Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bromley · London
Alcove units in Penge, Bromley
For homes in Penge, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Alcoves that are wasted space
Alcove units designed for your room
About our alcove units in Penge
Even a chimney that is been blocked or capped needs some ventilation to help keep damp out of the breast. Units are planned so any vent stays clear, rather than boxing it in. Any damp in the alcoves should be dealt with by the right trade before the units go in. People typically come to us about tired cupboards in the alcoves and a place for a small desk; the furniture is made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Around Penge, a large share of homes date from before 1919, which in London mostly means Victorian and Edwardian houses. Houses of that age typically have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, and those alcoves are the natural home for alcove units. Walls are rarely flat, so each piece is scribed to the plaster and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet.
A written quote is the clearest record of what we’ve agreed. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it’s made from and how it is finished, and the workshop works from it.
- Location
- Penge (SE20, SE19, SE26)
- Area
- Bromley
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Fitting day, step by step
There is not much for you to do on fitting day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand, as agreed during the design visit. After that, it’s over to us: the floors are covered, the sections come in and the fitting begins. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. On fitting day, edges are trimmed on site to follow the walls, so we ask for a clear space to work near the room. Dust is kept down and cleared up as we go. Hand painting, if that is your finish, can follow the fitting.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors. If one alcove needs a desk or a TV space, this is when we plan it.
- We put the design, materials and finish into a quote in writing.
- The units are made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home, ready to fill. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
How to get a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. We measure everything properly during the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To arrange it, fill in our short enquiry form and tell us about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Related advice
Why bespoke in Penge?
A bespoke unit takes longer to arrive than something from a shop: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. What you get is a unit planned for your alcove, not the nearest catalogue size. Standard units assume square rooms, and period homes seldom have them, so it leaves gaps at the wall, tilts on sloping floors or sits awkwardly against skirting and picture rails. Fitted furniture is scribed to the wall instead.
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: drawers take more making than shelves, and each rail, divider or pull-out adds to the work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside, then set it out in the quote.
Why us?
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Work across the whole of London
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Finished by spray or by hand
Take a look at our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Questions we are often asked
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Penge?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Is Penge in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes. Penge is one of the places we work, along with the rest of Bromley and London. To get started, you can get in touch through our contact form with some details.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
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 talk through both at the measuring visit.
What happens at the design visit?
It’s 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.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by prior arrangement. Tell us when you contact us if a Saturday suits you best.
Should I send photos?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough sizes. It helps to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Mansion blocks and purpose-built blocks often have house rules about lifts, entry systems and when trades can come in. Let us know about them during the design visit, and we’ll plan the fitting around them.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it.
What else we make in Penge
Built-in living-room furniture in Penge
Homes built before 1919 make up about 47% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Penge, with about 20% built between 1973 and 1999, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. There are 12 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Penge. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. Strict stopping rules apply on red routes, which TfL runs. If your home in Penge is on or near a main road, tell us during the design visit. It lets us plan the stop before fitting day.
For families living near Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. If you live in a flat close to Penge West station, each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room. If your home is one of the older houses near Church of St John the Evangelist, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Penge is about 7 miles east of Orpington, part of the London Borough of Bromley. Whether your home in Penge is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, the furniture is designed around the room as we find it. We cover places right across Bromley, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We make alcove units across SE20, SE19 and SE26. We cover homes on streets like High Street, Anerley Station Road and Station Road, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. The A234 runs close to Penge, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Anerley (1 mile west), Crystal Palace (1 mile north-west), Sydenham (1 mile north), Gipsy Hill (1 mile north-west) and Upper Norwood (1 mile west). Elsewhere in Bromley, we also cover Orpington (7 miles east), Bromley (3 miles east), St Mary Cray (7 miles east), Chislehurst (5 miles east), Biggin Hill (8 miles south-east) and Plaistow (3 miles east).
What’s near Penge
The streets we cover here include those near Crystal Palace School, Crooked Billet pub and Harris City Academy Crystal Palace, among other places. Penge has its own railway station: Penge West station. Other landmarks nearby include Crystal Palace Museum (0.8 miles north-west) and St Christopher's Hospice (0.5 miles north). Not far away are Dulwich Upper Wood.
Before and after fitting day
A few practical points help before and after fitting day. These are worth keeping in mind:
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Hinges can normally be adjusted to bring a door back in line, so a small gap or rub is easy to correct.
Spread heavy loads and keep the heaviest things on lower shelves. Overloaded shelves are the main cause of sagging, so tell us during the design visit if a shelf will hold something heavy.
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s usually a gap left over at the top or at one end. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.
If you are handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. It gets harder with sloping ceilings, out-of-level floors and lath-and-plaster walls.