Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Tower Hamlets · London
Alcove Units in North Greenwich
Planning alcove units for a home in North Greenwich? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote, before anything is made.
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Units that sit well with original features
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
Alcove units in North Greenwich
North Greenwich homes and alcove units
About 52% of the homes in the area around North Greenwich went up since 2000, and about 24% between 1973 and 1999, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. Part of North Greenwich is in the Chapel House Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. If you want to be certain, ask the council’s planning team. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in North Greenwich. Parking and access are planned during the design visit.
For a flat near Greenwich station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room. If your children go to Harbinger Primary School or a school nearby, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. If your home is one of the older houses near Church of St Nicholas, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
North Greenwich is about 3 miles north-west of Whitechapel, part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Homes in North Greenwich are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. Across Tower Hamlets, we cover North Greenwich.
Every home in E14, SE8 and SE10 is within our area for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Creek Road, Wynan Road and Undine Road, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Isle of Dogs (1 mile south-east), Millwall (1 mile west), Cubitt Town (1 mile north-east), Deptford (1 mile south-west) and Greenwich (1 mile south-east). Other parts of Tower Hamlets we cover include Whitechapel (3 miles north-west), Spitalfields (3 miles north-west), Tower Hill (3 miles north-west), Bethnal Green (3 miles north-west), Cambridge Heath (4 miles north-west) and Mile End (3 miles north).
Around North Greenwich
In North Greenwich, that includes homes near The Ferry House Public House, St. Paul's and Laban Centre. The nearest railway station is Greenwich station, roughly 0.8 miles south. A little further out are Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (1.3 miles west) and Greenwich Castle (1.1 miles south-east). Open spaces near North Greenwich include Sue Godfrey Nature Park.
About our alcove units in North Greenwich
In a tall room, a full-height alcove cupboard holds a great deal. In bedrooms, this often becomes a compact wardrobe or a place for bedding, and in a dining room a home for china and glass. We ask what you want to store before we plan the inside, and set out the shelves and rails around it. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted, and the usual reasons to get in touch are a place for a small desk and somewhere to keep books and records.
A large number of homes around North Greenwich date from 2000 onwards, and newer homes tend to have open-plan living rooms with no chimney breast. That means alcove units often create the structure of the room, framing a screen or running a full wall. Many internal walls in newer homes are plasterboard on timber or metal studs, so fixings go into the studs or use fixings made for the board.
A written quote follows the design visit. It sets out the design we have talked through, the materials and the finish.
- Where
- North Greenwich (E14, SE8, SE10)
- Borough
- Tower Hamlets
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near North Greenwich
Also in North Greenwich
Flat-pack or bespoke?
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
It’s worth being honest about cost: flat-pack is normally cheaper to buy. Bespoke earns its place where the room is awkward, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
How we price alcove units
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- The overall size of the piece
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Spray painting or hand painting
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying. The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose.
Before the design visit
Ahead of the design visit, we’ll typically ask about:
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
To get a quote, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us which room you have in mind and what you want the furniture to do. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.
What alcove units can’t fix
Damp treatment and building work are for other specialists, so these points are worth knowing:
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
If in doubt, you can get in touch through our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How it works.
What goes into it
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
What happens on fitting day
However carefully a piece is made in the workshop, it still has to meet the room, and fitting day is where that happens. Walls in older homes are rarely flat or square, so we scribe the edges by hand to follow the wall, until the line is tight. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In a newer development, the lift, the concierge and set working hours may all need checking, so check them with the managing agent before fitting day. The furniture is built in sections that fit the lift and doorways.
- You contact us with a short note about the room and the units you have in mind.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, so you can look it over in your own time.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves.
Before fitting day
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
How to get a quote
A quote begins with a few details from you: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of photos if you can take them. To send them, drop us a line using the contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, then send a written quote.
Advice
Tips worth knowing
Getting the most from alcove units starts with the planning and carries on after fitting day. These are worth keeping in mind:
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
Painted finishes feel dry quickly but take longer to cure fully. At first, go gently with the new paintwork: lift things onto the shelves rather than sliding them, and do not scrub the surfaces.
Now and then, check handles and hinges are still tight.
Your questions about alcove units in North Greenwich
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Typically not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t 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’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in North Greenwich?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit, so the day can be planned around it.
Is the furniture made to order?
It’s made at our workshop, to the design and sizes agreed after the design visit. After that, we fit it in your home.
How long will the fitting take?
It depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We will explain what to expect before we arrive.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture to avoid condensation. If there is damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one 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.