Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Lewisham · London
Ladywell Alcove Units
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Ladywell. Every piece is built in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Everyday clutter left on show
Alcove units in Ladywell
How we make alcove units for Ladywell
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, and the shelves are for books and favourite objects. The cupboard top gives you a ledge for a lamp, a speaker or a plant. Heights are agreed with you to suit the room and your things. People typically come to us about units that sit well with original features and bowed walls and sloping floors; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
Ceilings in homes built before 1919 are often taller than in later houses, and a large share of the homes around Ladywell date from then. Full-height alcove units can run up to the picture rail or the cornice, with the top line set to match the room’s own mouldings. Blocked fireplaces are common too, and a capped chimney should still be ventilated before anything is built against it.
Where other trades are needed, for example an electrician to move a socket, we point that out, so it can be arranged before fitting day. Our quote covers the carpentry: the design, the materials and the finish.
- Place
- Ladywell (SE13, SE6, SE4)
- Borough
- Lewisham
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Could you do it yourself?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. That is something we plan for in the design.
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that aren’t square. In period homes, walls lean, floors slope and the alcoves on each side are often different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
Boards, parts and paint
Shelves
How thick a shelf needs to be depends on how wide the alcove is and what it holds. For a wide span or heavy books, we use a thicker shelf, a lip on the front or a support.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF in a moisture-resistant grade is stable and paints beautifully, which makes it our choice for doors and visible panels. It is a good match for alcoves on an external wall.
Questions we are often asked
I live in a flat in Ladywell. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in as well as the room. Alcove units are made in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It is useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Can you fit alcove units to the uneven walls of an older house in Ladywell?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
How do I get a quote?
The first step is to tell us about the room on our contact form and let us know about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Each room is quoted on its own: the size, what goes inside, the finish and how square the room is all count. The written quote follows the design visit.
How long will the fitting take?
It depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We’ll explain what to expect before we arrive.
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
Flats, conversions and lettings
Many London terraces have been converted into flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind, once we’ve measured the way in.
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. Fixings are chosen to suit whatever the wall is made of, which we check at the design visit.
Neighbourhoods near Ladywell
Also in Ladywell
Built-in living-room furniture in Ladywell
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Ladywell were built before 1919 (about 58%) and since 2000 (about 17%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The centre of Ladywell is within about a quarter of a mile of the St Mary's Conservation Area. Conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If in doubt, the council’s planning team can confirm. On TfL’s red routes, the rules on stopping and loading are strict. If your home is on or just off a main road, it is useful to mention it. That way we can plan where to load and unload.
For an older house near Church of St Mary the Virgin, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Ladywell Fields, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. Near listed buildings like Church of St Mary the Virgin, under half a mile north of the centre of Ladywell, 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.
Ladywell is in the London Borough of Lewisham, about 1 mile north-west of New Cross. We can visit homes in Ladywell on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. Ladywell is one of 22 places on our list for Lewisham.
Every home in SE13, SE6 and SE4 is within our area for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Our area takes in homes on streets like Veda Road, Roxley Road and Honley Road, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Other places close to Ladywell include Lewisham (1 mile north-east), Crofton Park (1 mile west), Hither Green (1 mile east), Brockley (1 mile west) and Catford (1 mile south). Other parts of Lewisham we cover include Deptford (2 miles north), Surrey Canal (3 miles north-west), Sydenham (2 miles south-west), Perry Vale (2 miles south-west), Bell Green (2 miles south-west) and Forest Hill (2 miles west).
Near you in Ladywell
In Ladywell, that includes homes near Prendergast Ladywell School, Trinity Church of England School and The London & Rye pub and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Ladywell itself: Ladywell station. A little further out are Prefab Museum (1.4 miles south-east) and University Hospital Lewisham (close by, under half a mile north-west). Open spaces near Ladywell include Brookmill Road Local Nature Reserve.
What happens on fitting day
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails, cornices or coving for the furniture to meet. We cut and scribe the furniture around them on site, so it sits neatly against the room. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. On fitting day in an older house, the main job is scribing to walls and levelling on floors that slope, so there is some trimming and adjusting on site. We protect the floors and keep dust to a minimum. It is useful to let us know about parking during the design visit, as terraced streets are often busy.
- You get in touch and let us know about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, for you to read through at your own pace.
- The units are made at our workshop.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
How to get a quote
The quote is built from the design visit. We take full measurements, see how true the walls and floors are and work through the design together. Afterwards, we send a written quote, so you can take your time with it. To arrange the visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Read more
What affects the price in Ladywell
The price for your room depends on:
- How square the room is
- Spray painting or hand painting
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- The width and height of the space
Every room is priced on its own, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. Spray painting and hand painting are different processes, which affects the cost. You will see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
Before the design visit
These details help when you get in touch:
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Your postcode and the borough
- Approximate measurements of the space
- What kind of home it is, and which floor the room is on
To make a start, tell us about the room on our contact form and tell us a little about the room. We then arrange a design visit to measure and go through the design, and send you a written quote afterwards.