Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Merton · London
Alcove units in Colliers Wood, Merton
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Colliers Wood starts with a design visit, and everything is made in our workshop.
- Room to work in an alcove
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Alcoves that are wasted space
Alcove units for your home in Colliers Wood
How we make alcove units for Colliers Wood
Alcove units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, chosen part by part. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted on site, in the colour you choose. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and people most often get in touch about everyday clutter left on show and a place for a small desk.
A large share of the homes around Colliers Wood were built before 1919, and in London most homes of that age are Victorian or Edwardian. Houses of that age usually have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, which gives alcove units an obvious place to go. Because old walls bow and floors slope, the units are scribed to follow the wall and levelled at the base, then cut neatly around the skirting and any picture rail or cornice.
Our quotes are written in plain words, without jargon. They say what will be made, what it’s made from and how it will be finished.
- Place
- Colliers Wood (SW17, SW19, CR4)
- Area
- Merton
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it is made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Is bespoke worth it?
Shop-bought shelving and cabinets can go in an alcove, and they’re normally cheaper. The trouble is usually the gaps: standard sizes seldom match the alcove, and walls that are not straight show up every gap. A bespoke unit is built to the alcove and scribed to follow the wall. Ready-made pieces are proportioned for newer homes and can look lost in an older one, while fitted furniture can follow the room’s own lines, with panels and details to suit the house.
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. 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.
Why choose us
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Saturday work by arrangement
- Work across the whole of London
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it.
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations. We can’t advise on your lease.
Places near Colliers Wood
Other services in Colliers Wood
Pricing alcove units in Colliers Wood
What you pay depends on:
- Access to the room, like stairs, lifts and narrow halls
- The internal fittings
- How big the furniture is
- The number of doors and drawers
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. It’s useful to talk about parking at the measuring visit, so it can be planned.
What we need to know
There’s no need for exact sizes or plans. Just send what you can:
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Any ideas or images you have saved
- Approximate measurements of the space
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.
When is bespoke worth it?
Off-the-shelf cupboards come in fixed sizes, 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 run to the ceiling and fill the width.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it’s quick to buy.
Alcove units in Colliers Wood: local notes
In the neighbourhood around Colliers Wood, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 55%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 16%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The National Heritage List records 11 entries within half a mile of the centre of Colliers Wood. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. Terraced houses are home to about 31% of households in the streets around Colliers Wood, based on Census 2021. Many London terraces have a chimney breast and alcoves in the main rooms, which suit alcove units built to their exact widths.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Gala Bingo Club, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent. For families living near Sellincourt Primary School, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. If you live in a period home close to St Nicholas, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Colliers Wood is part of the London Borough of Merton, about 2 miles west of Wimbledon. From period terraces to newer flats in Colliers Wood, we measure the room as it is and design around it. Colliers Wood is one of 20 places on our list for Merton.
In SW17, SW19 and CR4, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. You’ll find streets here like Acre Road, Boyd Road and Park Road, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Tooting (1 mile north), Tooting Bec (1 mile north), Merton Abbey (1 mile south-west), Furzedown (1 mile north-east) and Eastfields (1 mile south-east). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Wimbledon (2 miles west), Morden (3 miles south-west), Wimbledon Chase (2 miles west), Merton Park (2 miles west), Crooked Billet (3 miles west) and Bushey Mead (2 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Merton, Colliers Wood is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
Around Colliers Wood
In Colliers Wood, that includes homes near The Royal Standard pub, Graveney School and Ensham School. There’s a railway station in Colliers Wood itself: Tooting station. Nearby you will also find Wandle Industrial Museum (1.2 miles south) and Grove Hospital (0.6 miles north). Open spaces near Colliers Wood include Myrna Close.
Fitting day, step by step
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so the day itself is about careful fitting. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Older London houses often have narrow hallways and tight turns on the stairs, so alcove units are made in sections sized to get through. Floors and stair carpets are protected on the way in and out.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish. You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted one done in your home.
- The written quote then sets out the design, the materials and the finish you have picked.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit the units in your home and scribe them to the walls.
- Paint needs time to cure, so go gently with the new units at first.
Before we arrive
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Ask for a quote
To get a quote, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us which room you have in mind. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and send you a written quote afterwards.
Read more
Questions we’re often asked
I live near Tooting station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Merton and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
I live in a flat in Colliers Wood. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
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. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
How do I get a quote?
It is easiest to fill in our short enquiry form and tell us about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a written quote.
Who moves the sockets behind the alcove units?
Electrical work is not something we do. New or moved sockets are a job for your electrician, ideally before fitting. We can plan cut-outs and cable routes in the units around them.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
It’s entirely your choice. The two alcoves are often slightly different sizes, so each unit is made to its own measurements. They can share a style while doing different things.
What happens at the measuring visit?
It’s a chance to measure properly and talk through what you’d like. We also check the walls and floors and note radiators, sockets and other things in the way, and the written quote comes afterwards.