Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hammersmith and Fulham · London
Alcove units in North End, Hammersmith and Fulham
Thinking about alcove units in North End? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote.
- Storage that suits a period room
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Alcoves that are not square
Alcove units designed for your room
Flats, conversions and lettings
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. We measure the stairs, landings, lift and doorways as well as the room, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through.
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there’s a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Tell us about it when you contact us.
Alcove units in North End: what you get
Some alcoves suit a full-height unit, with doors from floor to ceiling. In bedrooms, this often becomes a compact wardrobe or a place for bedding. We ask what you want to store before we plan the inside, so shelves and rails go where they’re needed. Typical reasons to get in touch are tired cupboards in the alcoves and somewhere to keep books and records; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Victorian and Edwardian houses were built with solid brick outside walls, while the walls inside can be brick or lath and plaster. Since a large share of the homes around North End date from before 1919, the wall type is checked before any fixing for alcove units is chosen. Lath and plaster in particular needs fixings chosen for it, especially behind loaded shelves.
Where other trades are needed, for instance an electrician to move a socket, we point that out. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Location
- North End (W14, SW6, SW5)
- Borough
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions from North End
Can you make alcove units for a home in North End?
Yes. We cover all of Hammersmith and Fulham and the rest of London, and North End is part of that. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in North End?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to tell us about parking at the design visit.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. One alcove can take a desk with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard beneath. Height and depth are agreed with you, with a route left for cables.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps to avoid condensation. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. Most period alcoves are out of square in some way, so we scribe each unit to follow the wall. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
That’s a job for your electrician. Ideally it is done before fitting. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.
Places near North End
More for homes in North End
Do you need alcove units in North End?
A chimney breast without its fireplace can leave a wall that feels unfinished. A pair of alcove units frames it and gives the wall a sense of order, whether or not the fireplace is used.
These come up often when people first get in touch:
- Units that sit well with original features
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
Garden Lodge, about 0.4 miles north-east, 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.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- How they handle walls that are not straight
- Whether the route into your home has been checked
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
How fitting works for alcove units
Getting everything level comes first. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference, which keeps the lines straight. After that, it’s fixed to the wall using fixings that suit the wall, whether that is solid brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so neighbours may appreciate a note before fitting day. Each section is sized for the tightest door or turn. Saturdays can be arranged.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- We visit to measure the alcoves top, middle and bottom, and check the floor for level, then discuss the design with you.
- You get a quote in writing for the units, materials and finish.
- The units are made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall. Spray-painted units arrive finished; hand-painted ones are painted once fitted.
Before we arrive
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
How to get a quote
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design 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, fill in our short enquiry form.
Related advice
Alcove units in North End: local notes
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around North End were built before 1919 (about 68%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 11%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. There are 41 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of North End. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. About 53% of households in the neighbourhood around North End live in purpose-built flats, based on Census 2021. For a flat, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early.
Near listed buildings like Church of St Cuthbert and St Matthias, less than half a mile east of the centre of North End, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. For an older house near St. Andrew's Fulham Fields, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
North End is within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, about 1 mile south of Fulham. Anywhere in North End, the process is the same: we visit and measure, send a written quote, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it. We list North End among 16 places we cover in Hammersmith and Fulham.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: W14, SW6 and SW5. You will find streets here such as Sun Road, Star Road and Field Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Nearby, we also make alcove units in West Kensington (1 mile east), Brook Green (1 mile north-west), Fulham (1 mile south), Hammersmith (1 mile west) and Brackenbury Village (1 mile north-west). Elsewhere in Hammersmith and Fulham, we also cover Chelsea Harbour (2 miles south-east), Sands End (2 miles south-east), White City (2 miles north-west), College Park (3 miles north-west) and Old Oak Common (3 miles north-west).
Landmarks near North End
Around North End, we cover homes near Seven Stars pub, Polish Library POSK in London and Avonmore Primary School, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Kensington Olympia station, roughly 0.5 miles north. Nearby you will also find Chelsea Stadium Tour And Museum (1 mile south-east) and Fulham Hospital (0.6 miles south-west). For a walk, there is WWT London Wetland Centre and Campden Hill.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
The depth of an alcove is set by the chimney breast. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. We set the depth to suit the room, flush with the chimney breast or set back from it. Recesses in older houses come in every size except the standard ones, so off-the-shelf pieces either don’t fit or leave a gap either side. Made for the space, the furniture uses the full width and height.
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, 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.
Why work with us in North End
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Saturday work by arrangement
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
Take a look at our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.
Practical tips
Looking after painted furniture is simple with a little care. A few things help it stay looking good:
- Tell us about parking and access during the design visit
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
A soft, slightly damp cloth is all painted units usually need. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you’ve finished.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks. Dry any spills quickly.