Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Alcove Units in Coulsdon
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Coulsdon. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Units that sit well with original features
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Alcoves that are wasted space
Alcove units in Coulsdon
About our alcove units in Coulsdon
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that look as though they belong there. Where a room in Coulsdon has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it after we have measured them at a design visit. If you’re living with alcoves that aren’t square and room to work in an alcove, alcove units made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
Plenty of semis and interwar houses have been extended at the back or had the back rooms knocked through, and around Coulsdon, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a large share 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’s made from and how it is finished.
- Where
- Coulsdon (CR5, CR8, CR3)
- Area
- Croydon
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting day works
Finishing comes last. With a spray finish from the workshop, there’s typically only filling and touching up to do in the room; hand painting, if that is what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. Either way, the finish is the one set out in your quote. In a 1920s or 1930s house, the hall and stairs are typically simple, but the route in is still measured, not just the room. The furniture comes in sections and is put together where it’s going, with floors protected throughout.
- You contact us with a short note about the room and the units you have in mind.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Before fitting day
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
Starting with a design visit
If you know what you want, say so; if you do not, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To start, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Related advice
Looking after your furniture
None of this takes much effort. Here’s what we suggest:
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Think about what you will store before we meet
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that is barely damp is enough. Skip scouring pads and harsh cleaners, as they can mark the finish. Dry the surface afterwards.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
What it’s made from
Birch plywood
For alcove shelves that carry books, birch plywood helps keep them straight. We size the shelf for the span and the load.
Spray-painted finish
A sprayed coat covers edges and corners evenly, which suits panelled doors. You choose the colour at the design stage.
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
Shop-bought shelving and cabinets can go in an alcove, and they’re typically cheaper. The trouble is usually the gaps: standard widths rarely match the recess, and uneven walls make every gap obvious. A bespoke unit is built to the alcove and scribed to follow the wall. Doors, windows and radiators rarely leave a gap that matches a standard width, which leaves ready-made pieces sitting awkwardly. Fitted furniture is designed around them.
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size comes first. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
What you get with us
- Finished by spray or by hand
- We visit, measure and discuss the design before we quote
- Built around your room
- Over 300 projects completed
Places near Coulsdon
Other services in Coulsdon
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.
If the property is let, we will need access agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
Your questions about alcove units in Coulsdon
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Coulsdon?
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. It’s useful to tell us about parking at the measuring visit, so the day can be planned around it.
Do you make alcove units for homes in Coulsdon?
Yes. We cover all of Croydon and the rest of London, and Coulsdon is part of that. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and go through the design, followed by a quote.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
Who moves the sockets behind the alcove units?
Electrical work is not something we do. If you want sockets moved or added, your electrician should do that before we fit, and some electrical work in homes is covered by Part P of the Building Regulations. We plan the units around the sockets, with cut-outs where needed.
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. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Alcove units in Coulsdon: local notes
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 38% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Coulsdon, with about 25% built since 2000, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Near the centre of Coulsdon, Historic England’s list includes Coulsdon Methodist Church (Grade II), about 0.6 miles north. If your own home is listed, internal works that affect its character, such as fixing into or removing original joinery, may need listed building consent. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. If your home is on or just off a main road, it’s useful to mention it. It lets us plan the stop before fitting day.
Close to Dollypers Hill? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. If you live in a period home close to St Andrew's Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If you live in a flat close to Coulsdon South station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Coulsdon is within the London Borough of Croydon, about 6 miles north of Thornton Heath. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Coulsdon is part of that. Across Croydon, we cover Coulsdon, along with the rest of the borough.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: CR5, CR8 and CR3. We cover homes on streets like Hadleigh Grove, Farthing Way and Dobson Close, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Coulsdon sits close to the B276 and B2030, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Close by, we also work in Woodcote (1 mile north), Old Coulsdon (1 mile south-east), Purley (2 miles north-east) and Woodcote Green (2 miles north). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Thornton Heath (6 miles north), Croydon (4 miles north-east), Broad Green (5 miles north), Upper Norwood (8 miles north), Selhurst (6 miles north-east) and South Norwood (6 miles north-east). Coulsdon is one of the larger places we cover in Croydon.
Near you in Coulsdon
Our area takes in the homes around The Pembroke pub and Coulsdon Sixth Form College and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Coulsdon itself: Coulsdon South station. Other landmarks nearby include Purley War Memorial Hospital (2 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s Foxley Wood.