Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hounslow · London
Old Chiswick Alcove Units
Thinking about alcove units in Old Chiswick? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- Units that sit well with original features
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
Ask about alcove units in Old Chiswick
Living-room carpentry in Old Chiswick: local notes
About 55% of the homes in the area around Old Chiswick went up before 1919, and about 14% between 1919 and 1939, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Old Chiswick include Walpole House (Grade I), under half a mile north-east, and Chiswick House Conservatory (Grade I), under half a mile west. Listing covers the inside of a building as well as the outside, so works that affect a listed home’s character, like removing original joinery, can need listed building consent. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. About 55% of homes in the area around Old Chiswick were built before 1919, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Most London houses of that age have chimney breasts with an alcove either side in the main rooms, the classic place for alcove units, scribed to walls that are rarely straight.
Hogarth's House, about 0.4 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. If you live in a period home close to St. Nicholas Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. For a flat near Chiswick station, the route in is measured along with the room itself, and the sections are sized to fit it.
Old Chiswick is about 5 miles west of Hounslow, within the London Borough of Hounslow. We cover Old Chiswick as part of our work across Hounslow, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Old Chiswick is one of the places in Hounslow where we make alcove units, and the borough has 25 places on our list.
Every address in W4, SW13 and W6 is within our area for alcove units. You’ll find streets here like Short Road, Quick Road and Paxton Road, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Other places close to Old Chiswick include Turnham Green (1 mile west), Chiswick (1 mile north-west), Grove Park (1 mile west), Barnes (1 mile south) and Hammersmith (1 mile north-east). Other parts of Hounslow we cover include Hounslow (5 miles west), Feltham (8 miles west), Brentford (2 miles west), Isleworth (4 miles west), Woodlands (4 miles west) and Lampton (5 miles west).
Landmarks near Old Chiswick
In Old Chiswick, that includes homes near Chiswick School, Polish Library POSK in London and George and Devonshire pub, among other places. Old Chiswick’s nearest station is Chiswick station, roughly 0.8 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include West London Hospital (1.3 miles east) and Kurdish Museum Library and Archive (0.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Old Chiswick include WWT London Wetland Centre.
Alcove units in Old Chiswick
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, chosen part by part. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted on site, in a colour agreed with you. We make alcove units from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed, and the usual reasons to get in touch are a place for a small desk and walls too uneven for standard furniture.
In a house from the Victorian or Edwardian years, the front room typically keeps its chimney breast even where the fireplace has gone. That matters around Old Chiswick, as a large share of the homes there were built before 1919. The recesses either side take alcove units scribed to the plaster and cut around the skirting, so they sit as if they came with the house.
After the design visit, we send you a written quote. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish.
- Location
- Old Chiswick (W4, SW13, W6)
- Area
- Hounslow
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, conversions and lettings
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so tell us about it at the design visit.
If you live in a flat, getting the furniture in is planned from the start. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so each section is sized to get through.
Neighbourhoods near Old Chiswick
More for homes in Old Chiswick
Is bespoke worth it?
Some flat-pack shelves are thin and start to sag once they’re loaded. We size our shelves for their span and what they’ll carry, with birch plywood where it’s needed. Still, a decent off-the-shelf unit can be the sensible choice if you’re renting or moving soon. Alcoves and recesses in period houses are rarely a standard width or depth, so ready-made units rarely fill them properly. Made for the space, the furniture uses the full width and height.
The finish affects the cost: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Old Chiswick
- Work across the whole of London
- More than 300 projects completed
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- Scribed to uneven walls
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or how to compare quotes.
Looking after your furniture
Fitted furniture is part of the room, so it is worth looking after. Here are a few tips worth knowing:
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Let us know about parking and access during the design visit
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Most hinges can be adjusted to line the doors up again.
If a damp patch appears near a unit, look into it early. Damp needs its cause fixing by the right trade, and it’s easier to deal with before it spreads.
How fitting day works
Furniture made in a workshop still has to meet the room it’s going into, and that happens on fitting day. Walls in older homes are rarely flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it, until the line is tight. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. 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 send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out.
- The units are made at our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls.
How to prepare
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
Getting a quote
It’s useful to see the room before we come. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line give us a good feel for the space, along with rough sizes. To share them, fill in our short enquiry form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.
Advice
Common questions about alcove units
Does a conservation area in or near Old Chiswick affect fitted furniture?
Normally 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, works inside that affect its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Do you make alcove units for homes in Old Chiswick?
Yes. Old Chiswick is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Hounslow and London. To get started, you can fill in our short enquiry form with a few details.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
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.
How do I get a quote?
It’s easiest to fill in our short enquiry form. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
External walls can be colder and damper than internal ones, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
What affects the cost of alcove units
What you pay depends on:
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- The width and height of the space
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The number of doors and drawers
Rooms that aren’t square take more work: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. The quote allows for it.
Getting in touch
There is no need for exact sizes or plans. Just send what you can:
- How you want to use the space
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
To get a quote for alcove units in Old Chiswick, use our contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea, plus any rough measurements. We’ll arrange a design visit, then send a quote in writing.