Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Redbridge · London
Alcove Units in Redbridge
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Redbridge. Every piece is made in our workshop and fitted in your home.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Shelving for books and records
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
Alcove units for your home in Redbridge
Alcove units in Redbridge
One alcove can be given over to a desk, with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard below. It is a neat way to work from home without giving up a whole room. Desk height and depth are agreed with you, with a gap or hole planned so cables can reach the sockets. Most enquiries start with worn or badly fitted alcove units and empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast, and the answer is made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
In an area like Redbridge, where interwar homes or semis make up much of the housing, many living rooms have been opened up to the dining room behind. The result is often a long room with a chimney breast, a good spot for alcove units. At the design visit we plan any cable routes and ventilation the room needs, with any new sockets left to your electrician.
You get the quote in writing, so there is time to read it properly. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Place
- Redbridge (IG4, IG1, IG2)
- Borough
- Redbridge
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Where it’s made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Redbridge
What it costs comes down to the materials and the time involved. The main factors are:
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- The width and height of the space
- Parking and unloading on your street
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. The price depends mainly on the size of the piece, how many doors and drawers it has and what goes inside.
Helping us understand the room
There’s no need for exact sizes or plans. It’s enough to send:
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Examples of the look you are after
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, fill in our short enquiry form.
Practical tips
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in, even when the cupboards fill up. Air moving through the chimney helps keep damp away.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks, since standing water can mark painted shelves. Wipe up spills straight away.
Is bespoke worth it?
Bespoke furniture isn’t instant: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. In return, the unit is planned for your alcove alone. Off-the-shelf furniture comes in a few set depths, which may be too deep for one spot and too shallow for another. Fitted furniture is made to the depth the space can take.
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, then set it out in the quote.
Why us?
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Scribed to uneven walls
- We work across all London boroughs
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
Cost matters, and it’s fair to say so: flat-pack is usually cheaper to buy. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is tricky, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
Neighbourhoods near Redbridge
Other services in Redbridge
Alcove units in Redbridge: local notes
In the neighbourhood around Redbridge, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 64%) and before 1919 (about 17%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. There are 5 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Redbridge. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. The ULEZ, run by TfL, takes in all of London, so the rest of London is inside it. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in Redbridge. Access and parking are talked through at the design visit.
If your children go to Redbridge Primary School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. Near listed buildings like Steward's Cottage, under half a mile south-east of the centre of Redbridge, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. For a flat near Ilford station, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room.
Redbridge is about 2 miles north-west of Woodford, in the London Borough of Redbridge. Homes in Redbridge are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. We cover places right across the rest of London, large and small.
Every address in IG4, IG1 and IG2 is within our area for alcove units. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Fowey Avenue, Beehive Lane and Wycombe Road, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Close by, we also work in Gants Hill (1 mile east), Cranbrook (1 mile south-east), Wanstead (1 mile west), Aldersbrook (1 mile south-west) and Newbury Park (1 mile east). Across the rest of the rest of London, our area takes in Woodford (2 miles north-west), Loxford (2 miles south-east), South Woodford (2 miles north-west), Seven Kings (2 miles east), Goodmayes (3 miles east) and Woodford Wells (3 miles north).
Near you in Redbridge
The streets we cover here include those near Valentines High School. For rail, the closest station is Ilford station, about 1.4 miles south-east. A little further out are Redbridge Museum (1.6 miles south-east) and Wanstead Hospital (1.2 miles north-west).
What happens on fitting day
Once the main sections are fixed in place, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Fitting day means carrying in the sections, joining them and fitting them to the walls. Spray-painted pieces come finished from the workshop, while hand painting can happen on site. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- You let us know which room it is and roughly what you’d like in the alcoves, even if the design is only a rough idea so far.
- We visit to measure, look at how the walls run and note the skirting, picture rail and any vent.
- We send a written quote setting out the layout, materials and finish.
- Once you are happy, the units are made in our workshop, each one sized to its own alcove.
- Fitting day: the units go in, are scribed to the alcoves and levelled on a plinth or feet.
How to prepare
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician ahead of time
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
Arranging a design visit
It’s useful to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them tell us a lot about the space. To send them over, send us a few details through our contact form, and we’ll suggest a time for a design visit.
Related advice
Common questions about alcove units
Is Redbridge in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, Redbridge is within the area we cover, which takes in all of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, and then we send a quote.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Ilford station?
Yes. We cover the whole of London. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with some details about the room.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
It depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. We will explain what to expect before we arrive.
What happens when you come to measure?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and talk through the design with you. Access and parking are worth talking about too.
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. We will help you choose at the measuring visit.
Should I send pictures?
Yes. They give us a feel for the space before we visit. Show anything the furniture has to work around, like radiators or sockets.