Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Merton · London
Alcove units in Merton
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. We make alcove units for homes in Merton, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Alcoves that are not square
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
Need alcove units in Merton?
Fitting day, step by step
Every fitting follows the same 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. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. London parking ranges from controlled zones to driveways and private bays, so let us know what’s near you during the design visit. For a flat, building rules on lifts and working hours are worth checking.
- 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.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a written quote.
- 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 we arrive
- Tell us about parking near your home
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
Starting with a design visit
Getting a quote starts with some details: the room, rough measurements and some photos if you have them. When you are ready, message us from the contact page. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a quote in writing.
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Alcove units in Merton: what you get
Skirting boards, picture rails and coving are common in older rooms. We can cut units around these details, stop beneath them or run up to meet them, depending on the look you want. A plinth can be set to line up with the skirting for a tidy line around the room. We agree these details during the design visit. People normally come to us about everyday clutter left on show and shelving for books and records, and the answer is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Windows, doors, radiators and sockets decide where furniture can and can’t go. In any home in Merton, those set the layout for alcove units before anything else. Then the cupboards, shelves and any space for a screen are arranged for how you use the room.
Where other trades are needed, for instance an electrician to move a socket, we point that out. Our quote covers the carpentry: the design, the materials and the finish.
- Location
- Merton (SW19)
- Borough
- Merton
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it’s made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Merton
More for homes in Merton
What prompts alcove units in Merton
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.
Here are some of the needs we’re asked about most:
- Room to work in an alcove
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Storage that suits a period room
- Everyday clutter left on show
Near listed buildings like London Regional Transport Station, less than half a mile north-west of the centre of Merton, 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.
Choosing a carpenter
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Where they’ll park and unload
- Will other trades be needed, and who arranges them?
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
What it’s made from
Plinths and scribe strips
The plinth raises the unit and takes up uneven floors. Its height can match the skirting board for a tidy finish.
Birch plywood
For alcove shelves that carry books, birch plywood helps keep them straight. We size the shelf for the span and the load.
What affects the cost of alcove units
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. This is what makes the difference:
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Spray painting or hand painting
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How big the furniture is
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Helping us understand the room
Getting some details early makes the visit more useful. If you can, send:
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- Examples of the look you are after
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
For a quote for alcove units in Merton, get in touch through our contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea, with sizes if you have them. Next comes a design visit, followed by a written quote.
FAQs: alcove units in Merton
Do you cover homes near Haydons Road station?
Yes, homes across London are within the area we cover. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Merton?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
It depends on the size, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish, along with access and parking. The price comes in a quote in writing after the design visit.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, by prior arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you get in touch.
Will alcove units fit if my walls are not straight?
Yes. We measure each alcove carefully at 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.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. One alcove can take a desk with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard beneath. We plan the height and depth with you, with a way planned for cables to reach the sockets.
Alcove units in Merton: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 42% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Merton, with about 19% built between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Within a mile of the centre of Merton, 7 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. About 31% of households in the streets around Merton live in terraced houses, based on Census 2021. Terraced houses in London often have alcoves beside a chimney breast, which suit alcove units built to their exact widths.
Close to Wandle Park? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. If you live in a period home close to St John The Divine, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Merton is about 1 mile north-west of Wimbledon, in the London Borough of Merton. Homes in Merton are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. Our work takes in places right across the rest of London, large and small.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: SW19. We cover homes on streets such as High Path, Pincott Road and Hayward Close, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Merton is near the A24; on busy main roads, unloading alcove units takes a little planning. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Merton Abbey (1 mile east), South Wimbledon (1 mile north-west), Colliers Wood (1 mile east), Tooting Bec (1 mile north-east) and Summerstown (1 mile north). Elsewhere in the rest of London, we also cover Morden (2 miles south-west), Eastfields (2 miles east), Crooked Billet (2 miles west), Copse Hill (2 miles west), Mitcham (2 miles south-east) and Hackbridge (2 miles south-east).
What’s near Merton
The streets we cover here include those near The Nelson Arms, Rutlish School and Wimbledon School of Art, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Haydons Road station, roughly 0.8 miles north. Nearby you will also find St George's Hospital (1.1 miles north-east) and Wandle Industrial Museum (1.2 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Merton Park Green Walks.
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.