney breast without its fireplace can leave a wall that feels unfinished. A pair of alcove units frames it and gives the wall a sense of order, whether or not the fireplace is used.
If any of these sound familiar, it is worth getting in touch:
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Units that sit well with original features
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
If you live near Brunswick Park, a room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
What to check before you book
- Will they visit to measure before quoting?
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
Alcove units in Camberwell: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 29% of the housing in the area around Camberwell, with about 26% built since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Within a mile of the centre of Camberwell, 12 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. About 67% of households in the area around Camberwell live in purpose-built flats, according to Census 2021. In a block, each section is sized to get up the stairs or into the lift and through the door. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
For a family home near Mary Datchelor School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. If you live in a period home close to St Giles' Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Camberwell is within the London Borough of Southwark, about 1 mile south of East Dulwich. Design visits and fitting in Camberwell can be on a Saturday, by prior arrangement. We cover places right across Southwark, large and small.
We work across the SE5, SE15, SE22 and SE24 postcode area. Our area takes in homes on streets such as New Church Road, Camberwell Station Road and Addington Square, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Main roads around Camberwell include the A202 and B214. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Denmark Hill (1 mile south), East Dulwich (1 mile south), Walworth (1 mile north), Peckham (1 mile east) and Herne Hill (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Southwark, we also cover Bermondsey (2 miles north), Elephant and Castle (2 miles north), Bankside (2 miles north), Southwark (2 miles north), St George's Fields (2 miles north-west) and Rotherhithe (3 miles north-east).
What’s near Camberwell
In Camberwell, that includes homes near Sacred Heart Catholic School, Hermits Cave pub and Brunswick Park Primary School and the streets around them. Camberwell has its own railway station: Denmark Hill station. Nearby you will also find St Giles' Hospital (a few minutes’ walk east) and Peckham Platform (0.8 miles east). For a walk, there’s Bellenden Road Nature Garden.
Nearby places to Camberwell
Also in Camberwell
How fitting works for alcove units
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Loading near a block of flats can take some planning, so details of bays, permits or a loading area help. Once inside, the sections are joined and fixed with fixings that suit the wall. Saturday fitting is possible by arrangement.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units, with a note of the room they’re in.
- A design visit follows, where we measure up and agree the layout with you.
- A written quote follows, with the finish set out.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. A spray-painted finish is applied there too, if that’s what you chose.
- The units are fitted in your home, ready to fill.
How to prepare
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Let us know about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
How to get 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. To send them, send us a few details through our contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.