Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bromley · London
Alcove Units in Locksbottom
For homes in Locksbottom, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Storage that suits a period room
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
Alcove units designed for your room
About our alcove units in Locksbottom
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted on site, in a colour agreed with you. If you’re living with alcoves that aren’t square and tired cupboards in the alcoves, that is what alcove units are for, made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Many houses from between the wars, and many semis, have been extended or opened up inside, and around Locksbottom, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a large share of the housing. A long through room gives alcove units a whole wall to work with, or mark out the sitting end from the dining end. An extension’s plasterboard walls need different fixings from the original brick or block.
The quote names the materials: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. The finish is stated too, whether that’s spray painting or hand painting.
- Location
- Locksbottom (BR6, BR2, BR5)
- Borough
- Bromley
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it is made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, leases and landlords
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.
What affects the cost of alcove units
What you pay depends on:
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The number of doors and drawers
- Parking and unloading on your street
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
Before the design visit
These details help when you get in touch:
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- What kind of home it is, and which floor the room is on
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
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 quote in writing. To book one, drop us a line using the contact form.
When is bespoke worth it?
It is worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture usually costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that aren’t square. In period homes, walls lean, floors slope and the alcoves on each side are often different widths.
FAQs: alcove units in Locksbottom
Do you make alcove units for homes in Locksbottom?
Yes, we work across Bromley, Locksbottom included, and across the rest of London. You can get in touch through our contact form to arrange a design visit.
I live near Orpington station. Is that in your area?
Yes. We cover all of Bromley and the rest of London. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Should I send pictures?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough measurements. It is useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and talk through the design with you. Access and parking are worth talking about too, and afterwards we send a quote in writing.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need someone to let us in. It’s good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.
Can you build alcove units for alcoves that aren’t square?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
Living-room storage in Locksbottom
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Locksbottom were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 40%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 27%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Near the centre of Locksbottom, Historic England’s list includes Thatched Cottage (Grade II), less than half a mile north-east, and Farnborough Lodge (Grade II), less than half a mile south-west. For a listed home, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent from the council, for instance removing or fixing into original panelling. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. Controlled parking zones are run by the boroughs, so the rules in Bromley are set locally. If parking near you is controlled, a visitor permit or a bay suspension may be needed, and the council arranges suspensions, often with notice. It helps to let us know about parking during the design visit.
The wider area includes historic houses like Down House, about 2.7 miles south. 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. If your children go to Darrick Wood Infant & Nursery School or a school nearby, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Locksbottom is in the London Borough of Bromley, about 2 miles north-east of Orpington. Design visits and fitting in Locksbottom can be on a Saturday, by arrangement. We cover places right across Bromley.
We make alcove units across BR6, BR2 and BR5. Whether you live on a street like Mada Road, Winton Road and Park Avenue or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Crofton (1 mile east), Farnborough (1 mile south-east), Petts Wood (1 mile north-east), Bromley Common (1 mile north-west) and Keston (1 mile south-west). Other parts of Bromley we cover include Orpington (2 miles north-east), Bromley (3 miles north-west), Beckenham (5 miles north-west), St Mary Cray (3 miles north-east), Chislehurst (3 miles north) and Penge (6 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Locksbottom
In Locksbottom, that includes homes near Darrick Wood School. The nearest railway station is Orpington station, roughly 1.2 miles east. A little further out are Princess Royal University Hospital (0.5 miles south-west) and Crofton Roman Villa (1.2 miles east).
Also near Locksbottom
What else we make in Locksbottom
Why people ask for alcove units in Locksbottom
For some, it’s about books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with shelf heights and depths to suit.
Some of the things we’re asked to solve are these:
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Somewhere to keep books and records
If you live near South Park, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
Before you choose who makes it
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Have they thought about parking near you?
How fitting works for alcove units
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room and take up the floor coverings. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and answer any questions. How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. In a 1920s or 1930s house, the hall and stairs are typically straightforward, but the route in is still measured, not just the room. Alcove units arrive in sections and are assembled in place.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and talk through the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- We send a written quote for the units.
- The units are made at our workshop, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Empty the space we’ll be working in
Ask for a quote
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we have measured up and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, use our contact form.