Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hammersmith and Fulham · London
Alcove Units in Fulham
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Fulham. Every piece is built in our workshop and fitted in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- A place for a small desk
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
Ask about alcove units in Fulham
Alcove units in Fulham
We fit alcove units across Hammersmith and Fulham and the rest of London. It starts with a design visit, where we measure the alcoves and discuss the design. Then you receive a quote, and once you’re happy the units are built in our workshop and fitted in your home. Most enquiries start with bowed walls and sloping floors and shelving for books and records, and the answer is made at our workshop from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
A large share of the homes around Fulham were built before 1919, and in London most homes of that age are Victorian or Edwardian. Main rooms in houses like these normally have a chimney breast with an alcove on each side, which gives alcove units an obvious place to go. Because old walls bow and floors slope, the units are scribed to follow the wall and levelled at the base.
We write quotes in plain English. You will see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, all taken from the design visit.
- Where
- Fulham (SW6, W6, W14)
- Area
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What alcove units can’t fix
It’s useful to know what’s outside our work before you plan:
- Decorating the rest of the room
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
If in doubt, you can tell us about the room on our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
Living-room carpentry in Fulham: local notes
About 67% of the homes in the streets around Fulham went up before 1919, and about 13% between 1973 and 1999, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. There are 31 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Fulham. Older homes nearby may have original joinery, shutters or panelling worth keeping, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. It applies to every van that comes to fit furniture in Fulham. We plan parking and access with you at the design visit.
Living in a block of flats near West Brompton station? Then alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. Fulham Palace, about 0.7 miles south-west, 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. Near listed buildings like Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, less than half a mile north of the centre of Fulham, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
Fulham is in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Fulham included. Fulham is one of 16 places on our list for Hammersmith and Fulham.
Every address in SW6, W6 and W14 is covered for alcove units. You will find streets here such as Lampeter Square, Fulham High Street and Hurlingham Square, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Main roads around Fulham include the A219 and A304. If you are just outside Fulham, we also cover West Kensington (1 mile north), North End (1 mile north), Putney (1 mile south-west), Brook Green (1 mile north-west) and Hammersmith (2 miles north-west). Across the rest of Hammersmith and Fulham, our area takes in Shepherd's Bush (2 miles north), Brackenbury Village (2 miles north-west), White City (2 miles north), College Park (4 miles north) and Old Oak Common (4 miles north-west). Fulham is among the bigger places we cover in Hammersmith and Fulham.
What’s near Fulham
Our area takes in the homes around Fulham Cross Girls' School and Language College, Queensmill School and The Cock pub, among other places. Fulham’s nearest station is West Brompton station, roughly 0.8 miles north-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Chelsea Stadium Tour And Museum (0.8 miles east) and Western Hospital (0.7 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include WWT London Wetland Centre.
What happens on fitting day
On the morning of the fitting, the first job is covering the floors and protecting the way in from the front door. The sections made in our workshop come in next. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In a period home, the furniture is fitted to walls that are not straight, so each piece is trimmed and adjusted on site. Floors are protected, and dust is kept down as far as possible. It helps to let us know about parking at the design visit, as terraced streets are often busy.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a quote in writing.
- In our workshop the units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a little extra left on the edges that meet the wall.
- On fitting day we level the units and scribe the edges so they follow the line of the plaster. Spray-painted units arrive finished; hand-painted ones are painted once fitted.
How to prepare
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
Getting a quote
The quote is built from the design visit. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and talk through the design with you. Afterwards, we send a written quote. To arrange the visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Read more
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that are not square. In period homes, walls lean, floors slope and the alcoves on each side are often different widths.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s usually a gap left over at the top or at one end. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can use the full height and width.
Questions we are often asked
Can you fit alcove units to the uneven walls of an older house in Fulham?
Yes, that’s normal in older houses: each piece is scribed to the wall and levelled at the base. We also work around skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Do you cover homes near West Brompton station?
Yes, homes across Hammersmith and Fulham 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, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Not normally. Inside a house, fitted furniture does not normally need planning permission. If the building is listed, works affecting its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first.
Can I send photos before the visit?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot. To send them, drop us a line using the contact form.
What happens when you come to measure?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. Access and parking are worth talking about too.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It is best done before the units go in. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
Bespoke furniture isn’t instant: it needs a design visit, a quote and time in the workshop. What you get is a unit planned for your alcove, rather than the nearest standard size. Tall standalone furniture needs fixing back to the wall so it can’t tip, and older walls of brick or lath and plaster make that harder than it looks. Fitted furniture is designed with the wall in mind.
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying, and that is part of the price. We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit.
Why work with us in Fulham
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
- Finished by spray or by hand
- Fitted tight to walls that aren’t straight
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or what a quote should include.
What it is made from
Hand-painted finish
Hand painting lets the colour be judged in the room itself as it goes on. Scribed edges and joins are painted along with the rest.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, giving a smooth, even, factory-like surface. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.