Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bromley · London
Alcove units in Farthing Street, Bromley
Alcove units for your home in Farthing Street: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We visit to measure and discuss the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Storage that suits a period room
Ask about alcove units in Farthing Street
Alcove units in Farthing Street
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that look as though they belong there. If your home in Farthing Street has alcoves like these, we design a unit for each one after we’ve measured them at a design visit. If you are living with standard units leaving gaps at the sides and bowed walls and sloping floors, that is what alcove units are for, made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
If you live in one of the interwar houses or semis around Farthing Street, the living room may be a good size but with fewer recesses than a Victorian house. That leaves room for alcove units in the alcoves, along a full wall or around the chimney breast, depending on how you use the room. Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood keep the pieces stable, and the paint finish is agreed with you.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you are getting.
- Where
- Farthing Street (BR6)
- Area
- Bromley
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Alcove units for homes in Farthing Street
Homes built between 1973 and 1999 make up about 31% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Farthing Street, with about 27% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (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 Farthing Street include Farthing Street Farmhouse (Grade II), less than half a mile north-east, and Orange Court Farmhouse (Grade II), under half a mile east. Listing covers the inside of a building as well as the outside, so works that affect a listed home’s character, like removing original joinery, can need listed building consent. An early word with the council’s conservation officer is the best first step. All of London, Bromley included, is inside the ULEZ. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in Farthing Street is covered by it. Access and parking are talked through during the design visit.
If you live near South Park, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. For an older house near St Mary's Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If your children go to Downe Primary School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Farthing Street is within the London Borough of Bromley, about 4 miles north-east of Orpington. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Farthing Street is part of that. Our work takes in places right across Bromley, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We make alcove units across the BR6 postcode area. Our area takes in homes on streets like Farthing Street, New Road Hill and Orange Court Lane, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. If you are just outside Farthing Street, we also cover Downe (1 mile south-east), Leaves Green (1 mile south-west), Keston (1 mile north-west), Farnborough (1 mile north-east) and Luxted (1 mile south). Across the rest of Bromley, our area takes in Orpington (4 miles north-east), Bromley (4 miles north), Beckenham (5 miles north-west), St Mary Cray (4 miles north-east), Chislehurst (5 miles north) and Penge (7 miles north-west).
Near you in Farthing Street
Around Farthing Street, we cover homes near Darrick Wood School and The Queens Head pub and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Orpington station, roughly 2.6 miles north-east. A little further out are Princess Royal University Hospital (1.4 miles north). For a walk, there’s West Kent Golf Course nature reserve.
Common questions about alcove units
I live near Orpington station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Bromley and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Farthing Street?
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 helps to tell us about parking at the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It is good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. Height and depth are agreed with you.
Can the two alcove units be different?
That’s your choice. A matching pair balances the chimney breast, but many people put a desk or a TV in one alcove and cupboards in the other. Shared details, such as the plinth and paint colour, keep them looking related.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Many London terraces have been converted into flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let. It is made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work, finished by spray or by hand.
What it’s made from
Birch plywood
We often use birch plywood for drawer boxes too because it stands up to daily use. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Moisture-resistant MDF
With no grain to show through, MDF keeps the painted surface smooth and even. Moisture-resistant MDF is what we use for fitted work.
Is bespoke worth it?
In fairness, standalone furniture comes with you when you move. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and are left behind when you go. It depends on how long you expect to stay. In an extended or opened-up house, old and new walls often meet slightly out of line, and straight-sided ready-made units make that obvious. Fitted pieces are scribed to both.
There’s no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. Instead, we measure, go through the design and then quote in writing. To arrange a design visit, use our contact form.
Why work with us in Farthing Street
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Fitted tight to walls that are not straight
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or what a quote should include.
Also near Farthing Street
What else we make in Farthing Street
From workshop to your room
When we arrive on fitting day, the first job is covering the floors and protecting the way in from the front door. The sections made at our workshop come in next, a piece at a time. How long 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. In a 1930s house with a converted loft, the stairs to the loft room are often steeper than the main flight, so any section going up there is sized for them. The main stairs in houses of that age are normally straighter. Each section is assembled and fixed in the room.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors. If one alcove needs a desk or a TV space, this is when we plan it.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish set out, ready for you to check.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home, ready to fill. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
Before we arrive
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
Arranging a design visit
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, once the room is measured and the design talked through. For a quote, use our contact form.
Related advice
Practical tips
These points come up often when people plan alcove units. They’re worth knowing before and after fitting:
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry, which protects the units too.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks. Wipe up spills right away.