Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Bromley · London
Alcove Units in Pratt's Bottom
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Pratt's Bottom starts with a design visit, and everything is made at our workshop.
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
Alcove units for your home in Pratt's Bottom
From workshop to your room
You’re welcome to ask questions while we work. Most of the decisions were made during the design visit and set out in your quote, so the day itself is about careful fitting and leaving the room tidy. How long the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In a 1920s or 1930s house, the hall and stairs are normally straightforward, though we still measure the route in along with the room itself. Alcove units arrive in sections and are assembled in place, with floors protected throughout.
- To begin, tell us about the room on our contact form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, talk through the design and check the route from the street to the room. It helps to tell us then about parking, as much of London is in a controlled parking zone.
- We then send a written quote for the units.
- In our workshop we build the units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, sized so each piece gets up the stairs and round the corners.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
How to get a quote
You do not need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly during the design visit, along with the walls, floor and ceiling. To get started, message us from the contact page. The written quote follows the visit.
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Alcove units for homes in Pratt's Bottom
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that look as though they belong there. If your home in Pratt's Bottom has alcoves like these, we design a unit for each one after we have measured them at a design visit. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and people most often get in touch about space for a growing book collection and walls too uneven for standard furniture.
A good part of the housing around Pratt's Bottom is interwar, semi-detached or detached. In a typical 1930s house, the front room has a bay at one end and a chimney breast with an alcove to either side, and that layout shapes where alcove units work best. Walls in houses of that age are usually straighter than in Victorian ones, though they’re still checked and scribed where needed.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the alcove unit we have designed for the room, what it is made from and how it’s finished, and the workshop works from it.
- Location
- Pratt's Bottom (BR6, TN14)
- Area
- Bromley
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Materials and finishes
Hand-painted finish
A hand-painted finish can be done on site, after the units are fitted. It is easy to touch up later, and it suits a period room.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Built-in living-room furniture in Pratt's Bottom
Homes built between 1945 and 1972 make up about 45% of the housing in the area around Pratt's Bottom, with about 22% built between 1919 and 1939, 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. A conservation area lies within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Pratt's Bottom, going by Historic England’s data. The controls in a conservation area are mostly about the outside of buildings, so furniture fitted inside a house does not normally need planning permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. About 45% of homes in the streets around Pratt's Bottom were built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Post-war rooms tend to be simple shapes, often without a chimney breast, so a full wall of alcove units is often the answer, with fixings chosen for the wall.
If your children go to Pratts Bottom Primary School or a school nearby, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. Living in a block of flats near Knockholt station? Then each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room.
Pratt's Bottom is in the London Borough of Bromley, about 3 miles north of Orpington. From period terraces to newer flats in Pratt's Bottom, the furniture is designed around the room as we find it. We cover places right across Bromley.
We work across the BR6 and TN14 postcode area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street like Orchard Road, Runciman Close and Downs View Close or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Chelsfield (1 mile north-east), Bopeep (1 mile north-east), Maypole (1 mile north-east) and Goddington (2 miles north). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Orpington (3 miles north), Bromley (6 miles north-west), Beckenham (8 miles north-west), St Mary Cray (3 miles north), Chislehurst (5 miles north-west) and Biggin Hill (4 miles south-west).
Around Pratt's Bottom
The streets we cover here include those near Green Street Green Primary School. Pratt's Bottom’s nearest station is Knockholt station, about 0.8 miles east. Other landmarks nearby include Orpington Hospital (1.6 miles north-west).
Why people ask for alcove units in Pratt's Bottom
Others want a proper home for books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with shelf heights and depths to suit.
These come up often when people first get in touch:
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
The wider area includes historic houses such as Down House, about 2.7 miles west. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
What to check before you book
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Real projects you can actually look at
Flats, conversions and lettings
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 at the design visit, so fitting day is planned around them.
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so each section is sized to get through.
Questions from Pratt's Bottom
Is parking a problem for fitting in Pratt's Bottom?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run 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 during the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
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, changes inside that alter its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
How do I get started?
It is easiest to send us a few details through our contact form with a few details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by arrangement. Just mention it when you contact us, and we’ll see what we can do.
How tall should alcove units be?
It depends on the room and the look you want. In a tall period room, units can stop under the picture rail or the cornice. We agree the height at the design visit.
Should I send pictures?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot, particularly with rough measurements. To send them, message us from the contact page.
What affects the cost of alcove units
We quote each job after the design visit, because no two rooms are the same. These are the things that affect it:
- Parking near your home
- Spray painting or hand painting
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
What goes inside matters as much as the outside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. We’ll talk through what you need inside at the measuring visit, and the quote follows.
What we need to know
Some details help us understand the job before we visit. It’s useful to include:
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Any ideas or images you have saved
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
To get a quote, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us a little about the room. We then arrange a design visit to measure and talk through the design, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.