Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Wandsworth · London
Alcove Units in Earlsfield
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Earlsfield. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
Alcove units for your home in Earlsfield
From workshop to your room
You are welcome to ask questions while we work. Most of the decisions were made at the design visit and set out in your quote, so the day itself is about careful fitting and leaving everything tidy. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. On fitting day, edges are trimmed on site to follow the walls, so a clear area to work in near the room helps. Dust is kept down and cleared up as we go. Where the finish is hand-painted, it can be done after the pieces are in.
- You tell us which room it is and roughly what you’d like in the alcoves, even if the design is only a rough idea so far.
- 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.
- 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. The finish is sprayed in our workshop or hand-painted on site, as agreed.
Before we arrive
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Keep pets in another room while we work
How to get a quote
We quote once we’ve seen the room. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, then send a written quote. Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. To arrange a visit, message us from the contact page.
Advice
How we make alcove units for Earlsfield
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that sit as part of the room. Where a room in Earlsfield has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it, starting with a design visit to measure. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and the things people most often want solved are clutter with nowhere to go and walls too uneven for standard furniture.
Picture rails, deep skirting boards and plaster cornices are part of the character of older houses, and they set the lines that alcove units have to meet. A large share of the housing around Earlsfield went up before 1919, so mouldings are something we expect to talk about at the design visit. The top of the furniture can stop at the picture rail or carry on to the cornice, whichever suits the room.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the alcove unit we have designed for the room, what it’s made from and how it is finished, and it is what the workshop builds to.
- Where
- Earlsfield (SW18, SW17, SW19)
- Borough
- Wandsworth
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
FAQs: alcove units in Earlsfield
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and 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. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Earlsfield station?
Yes, homes across Wandsworth and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can drop us a line using the contact form to arrange a design visit.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Each room is quoted on its own: size, internal fittings, the finish and how tricky the walls are all play a part. The written quote follows the design visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Earlsfield?
It’s easiest to get in touch through our contact form with some details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Electrical work is not something we do. New or moved sockets are a job for your electrician, ideally before fitting, 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.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. We measure each alcove carefully at the measuring visit, then the units are made at our workshop and scribed to the walls when we fit them, so there are no tricky gaps.
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well.
Alcove units for homes in Earlsfield
About 65% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Earlsfield went up before 1919, and about 12% since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. The Magdalen Park Conservation Area is close by, within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Earlsfield. Fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings. The council can confirm if you are not sure. Since the zone was extended to the outer boroughs in August 2023, the whole of London has been inside the ULEZ. It applies to every van that comes to fit furniture in Earlsfield. We plan parking and access with you at the measuring visit.
For a flat near Earlsfield station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. For families living near Beatrix Potter Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Earlsfield is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, about 2 miles north-east of Clapham Junction. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Earlsfield included. Our work takes in places right across Wandsworth, large and small.
We cover every part of the SW18, SW17 and SW19 postcode area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street such as Burr Road, Acuba Road and Mount Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Southfields (1 mile north-west), Summerstown (1 mile south), Wandsworth (1 mile north), Tooting Bec (1 mile south-east) and Tooting (1 mile south-east). Elsewhere in Wandsworth, we also cover Clapham Junction (2 miles north-east), Battersea (2 miles north-east), Putney (2 miles north-west), Furzedown (2 miles south-east), Streatham Park (2 miles south-east) and Roehampton (2 miles west).
Landmarks near Earlsfield
The streets we cover here include those near Southfields Academy, Leather Bottle pub and Hillcroft School. There’s a railway station in Earlsfield itself: Earlsfield station. Well-known places in the area include Southside Wandsworth (0.8 miles north-west) and London Sewing Machine Museum (1.2 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Wandle Meadow Nature Park and Henman Hill.
Also near Earlsfield
More for homes in Earlsfield
Is it time for alcove units?
A move into an older home is a common reason. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are an obvious place to start. It’s easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
If any of these sound familiar, it’s worth getting in touch:
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Shelving for books and records
- Storage that suits a period room
- Everyday clutter left on show
If your home is one of the older houses near St John the Divine, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- How they handle walls that are not straight
- Have they thought about parking near you?
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Whether you’ll get a written quote, not just a figure
Before and after fitting day
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Think about what you will store before we meet
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Keep a record of the colour so any touch-ups match. Small marks on a hand-painted finish are easy to touch up.
Put coasters or mats under anything that holds water. Wipe up spills straight away.
Flats, conversions and lettings
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Tell us about them at the measuring visit, and we will plan the fitting around them.
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. If there’s a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you get in touch.