Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Croydon Alcove Units
Planning alcove units for a home in Croydon? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- Shelving for books and records
Alcove units in Croydon
Alcove units for homes in Croydon
We fit alcove units across the rest of London and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit to measure the alcoves and agree the layout. After that we send a written quote; the units are then made in our workshop and fitted in your home. People typically come to us about storage that suits a period room and space for a growing book collection; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
A large share of the homes around Croydon date from 2000 onwards, and newer homes seldom have fitted storage in the living room. Alcove units can be planned around where the sockets and aerial points already are, with cable routes built in. Walls in newer homes are often plasterboard on studs, which is fine for fitted furniture when the fixings are right.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we’ll tell you, so it can be arranged before fitting day. Our quote covers the carpentry: the design, the materials and the finish.
- Where
- Croydon (CR0, CR2, CR9, CR8)
- Borough
- Croydon
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How it is made
Shelves
Shelves can be fixed in place or set on adjustable supports. Fixed shelves add stiffness to the unit, while adjustable ones give you room to change things.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF doesn’t have a grain to show through the paint, so a painted finish looks even and calm. Moisture-resistant MDF is what we use for fitted work.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
Bespoke furniture isn’t instant: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. What you get is a unit planned for your alcove, not the nearest catalogue size. Separate ready-made pieces can make an open-plan room feel unplanned, whereas fitted furniture can define each part of the room.
There’s no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. Instead, we measure, talk through the design and then quote in writing, naming the materials and finish. To start, get in touch through our contact form.
Why choose us
- Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
See bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
FAQs: alcove units in Croydon
I live in a flat in Croydon. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in as well as the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. Alcove units are made at our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it is worth checking those early.
Is Croydon in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes. We cover the whole of London, all 32 boroughs and the City of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
It depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. We’ll talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
How tall should alcove units be?
It’s up to you. Full-height units give the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We’ll go through what suits your room when we visit.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, by arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you contact us.
Can an alcove unit include a desk?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. We plan the height and depth with you, with a route left for cables.
Flats, conversions and lettings
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. We plan the size of each section around it.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let. It’s made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
Croydon homes and alcove units
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Croydon were built since 2000 (about 36%) and before 1919 (about 28%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Croydon include Old Palace Croydon: Great Hall (Grade I), about 0.5 miles north-west, and Old Palace Croydon: Chapel (Grade I), about 0.5 miles north-west. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features such as panelling can require listed building consent. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. About 36% of homes around Croydon were built since 2000, well above the figure for the rest of London as a whole, about 15%, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Newer homes often have stud walls and compact rooms, so fixings and sizes are planned with that in mind.
Living in a block of flats near South Croydon station? Then it helps to book the lift and tell the concierge before fitting day. Addington Palace, about 2.5 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Park Hill Recreation Ground, a room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Croydon is about 2 miles north of Thornton Heath, within the London Borough of Croydon. Croydon is part of the area we cover, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Our work takes in places right across the rest of London, large and small.
Every home in CR0, CR2, CR9 and CR8 is covered for alcove units. If your home is on a street like High Street, Church Road and Ruskin Square, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. The A235 and B243 runs close to Croydon; on busy main roads, unloading alcove units takes a little planning. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include South Croydon (1 mile south), Coombe (1 mile east), Addiscombe (2 miles north-east), Ashburton (2 miles north-east) and Woodside (2 miles north-east). Across the rest of the rest of London, our area takes in Thornton Heath (2 miles north), Coulsdon (4 miles south-west), Purley (2 miles south-west), Upper Norwood (4 miles north), Selhurst (2 miles north) and South Norwood (2 miles north).
Local landmarks in Croydon
The streets we cover here include those near Rutherford School, Keg & Grill pub and Cambridge Tutors College. There is a railway station in Croydon itself: South Croydon station. Well-known places in the area include St George's Walk (a few minutes’ walk north) and Croydon University Hospital (1.7 miles north). Open spaces near Croydon include Duppas Hill.
More for homes in Croydon
How fitting day works
There is not much for you to do on fitting day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand, as we’ll have talked about during the design visit. After that, it’s over to us: the floors are covered, the sections come in and the fitting begins. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Newer developments sometimes have their own parking and loading rules, so it is useful to let us know at the design visit. The furniture comes in sections and is fixed in place. Saturday fitting is possible by arrangement.
- You tell us which room it is and roughly what you’d like in the alcoves.
- We visit to measure, look at how the walls run and note the skirting, picture rail and any vent. We also talk through heights, doors and shelves.
- You receive a quote with the design, the materials and the paint finish. If anything needs changing, just tell us.
- Once you are happy, the units are built in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- Fitting day: the units go in, are scribed to the alcoves and levelled on a plinth or feet.
How to prepare
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
Arranging a design visit
The quote is built from the design visit. We take full measurements, see how true the walls and floors are and work through the design together. A written quote follows the visit, so you can take your time with it. To book one, fill in our short enquiry form.
Advice
Honest limits
We make and fit furniture, and we do not do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. Please bear these in mind too:
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
- Decorating the rest of the room
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
If you are not sure what’s possible in your room, you can use our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
Materials and parts
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Spray-painted finish
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF