Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove units in Hampton Wick, Kingston upon Thames
Alcove units for your home in Hampton Wick: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, made in our workshop and fitted by us.
- Space for a growing book collection
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
Alcove units in Hampton Wick
Living-room storage in Hampton Wick
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Hampton Wick were built before 1919 (about 37%) and since 2000 (about 26%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. The centre of Hampton Wick is within about a quarter of a mile of the Hampton Wick Conservation Area. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If in doubt, the council’s planning team can confirm. Strict stopping rules apply on red routes, which TfL runs. If you live on or close to a main road in Hampton Wick, let us know during the design visit. That way we can plan where to load and unload.
For an older house near All Saints Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. If you live in a flat close to Hampton Wick station, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. The wider area includes historic houses like Hampton Court Palace, about 1.4 miles south-west. For a period home anywhere nearby, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Hampton Wick is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, about 1 mile north-east of Kingston upon Thames. Hampton Wick is part of the area we cover. We list Hampton Wick among 16 places we cover in Kingston upon Thames.
Here we cover the KT1, KT2 and TW11 postcode area for alcove units. Streets in the area include Park Road, Fife Road and East Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Teddington (1 mile north-west), Ham (2 miles north), Strawberry Hill (2 miles north-west), Hampton Hill (2 miles north-west) and Fulwell (2 miles north-west). Elsewhere in Kingston upon Thames, we also cover New Malden (2 miles east), Chessington (3 miles south), Hook (3 miles south), Tolworth (2 miles south-east), Berrylands (2 miles south-east) and Motspur Park (3 miles east). Hampton Wick is one of the larger places we cover in Kingston upon Thames.
Near you in Hampton Wick
Our area takes in the homes around Tiffin School, Kingston Grammar School and Foresters Arms, among other places. Hampton Wick has its own railway station: Hampton Wick station. Other landmarks nearby include Bentall Centre (within half a mile east) and Kingston Hospital (1.1 miles east). Open spaces near Hampton Wick include The Wood.
Alcove units for homes in Hampton Wick
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. Units can be cut around them, stop just below them or run neatly up to them, depending on the look you want. The plinth height can match the skirting so the units feel part of the room. We agree these details at the measuring visit. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and the things people most often want solved are shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess and bare alcoves beside the fireplace.
Windows, doors, radiators and sockets decide where furniture can and can’t go. In any home in Hampton Wick, those set the layout for alcove units before anything else. After that, the mix of cupboards, shelves and open space follows how you live, and the paint colour is agreed with you.
After the design visit, we send you a written quote. It sets out the design we’ve talked through, the materials and the finish, so it’s clear what’s included.
- Location
- Hampton Wick (KT1, KT2, TW11)
- Borough
- Kingston upon Thames
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Places near Hampton Wick
Also in Hampton Wick
Caring for painted furniture
Painted fitted furniture is easy to look after with a little care. These habits help most:
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that’s barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Dry the surface afterwards.
Keep heaters and very hot lamps from standing right against the paintwork.
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that are not square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s 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 use the full height and width.
What happens on fitting day
You won’t need to do much on the day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and it is useful to have the room cleared beforehand, as we will have talked about 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 your quote sets out the fitting days. London parking ranges from controlled zones to driveways and private bays, so let us know what’s near you at the measuring visit. If you live in a flat, any lift or building rules are worth checking too.
- You let us know which room it is and roughly what you’d like in the alcoves, even if the design is only a rough idea so far.
- At the design visit, we measure both alcoves, check the walls and look at the skirting and picture rail.
- We send a quote in writing setting out the layout, materials and finish. If anything needs changing, just tell us.
- Once you’re happy, the units are made at 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.
Preparing the room
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Starting with a design visit
To get a quote for alcove units in Hampton Wick, tell us about the room on our contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea. Next comes a design visit, followed by a quote in writing.
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FAQs: alcove units in Hampton Wick
I live in a flat in Hampton Wick. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in along with the room itself: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it is worth checking those early.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Hampton Wick?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Do both alcove units have to match?
That depends on how you use the room. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made for its own recess. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. Most period alcoves are out of square in some way, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Hampton Wick?
It’s easiest to tell us about the room on our contact form with a few details about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by arrangement. Tell us when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.
Where other trades come in
It helps to know what’s outside our work before you plan:
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
- New sockets or wiring (your electrician handles those)
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.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Spray-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
How it’s made
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting is done in the workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF does not 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.