Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Lewisham · London
Alcove Units in Downham
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Downham. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- Storage that suits a period room
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Space for a growing book collection
Need alcove units in Downham?
How we make alcove units for Downham
Some alcoves suit a full-height unit, with doors from floor to ceiling. In bedrooms, this often becomes a compact wardrobe or a place for bedding, while in a dining room it can keep china, glass and table linen. We ask what you want to store before we plan the inside, so shelves and rails go where they’re needed. If you are living with space for a growing book collection and furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand can solve it.
Ceilings in interwar houses tend to be lower than in Victorian ones, and the proportions of alcove units are set to match. If yours is one of the interwar houses, semis or detached homes that make up much of the housing around Downham, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. Any skirting is cut around neatly.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. It also says how the furniture will be finished: spray painted or hand painted.
- Place
- Downham (BR1, SE6, SE12)
- Area
- Lewisham
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it is made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Looking after your furniture
Getting the most from alcove units starts with the planning and carries on after fitting day. Here are some things worth bearing in mind:
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Mention parking and access when we visit
Do not let stored things block the chimney breast vent, even when the cupboards fill up. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks to stop rings and water marks on the paint. Dry any spills quickly.
Living-room storage in Downham
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Downham were built between 1919 and 1939 (about 72%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 11%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Terraced houses are home to about 42% of households in the area around Downham, based on Census 2021. Terraced houses in London often have alcoves beside a chimney breast, and alcove units are made to those widths. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. If you live on or close to a main road in Downham, let us know during the design visit. We can then plan where the van will stop.
If you live in a period home close to St Barnabas, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. Close to Downham Fields? Shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green. For a family home near Rangefield Primary School, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else.
Downham is about 4 miles north-west of New Cross, part of the London Borough of Lewisham. From period terraces to newer flats in Downham, we measure the room as it is and design around it. We list Downham among 22 places we cover in Lewisham.
We cover every part of the BR1, SE6 and SE12 postcode area. We cover homes on streets like Shaw Road, Arcus Road and Brook Lane, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Other places close to Downham include Plaistow (1 mile south), Grove Park (1 mile north-east), Sundridge (1 mile south-east), Chinbrook (1 mile east) and Bellingham (1 mile west). Other parts of Lewisham we cover include New Cross (4 miles north-west), St Johns (3 miles north), Deptford (4 miles north), Lewisham (3 miles north), Surrey Canal (5 miles north-west) and Sydenham (3 miles west).
Around Downham
Our area takes in the homes around Bonus Pastor Catholic College and Holy Trinity College Bromley, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Grove Park station, about 0.8 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are The Glades (1.6 miles south) and Prefab Museum (0.7 miles north-west). Open spaces near Downham include Downham Woodland Walk.
How it’s made
Plinths and scribe strips
In older houses, we normally scribe the sides and often the top too. It’s what makes a fitted unit look fitted.
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. The moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice next to a chimney breast.
Common questions about alcove units
Do you cover homes near Grove Park station?
Yes, homes across Lewisham and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with a few details about the room.
Can you make alcove units for a home in Downham?
Yes. Downham is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Lewisham and London. You can send us a few details through our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Can you build alcove units for alcoves that aren’t square?
Yes. We measure each alcove carefully at the measuring visit, then the units are built in our workshop and scribed to the walls when we fit them.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
Either a spray-painted or a hand-painted finish. A sprayed finish is very smooth and even. We talk through both at the design visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Downham?
It’s easiest to drop us a line using the contact form with some details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room.
When you need someone else
Before you plan the job, it helps to know what we do not do:
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it is made from
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
- Panelled or flat doors
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
Nearby places to Downham
More for homes in Downham
When is bespoke worth it?
Cost matters, and it’s fair to say so: off-the-shelf furniture typically costs less up front. Bespoke earns its place where the room is awkward, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there is normally a gap left over at the top or at one end. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.
How fitting day works
There is not much for you to do on fitting day. Someone needs to let us in, and the room should already be cleared, as agreed at the measuring visit. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Clearing the room and the way in beforehand helps the day run well. On the day, we cover the floors first, then bring the sections in. Each piece is levelled, scribed where the wall wanders and fixed to suit the wall.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- We send a quote in writing for the units.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
How to prepare
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
Ask for a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, use our contact form.