Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Hanworth Alcove Units
Thinking about alcove units in Hanworth? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- A place for a small desk
Alcove units for your home in Hanworth
Is it time for alcove units?
A bedroom’s alcoves are often the best place for a wardrobe. A fitted alcove cupboard holds clothes without filling the floor, which helps in a small bedroom.
We’re often asked to help with:
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Shelving for books and records
- Alcoves that aren’t square
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
Close to Crane Park? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
What to check before you book
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
Alcove units for homes in Hanworth
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes. Each unit is made in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. Typical reasons to get in touch are alcoves that are wasted space and a place for a small desk, and the answer is built in our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Many homes around Hanworth date from the post-war decades. Post-war rooms tend to be squarer, with fewer alcoves and often no chimney breast. That makes a full wall of alcove units a strong option, or a recess built out with cupboards either side. Walls may be concrete, block or brick, so fixings are chosen for the wall.
Where other trades are needed, for instance an electrician to move a socket, we point that out. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Where
- Hanworth (TW13, TW12, TW2)
- Area
- Richmond upon Thames
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Honest limits
Some parts of a job need another trade, from an electrician to a plumber or a Gas Safe registered engineer. Here is what to bear in mind:
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
- Painting the walls, ceiling and woodwork around the units
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can send us a few details through our contact form and we will tell you before you arrange a visit. How it works.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
Alcove units in Hanworth: local notes
About 35% of the homes in the area around Hanworth went up between 1945 and 1972, and about 31% between 1973 and 1999, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. The centre of Hanworth is within about a quarter of a mile of the Hanworth Road Conservation Area. The controls in a conservation area are mostly about the outside of buildings, so furniture fitted inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Your council can advise if you’re unsure. Since the zone was extended to the outer boroughs in August 2023, the whole of London has been inside the ULEZ. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in Hanworth. Access and parking are talked through at the design visit.
The wider area includes historic houses like Strawberry Hill House, about 2 miles east. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. For an older house near St Richard's Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Hanworth is about 2 miles north-east of Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Wherever you are in Hanworth, it works the same way: we visit and measure, send a written quote, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it. We list Hanworth among 19 places we cover in Richmond upon Thames.
Every address in TW13, TW12 and TW2 is within our area for alcove units. You’ll find streets here such as Fir Road, New Road and Bel Lane, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. We also cover the places around Hanworth: Hampton (1 mile south-east), Hampton Hill (1 mile east), Fulwell (1 mile east), Whitton (2 miles north-east) and Strawberry Hill (2 miles east). Across the rest of Richmond upon Thames, our area takes in Twickenham (2 miles north-east), Richmond (4 miles north-east), Richmond upon Thames (4 miles north-east), Teddington (2 miles east), Barnes (7 miles north-east) and Kew (6 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in Hanworth
The streets we cover here include those near Hampton School and Hampton Academy, among other places. The nearest railway station is Hampton station, roughly 1.1 miles south. Other landmarks nearby include Kempton Steam Museum (1.1 miles west) and Teddington Memorial Hospital (1.8 miles east). Not far away are Oak Avenue Local Nature Reserve.
Also near Hanworth
More for homes in Hanworth
What happens on fitting day
Fitting day follows a set order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. Then the room is tidied and we look over the work with you. 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. Communal stairs in older blocks often have tight landings, so the size of each section is set by the stairs as well as the lift. Letting the caretaker or managing agent know beforehand helps. Common parts are protected while we carry in.
- You contact us with a few details about the chimney breast and alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square, then discuss the design with you.
- You get a quote in writing for the units, materials and finish.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- 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.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Empty the space we’ll be working in
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
Arranging a design visit
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it. For a quote, use our contact form.
Related advice
What it’s made from
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is also good for drawer boxes, where strength matters. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF doesn’t 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.
Questions from Hanworth
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Hanworth?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, internal works that affect its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
I live near Hampton station. Is that in your area?
Yes. We cover all of Richmond upon Thames and the rest of London. You can get in touch through our contact form to arrange a design visit, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Do alcove units affect the chimney’s ventilation?
We design around any vent so it stays open. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp. If there’s damp on the breast already, it is best sorted before fitting.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We also check the walls and floors and note radiators, sockets and other things in the way, then send a written quote.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
That is a job for your electrician. It’s best done before the units go in, and we can tell you where the units will sit so the sockets end up in the right place. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
How do I get a quote?
The first step is to get in touch through our contact form. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Looking after your furniture
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They help before and after fitting:
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that’s barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, which can dull or mark the paint. Wipe it dry when you’ve finished.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units.