Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kingston upon Thames · London
Alcove Units in New Malden
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, designed for your room in New Malden. We measure, design and quote first, then make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
Alcove units designed for your room
Living-room storage in New Malden
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 40% of the housing in the area around New Malden, with about 24% built before 1919, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. There are 5 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of New Malden. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. All of London, Kingston upon Thames included, is inside the ULEZ. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in New Malden. Parking and access are planned during the design visit.
If you live in a period home close to New Malden Baptist Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. The wider area includes historic houses like Southside House, about 1.6 miles north-east. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live near Beverley Park, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
New Malden is part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, about 2 miles north-west of Kingston upon Thames. Homes in New Malden are part of the area we cover for alcove units. New Malden is one of 16 places on our list for Kingston upon Thames.
In KT3, KT1 and SW20, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. If your home is on a street such as High Street, Ashcombe Square and Melrose Gardens, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Main roads around New Malden include the B283. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Motspur Park (1 mile north-east), West Barnes (1 mile east), Norbiton (1 mile north-west), Coombe (1 mile north) and Raynes Park (1 mile east). Other parts of Kingston upon Thames we cover include Kingston upon Thames (2 miles north-west), Surbiton (2 miles south-west), Hampton Wick (2 miles west), Chessington (3 miles south-west), Seething Wells (2 miles west) and Hook (3 miles south-west). As one of the bigger places in Kingston upon Thames, New Malden is covered for all of our fitted furniture.
Around New Malden
In New Malden, that includes homes near Holy Cross School and The Glasshouse pub. There is a railway station in New Malden itself: New Malden station. Well-known places in the area include Kingston Hospital (1.2 miles north-west) and Bentall Centre (1.9 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Rose Walk.
Alcove units in New Malden
We work across London, including New Malden. The first step is a design visit to measure the alcoves and agree the layout. After that we send a written quote, and once you’re happy the units are made in our workshop and fitted in your home. Typical reasons to get in touch are bowed walls and sloping floors and a desk that tucks into an alcove; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Lots of semis and interwar houses have been extended at the back or had the back rooms knocked through, which matters around New Malden, where homes like these are a big part of the housing. A long through room gives alcove units a whole wall to work with. New plasterboard in an extension and older brick or block in the original house take different fixings.
The written quote puts the design visit in writing: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If something is not quite right, tell us before anything is made.
- Place
- New Malden (KT3, KT1, SW20)
- Area
- Kingston upon Thames
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to New Malden
What else we make in New Malden
Before and after fitting day
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Let us know about parking and access during the design visit
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, such as a record player
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry, which protects the units too.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Overloaded shelves are the main cause of sagging, so tell us during the design visit if a shelf will hold something heavy.
From workshop to your room
Getting everything level comes first. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth, and that keeps the doors and shelves true. After that, it’s fixed to the wall using fixings that suit the wall, whether that’s solid brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. If you have a driveway, it can make unloading simpler, so it’s worth mentioning at the design visit. Otherwise, details of permits or nearby bays help. Floors and doorways are protected while the pieces come in.
- To begin, fill in our short enquiry form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, go through the design and check the route from the street to the room.
- We then send a quote in writing for the units.
- In our workshop we build the units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, sized so each piece gets up the stairs and round the corners.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls.
Preparing the room
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
Arranging a design visit
Getting a quote starts with some details: the room, rough sizes and some photos if you have them. To send them, drop us a line using the contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Read more
What affects the cost of alcove units
To work out the quote, we look at:
- The overall size of the piece
- Parking and unloading on your street
- How many doors and drawers there are
- Access to the room, like stairs, lifts and narrow halls
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. The figure comes in your written quote after the design visit.
What to send when you contact us
A few details help us understand the job before we visit. When you contact us, it helps to send:
- How you want to use the space
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- A few pictures of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
It helps to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them give us a good feel for the space, along with rough sizes. To share them, send us a few details through our contact form, and we will arrange a design visit.
Is bespoke worth it?
A bespoke unit takes longer to arrive than something from a shop: it needs a design visit, a quote and time in the workshop. What you get is a unit planned for your alcove. Ready-made units come in standard depths that rarely suit every space, so they can stick out too far or waste space behind. With fitted furniture, the depth is chosen for the room.
Access to the room makes a difference too. Narrow halls, tight stairs or a small lift may mean the furniture is made in more sections, and that’s part of the price. There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in New Malden
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Fitted tight to walls that are not straight
- A design visit, then a written quote
- Work across the whole of London
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made or what to look for in a quote.
Common questions about alcove units
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in New Malden?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. It’s useful to tell us about parking at the design visit.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
We offer spray painting in the workshop and hand painting on site. A sprayed finish is very smooth and even, while hand painting suits a softer, traditional look and is simple to touch up. We will help you choose at the measuring visit.
What materials do you use?
Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, depending on the part and the design. The materials are named in your written quote.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
Should I send photos?
Yes, they help. Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space. To send them, get in touch through our contact form.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there is often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can use the full height and width.