Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Alcove units in Coombe, Croydon
Planning alcove units for a home in Coombe? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote.
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Storage that suits a period room
Need alcove units in Coombe?
Could you do it yourself?
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that aren’t square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.
About our alcove units in Coombe
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, sometimes all in one recess. Each unit is made at 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. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. If your home has bowed walls and sloping floors and standard units leaving gaps at the sides, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
Around Coombe, where many homes date from the post-war decades, the living room may be simpler in shape than a period room, with fewer mouldings to work around. That gives alcove units a clean line from floor to ceiling. Some walls of that age are concrete or blockwork and others are partition walls, so the fixings are chosen wall by wall.
Once you have read the quote and decided to go ahead, the furniture is made at our workshop. The quote sets out the agreed design, materials and finish, so every detail can be checked first.
- Where
- Coombe (CR0, CR2, CR9)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near Coombe
Also in Coombe
Fitting day, step by step
On the morning of the fitting, the first job is covering the floors and protecting the way in from the front door. The sections made in our workshop come in next. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Stairwells in post-war blocks can have tight turns, so the size of each section is set by the stairs as well as the lift. Where the building has a caretaker or managing agent, it is useful to tell them before fitting day. Common parts are protected while we carry in.
- To begin, drop us a line using the contact form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. Parking is worth mentioning too, since a van often needs a permit or a paid bay in London.
- Your written quote sets out the design, materials and finish.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- On fitting day the sections come in, are joined in place and scribed to the walls.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
Starting with a design visit
We quote once we’ve seen the room. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and talk through the design with you, and the written quote comes after. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Related advice
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
In conversions and newer blocks, many internal walls are timber or metal stud with plasterboard. Fixings are chosen to suit whatever the wall is made of.
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, which is worth sorting early. We can’t advise on your lease, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
Questions from Coombe
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Coombe?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. 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 measuring visit.
I live in a flat in Coombe. 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. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Can you build alcove units for alcoves that aren’t square?
Yes. Each alcove is measured during the design visit, make the units in our workshop and trim the edges on site to meet the wall, which closes the gaps you’d see with standard furniture.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture, which helps avoid condensation and mould. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Just mention it when you get in touch, and we will see what we can do.
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Not normally. Inside a house, fitted furniture doesn’t normally need planning permission. If the building is listed, works affecting its character may need listed building consent, so ask the council’s conservation officer.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
Off-the-shelf furniture comes in set heights, which usually leaves a gap above. We can take a bespoke unit to the ceiling or stop it at the picture rail, depending on the room. Post-war rooms are often compact, and standard furniture sizes waste space at the ends and the top, which fitted furniture uses. Every width is made for the room.
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. The price depends mainly on the size of the piece, how many doors and drawers it has and what goes inside.
Why work with us in Coombe
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- Finished by spray or by hand
- More than 300 projects completed
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Living-room storage in Coombe
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Coombe were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 43%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 36%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Coombe include Lodge to Combe House (st Margaret's School) (Grade II), under half a mile south-west, and Coombe House (st Margaret's School) (Grade II), less than half a mile west. If your own home is listed, works inside that affect its character, such as fixing into or removing original joinery, may need listed building consent. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. Controlled parking zones are run by the boroughs, so the rules in Croydon are set locally. If your street in Coombe is in a controlled parking zone, a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay through the council may be needed. We ask about parking during the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
If you live in a flat close to South Croydon station, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. The wider area includes historic houses such as Addington Palace, about 1.3 miles east. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. Close to Addington Hills? Shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
Coombe is about 3 miles north-west of Thornton Heath, part of the London Borough of Croydon. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Coombe included. In Croydon, Coombe is one of the places we cover.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: CR0, CR2 and CR9. We cover homes on streets such as Oaks Road, Coombe Road and Coombe Lane, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. If you’re just outside Coombe, we also cover Croydon (1 mile west), Addiscombe (1 mile north), South Croydon (1 mile south-west), Shirley Oaks (1 mile north-east) and Shirley (1 mile north-east). Elsewhere in Croydon, we also cover Thornton Heath (3 miles north-west), Coulsdon (4 miles south-west), Purley (3 miles south-west), Broad Green (2 miles north-west), Upper Norwood (4 miles north) and Selhurst (3 miles north).
Landmarks near Coombe
In Coombe, that includes homes near St Peter's Primary School, Coombe Lodge pub and Royal Russell School, among other places. The closest station to Coombe is South Croydon station, roughly 1 mile west. Nearby you will also find St George's Walk (1.4 miles north-west). Open spaces near Coombe include Bramley Bank.
What we don’t do
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
- Decorating the rest of the room
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can tell us about the room on our contact form and we will tell you. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it is made from
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Panelled or flat doors
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood