Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove units in Coombe, Kingston upon Thames
For homes in Coombe, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- A place for a small desk
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
Alcove units in Coombe
Alcove units in Coombe
We work across London, including Coombe. It starts with a design visit, where we measure the alcoves and go through the design. Then you receive a quote; the units are then built in our workshop and fitted in your home. People usually come to us about bowed walls and sloping floors and clutter with nowhere to go, and the answer is built in our workshop from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
In a semi from the 1920s or 1930s, the front room typically has a bay at one end and a chimney breast on the side wall. Interwar, semi-detached and detached houses make up a big part of the housing around Coombe, so it is a layout worth planning for. We tend to plan alcove units along the chimney breast wall so the bay keeps its light, though every room is measured first.
A quote in writing follows the design visit. It sets out the design we have talked through, the materials and the finish.
- Location
- Coombe (KT2, KT3, SW20)
- Borough
- Kingston upon Thames
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs: alcove units in Coombe
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Coombe?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, 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. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Is Coombe in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, we work across Kingston upon Thames, Coombe included, and across the rest of London. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
Do alcove units need to reach the ceiling?
That depends on the room and what you’d like to store. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice, or run to the ceiling for a built-in look. We agree the height at the measuring visit.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
We plan alcove units so any chimney vent stays clear. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It can be done with some care: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. Damp treatment isn’t something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Bespoke furniture is not instant: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. In return, the unit is planned for your alcove alone, not the nearest catalogue size. Off-the-shelf furniture comes in a few set depths, so they can stick out too far or waste space behind. With fitted furniture, the depth is chosen for the room.
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: drawers take more making than shelves, and each rail, divider or pull-out adds to the work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside.
Why work with us in Coombe
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- 300+ projects completed
- Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
Neighbourhoods near Coombe
More for homes in Coombe
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
It’s worth being honest about cost: flat-pack is usually cheaper to buy. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is tricky, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
What it costs
The price reflects the time and materials the job needs. That depends on:
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Parking and unloading on your street
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- How square the room is
Every room is priced on its own, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. The figure comes in your written quote after the design visit.
What we need to know
Here’s what helps us most when you contact us:
- Rough measurements: width, height and depth
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you do not, that’s fine, and we can work it out together. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To start, fill in our short enquiry form.
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so let us know about it at the measuring visit.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
How fitting day works
Before anything is fixed, we set the furniture level. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth, which keeps the lines straight. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Semis and detached houses often have a front path or a side gate, which can make carrying in easier. Gates, paths and steps up to the door are part of the route we measure. Floors are covered from the door to the room, and the sections are assembled in place.
- To begin, fill in our short enquiry form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. It’s useful to tell us then about parking, as much of London is in a controlled parking zone.
- We then send a written quote for the units.
- The units are made in 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. A spray-painted finish arrives done; a hand-painted one is applied once the units are in.
Before fitting day
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
Starting with a design visit
To get a quote, fill in our short enquiry form and tell us a little about the room and roughly what you’d like. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and a written quote follows.
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Living-room carpentry in Coombe: local notes
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 45% of the housing in the area around Coombe, with about 24% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The centre of Coombe is within about a quarter of a mile of the Coombe Hill Conservation Area. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you are unsure, check with the council before work starts. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. Where a home in Coombe is on or beside a main road, it helps to mention that during the design visit. It lets us plan the stop before fitting day.
Living in a block of flats near Norbiton station? Then alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. If you live near Cottenham Park, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. If your children go to Coombe Hill Junior School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Coombe is within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, about 2 miles west of Kingston upon Thames. We can visit homes in Coombe on weekdays, or on a Saturday by prior arrangement. Our Kingston upon Thames coverage includes Coombe and the places around it.
We make alcove units across the KT2, KT3 and SW20 postcode area for alcove units. We cover homes on streets such as West Road, Crown Road and Traps Lane, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Motspur Park (1 mile south-east), Coombe Hill (1 mile north), Kingston Vale (1 mile north-east), Norbiton (1 mile south-west) and New Malden (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Kingston upon Thames, we also cover Kingston upon Thames (2 miles west), Surbiton (2 miles south-west), Hampton Wick (2 miles west), Chessington (4 miles south), Seething Wells (3 miles south-west) and Hook (4 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Coombe
Around Coombe, we cover homes near Coombe Girls' School, The Royal Oak Public House and Canbury School and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Norbiton station, roughly 1 mile south-west. Other landmarks nearby include White Lodge Museum (1.8 miles north) and Bentall Centre (1.8 miles west). Not far away are Fishpond Wood and Beverley Meads and Kingston Hill Road area.