Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in Kingston upon Thames
Planning alcove units for a home in Kingston upon Thames? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote, before anything is made.
- A place for a small desk
- Shelving for books and records
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
Alcove units in Kingston upon Thames
Where other trades come in
It helps to know what’s outside our work before you plan:
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
If in doubt, you can use our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How it works.
What goes into it
- Hand-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Spray-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Birch plywood
Alcove units in Kingston upon Thames
A classic layout is a low cupboard with open shelves above. The cupboards take the things you’d rather not see, while the shelves hold books and the things you want on show. The top of the cupboard makes a useful surface at a comfortable height. Heights are agreed with you to suit the room and your things. If you’re living with empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast and clutter with nowhere to go, that is what alcove units are for, made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Where housing types are mixed, as they are in much of London, living rooms vary a lot in shape. You might have alcoves, a bay, a wide open-plan room or a compact one. The design for your home in Kingston upon Thames starts from its own walls, and long shelves are sized not to sag.
A written quote is the clearest record of what we’ve agreed. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it is made from and how it’s finished, and it is what the workshop builds to.
- Where
- Kingston upon Thames (KT2, KT1, TW10)
- Area
- Kingston upon Thames
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Is it time for alcove units?
Others want a proper home for books, records or a TV. An alcove unit can be shaped around what you own, with each shelf set to suit it.
We are often asked to help with:
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- A place for a small desk
If you live in a flat close to Kingston station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in.
Before you hire any carpenter
- How parking will work on your street
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
How fitting works for alcove units
You are welcome to ask questions while we work. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so fitting day is about putting it in place carefully and leaving everything tidy. 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. For a flat, building rules and lift booking are worth checking early; if you live in a house, let us know about steps, paths and parking. Either way, the day is planned at the design visit. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- You contact us with some 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.
- 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.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall.
Before fitting day
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
How to get a quote
To get a quote for alcove units in Kingston upon Thames, drop us a line using the contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea, with sizes if you have them. We’ll arrange a design visit, then send a quote in writing.
Related advice
Living-room storage in Kingston upon Thames
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Kingston upon Thames were built before 1919 (about 36%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 21%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Kingston upon Thames include Church of All Saints (Grade I), under half a mile south-west, and Cleave's Almshouses (Grade II*), less than half a mile south. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features like panelling can need listed building consent. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. Purpose-built flats are more common around Kingston upon Thames than across the rest of London: about 49% of households, against about 30%, in the ONS Census 2021 figures. That puts the stairs, lifts and doors on the route in at the centre of the plan.
For families living near St Luke's CofE Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. Hampton Court Palace, about 1.8 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. 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.
Kingston upon Thames is one of London’s 33 local authority areas. Homes in Kingston upon Thames are part of the area we cover for alcove units. Our work takes in places right across the rest of London, large and small.
Every home in KT2, KT1 and TW10 is within our area for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Whether you live on a street such as Sigrist Square, Old London Road and London Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. The B3365 run close to Kingston upon Thames; on busy main roads, unloading alcove units takes a little planning. Other places close to Kingston upon Thames include Norbiton (1 mile east), Coombe (2 miles east), New Malden (2 miles south-east), Coombe Hill (2 miles north-east) and Motspur Park (2 miles east). Elsewhere in the rest of London, we also cover Surbiton (2 miles south), Chessington (4 miles south), Seething Wells (2 miles south), Hook (3 miles south), Tolworth (2 miles south) and Berrylands (2 miles south-east).
Near you in Kingston upon Thames
We fit furniture in homes around Kingston Grammar School, Tiffin School and The Grey Horse pub and the streets around them. Kingston upon Thames has its own railway station: Kingston station. Well-known places in the area include Kingston Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Bentall Centre (less than half a mile south-west). Not far away are Rose Walk and Kingston Hill Road area.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We cannot give advice on leases, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
The depth of an alcove is set by the chimney breast. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. Bespoke units are made to the depth you want, whether that’s flush with the breast or a little shallower. Standard widths and heights seldom suit an actual room, which leaves gaps at the sides and wasted space on top. Fitted furniture is made to the room.
Parking is part of the price picture in London. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension near your home. It’s useful to talk about parking during the design visit, so it can be planned.
Why choose us
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Saturday work by arrangement
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
Also near Kingston upon Thames
Also in Kingston upon Thames
Common questions about alcove units
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Kingston upon Thames?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
My home in Kingston upon Thames is a flat. How do you get the furniture in?
We measure the route in along with the room itself: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. Alcove units are made in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. You can have a desk in one alcove and cupboards in the other, or matching desks in both. We’ll plan the desk around how you work.
How tall should alcove units be?
That depends on the room and what you’d like to store. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice. The height is settled during the design visit.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. Each alcove is measured during the design visit, make the units in our workshop and trim the edges on site to meet the wall, which closes the gaps you’d see with standard furniture.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room.