Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hammersmith and Fulham · London
Alcove Units in Old Oak Common
Alcove units in Old Oak Common: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We visit to measure and talk through the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
Ask about alcove units in Old Oak Common
How fitting works for alcove units
Furniture made in a workshop still has to meet the room it is going into, and that happens on fitting day. Few walls in older London homes are truly flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it. 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. Before fixing into a stud wall, we check for pipes and cables, with heavier pieces tied into the studs. Any new sockets or plumbing are for your electrician or plumber.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish. You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted one done in your home.
- A written quote follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- We make the units in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF, which takes paint well, and birch plywood. If you chose spray painting, that is done in the workshop too, for a smooth, even surface.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
Arranging a design visit
The design visit is where every quote starts. We take full measurements, see how true the walls and floors are and work through the design together. Afterwards, we send a quote in writing. To arrange the visit, fill in our short enquiry form.
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Alcove units in Old Oak Common
In a tall room, a full-height alcove cupboard holds a great deal. In a bedroom, it can become a small wardrobe or a linen cupboard, and in a dining room a home for china and glass. At the design visit we ask what you plan to keep there, so shelves and rails go where they’re needed. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and the usual reasons to get in touch are clutter with nowhere to go and storage that suits a period room.
Internal walls in newer homes are typically plasterboard on metal or timber studs, and the board alone is not meant for heavy loads. Around Old Oak Common, where many homes were built since 2000, that shapes how alcove units are fixed: heavier pieces stand on the floor and are fixed back into the studs, and shelves use fixings made for the board where there’s no stud.
You get the quote in writing, so there’s time to read it properly. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Place
- Old Oak Common (NW10, W3, NW26)
- Borough
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Old Oak Common
Other services in Old Oak Common
Tips worth knowing
None of this takes much effort. Here’s what we suggest:
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. A full shelf of books is heavier than it looks.
Watch for damp marks on the chimney breast or the walls near the units. The cause is a job for the right trade, not something paint will hide, and it’s easier to deal with before it spreads.
Built-in living-room furniture in Old Oak Common
In the streets around Old Oak Common, the largest groups of homes date from the years since 2000 (about 42%) and before 1919 (about 32%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Old Oak Common is partly covered by a conservation area, according to Historic England’s records. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Your council can advise if you’re unsure. The ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) now covers the whole of London, Hammersmith and Fulham included. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in Old Oak Common is covered by it. Access and parking are talked through at the design visit.
For a flat near Willesden Junction station, the route in is measured as well as the room, and the sections are sized to fit it. If your home is one of the older houses near Church of Eritrean Orthodox Brent, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Old Oak Common is within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, about 4 miles south-east of Fulham. Wherever you are in Old Oak Common, the process is the same: a design visit, a written quote, furniture built in our workshop and fitting in your home. Old Oak Common is one of 16 places on our list for Hammersmith and Fulham.
Here we cover the NW10, W3 and NW26 postcode area for alcove units. You’ll find streets here like Atlas Road, Tubbs Road and Waldo Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include College Park (1 mile north-east), Harlesden (1 mile north), Kensal Green (1 mile east), Park Royal (1 mile west) and North Kensington (1 mile east). Across the rest of Hammersmith and Fulham, our area takes in Fulham (4 miles south-east), Parsons Green (4 miles south-east), Walham Green (4 miles south-east), West Brompton (4 miles south-east), Hurlingham (4 miles south-east) and Chelsea Harbour (5 miles south-east).
Near you in Old Oak Common
Around Old Oak Common, we cover homes near Star Chamber Academy, St Claudine's Catholic School for Girls and Library for Iranian Studies and the streets around them. Old Oak Common has its own railway station: Willesden Junction station. A little further out are Hammersmith Hospital (0.8 miles south-east) and Brent Museum and Archives (1.6 miles north-east).
FAQs: alcove units in Old Oak Common
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Old Oak Common?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. 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. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
I live in a flat in Old Oak Common. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in as well as the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. Alcove units are made in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It helps to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Most of the making happens in our workshop, so the time in your home is mostly fitting, scribing and finishing.
What happens when you come to measure?
It is a chance to measure properly and talk through what you’d like. We also check the walls and floors and note radiators, sockets and other things in the way, then send a quote in writing.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spraying gives a smooth, even surface, and hand painting is easy to touch up.
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Usually not. Inside a house, fitted furniture doesn’t normally need planning permission. If the building is listed, works affecting its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first.
What affects the price in Old Oak Common
Prices vary from room to room, and it comes down to:
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- The number of doors and drawers
- Access to the room, such as stairs, lifts and narrow halls
- Where a van can park, like a permit bay or a bay suspension
Rooms that are not square take more work: uneven walls, sloping floors and angled ceilings all add scribing and cutting on site. The quote allows for it, written once we’ve measured up.
Helping us understand the room
There’s no need for exact sizes or plans. Just send what you can:
- Examples of the look you are after
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- What the furniture needs to hold
Every quote follows a design visit. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, and the written quote comes after. Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. To book a design visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Do you need alcove units in Old Oak Common?
Moving into a period house often prompts it. People who have just moved in want storage that suits the age of the house, and the alcoves are an obvious place to start. It’s also a good moment, before the room fills up.
Here’s what alcove units can help with:
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Everyday clutter left on show
If you live near Little Wormwood Scrubs, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
What to check before you book
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Have they thought about parking near you?
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it is easy to buy.
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.