Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Wandsworth · London
Alcove Units in Putney
For homes in Putney, 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.
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
Alcove units designed for your room
Living-room carpentry in Putney: local notes
In the area around Putney, the largest groups of homes date from between 1945 and 1972 (about 32%) and before 1919 (about 28%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. 17 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of Putney. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. About 32% of homes in the area around Putney were built between 1945 and 1972, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Post-war rooms tend to be simple shapes, often without a chimney breast, so alcove units often run along a full wall, with fixings chosen for the wall.
For an older house near Polish Church of St John the Evangelist, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. Close to Bishops Park? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone. If your children go to Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School or a school nearby, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Putney is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, about 2 miles east of Clapham Junction. Putney is part of the area we cover. Our work takes in places right across Wandsworth, large and small.
Every home in SW15, SW19 and SW13 is within our area for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Putney High Street, Upper Richmond Road and Spencer Walk, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. The A3 and B306 run close to Putney, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. We also cover the places around Putney: Roehampton (1 mile south-west), Barnes (1 mile north-west), Fulham (1 mile north-east), Mortlake (2 miles west) and Wimbledon Park (2 miles south). Across the rest of Wandsworth, our area takes in Clapham Junction (2 miles east), Battersea (2 miles east), Tooting (3 miles south-east), Tooting Bec (3 miles south-east), Balham (3 miles south-east) and Southfields (2 miles south-east). As one of the bigger places in Wandsworth, Putney is covered for alcove units and everything else we make.
Local landmarks in Putney
In Putney, that includes homes near Putney School of Art and Design, The Railway pub and ARK Putney Academy and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Putney itself: Putney station. Well-known places in the area include Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (0.8 miles south-east) and Antique Breadboard Museum (under half a mile north-east). Not far away are WWT London Wetland Centre.
About our alcove units in Putney
Alcove units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it works best. MDF suits doors and panels because it paints so evenly, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in the colour you choose. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and people most often get in touch about old alcove cupboards that have seen better days and clutter with nowhere to go.
Post-war houses often have a through lounge or a living room with a wide window at one end. Many homes around Putney date from those decades, so alcove units are often planned to give the room a focal point. Low cupboards with shelves over them can sit beside or below the window.
Our quotes are written in plain words, without jargon. They say what will be made, what it’s made from and how it will be finished, taken from what we agreed at the visit.
- Location
- Putney (SW15, SW19, SW13)
- Borough
- Wandsworth
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, blocks and rented homes
In conversions and newer blocks, many internal walls are timber or metal stud with plasterboard. We choose fixings to suit the wall, after checking the walls at the measuring visit.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it, after measuring the route at the design visit.
Your questions about alcove units in Putney
I live in a flat in Putney. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in as well as the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
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. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
Should I send pictures?
Yes, they help. Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space. To send them, message us from the contact page.
How tall should alcove units be?
That’s your choice. Full-height units give the most storage, while a low cupboard with shelves above keeps the room feeling lighter. We will go through what suits your room when we visit.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by prior arrangement. Just mention it when you contact us, and we’ll see what we can do.
How it is made
Birch plywood
We often use birch plywood for drawer boxes too. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting is done in the workshop, giving a smooth, even, factory-like surface. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
What else we make in Putney
How fitting works for alcove units
Before anything is fixed, we set the furniture level. Floors are often out of level, so adjustable feet or a plinth take up the difference. After that, it is fixed to the wall using fixings that suit the wall, whether that’s solid brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. In a post-war house, the hall and stairs are normally straight and simple, which helps when the sections come in. The way in is still measured, along with the room. The pieces are assembled, levelled and fixed in place.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units.
- A design visit follows, where we measure up and agree the layout with you.
- A written quote follows, with the finish set out.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We bring them to your home and fit them in place. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
How to prepare
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Tell us about parking near your home
Arranging a design visit
If you know what you want, say so; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote then sets it out. To arrange a visit, use our contact form.
Read more
Why bespoke in Putney?
Alcoves vary in depth, and the chimney breast decides how far a unit can come out. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. We set the depth to suit the room, whether that is flush with the breast or a little shallower. A room without alcoves gives ready-made furniture nothing to sit into, so it stands out from the wall, while a fitted run can create its own recesses.
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Why work with us in Putney
- Fitted tight to walls that are not straight
- Designed for the room you have
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- 300+ projects completed
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what a quote should include.
Before and after fitting day
Painted fitted furniture is easy to look after with a little care. These habits help most:
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, such as a record player
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
Don’t let stored things block the chimney breast vent, even when the cupboards fill up. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away, which protects the units too.
Every so often, check that hinges and handles haven’t worked loose, and adjust any door that starts to catch.