Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in Coombe Hill
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Coombe Hill. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
Alcove units designed for your room
Alcove units for homes in Coombe Hill
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, and the shelves are for books and favourite objects. The cupboard top gives you a ledge for a lamp, a speaker or a plant. We set the heights to suit the room and what you’ll store. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and people most often get in touch about alcoves that are wasted space and tired cupboards in the alcoves.
Plenty of semis and interwar houses have been extended at the back or had the back rooms knocked through, which matters around Coombe Hill, where homes like these are a big part of the housing. A long through room gives alcove units a whole wall to work with, or mark out the sitting end from the dining end. New plasterboard in an extension and older brick or block in the original house take different fixings.
The written quote is your record of the job. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it is made from and how it’s finished, and it’s what the workshop builds to.
- Where
- Coombe Hill (SW15, KT2)
- Borough
- Kingston upon Thames
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Fitting day, step by step
Every fitting follows the same order: we protect the floors, bring the sections in, set them level, scribe them to the walls, fix them and finish them. Then the room is tidied and we look over the work with you. How long the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. In a 1930s house with a converted loft, the stairs to the loft room are often steeper than the main flight, so pieces for a loft room are sized for the narrowest point. The main stairs in houses of that age are normally straighter. The pieces are joined and fixed once in place.
- You get in touch and let us know about the room and the alcoves, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and talk through the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, so you can look it over in your own time.
- The units are made at our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
How to get a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. Everything is measured properly when we visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, get in touch through our contact form. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
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Where other trades come in
As carpenters, we leave some work to other trades. These are worth knowing before you plan:
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
- New sockets or wiring (your electrician handles those)
If in doubt, you can tell us about the room on our contact form and describe the room. How it works.
What it is made from
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Birch plywood
- Panelled or flat doors
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
What affects the price in Coombe Hill
Not every room costs the same, and it comes down to:
- The number of doors and drawers
- The width and height of the space
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- The internal fittings
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. We’ll talk through what you need inside at the design visit.
Before the design visit
Some details help us understand the job before we visit. When you get in touch, it helps to send:
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- Your postcode and the borough
To make a start, use our contact form and tell us which room you have in mind and roughly what you’d like. We then arrange a design visit to measure and talk through the design, and a quote in writing follows.
Looking after your furniture
A few practical points help before and after fitting day. These are worth keeping in mind:
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Let us know about parking and access at the measuring visit
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that is barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you have finished.
Now and then, check handles and hinges are still tight and adjust a door before a small rub becomes a mark.
Living-room storage in Coombe Hill
In the neighbourhood around Coombe Hill, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 45%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 24%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Part of Coombe Hill is in the Kingston Hill Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. Your council can advise if you’re unsure. TfL’s red routes have strict stopping rules. If your street in Coombe Hill joins a main road, it’s worth telling us at the design visit. Then we can work out where to load and unload.
For an older house near St John the Baptist, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. For families living near Robin Hood Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room.
Coombe Hill is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, about 2 miles south-west of Kingston upon Thames. Design visits and fitting in Coombe Hill can be on a Saturday, by prior arrangement. We cover places right across Kingston upon Thames, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We cover every part of SW15 and KT2. Whether you live on a street such as Keswick Avenue, Derwent Avenue and Robin Hood Lane or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. The A308 run close to Coombe Hill, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. Close by, we also work in Kingston Vale (1 mile east), Putney Vale (1 mile east), Coombe (1 mile south), Norbiton (2 miles south-west) and Motspur Park (2 miles south-east). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Kingston upon Thames (2 miles south-west), Surbiton (3 miles south-west), New Malden (2 miles south), Hampton Wick (2 miles south-west), Chessington (5 miles south) and Seething Wells (3 miles south-west).
Around Coombe Hill
Our area takes in the homes around Coombe Girls' School, Duke of Cambridge pub and Canbury School. The nearest railway station is Norbiton station, roughly 1.6 miles south-west. A little further out are Kingston Hospital (1.4 miles south-west) and White Lodge Museum (0.9 miles north). Open spaces near Coombe Hill include Kingston Hill Road area and Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads.
Why people ask for alcove units in Coombe Hill
A bedroom’s alcoves are often the best place for a wardrobe. A fitted alcove cupboard holds clothes without filling the floor, which helps in a small bedroom.
Here’s what alcove units can help with:
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Storage that suits a period room
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
Close to Richmond Park? Alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Before you choose who makes it
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Will they visit to measure before quoting?
- Where they’ll park and unload
Your questions about alcove units in Coombe Hill
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Coombe Hill?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
It is up to you. Matching units give a balanced, formal look around the chimney breast, but you might want a desk on one side and cupboards on the other. Shared details, such as the plinth and paint colour, keep them looking related.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
It needs a little planning: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. Damp treatment isn’t something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spraying gives a smooth, even surface, and hand painting is easy to touch up.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
Someone needs to let us in. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.