Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Alcove units in Richmond upon Thames
Planning alcove units for a home in Richmond upon Thames? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote, before anything is made.
- A place for a small desk
- Alcoves that aren’t square
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
Alcove units designed for your room
How we make alcove units for Richmond upon Thames
An alcove can also take a small desk, with shelving overhead and storage underneath. It is a neat way to work from home without giving up a whole room. We plan the desk height and depth with you, and leave a route for cables to reach the sockets. People normally come to us about alcoves that are wasted space and somewhere to keep books and records; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
Ceiling heights across London vary a lot, from tall period rooms to compact modern ones. However your room in Richmond upon Thames is built, the height is measured as carefully as the width, since it sets how tall alcove units can be. Sections are sized for the stairs and doors on the way in.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Place
- Richmond upon Thames (TW9, TW10, SW14, TW1)
- Area
- Richmond upon Thames
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Is it time for alcove units?
A move into an older home is a common reason. 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 is easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
Typical reasons people contact us include:
- Space for a growing book collection
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Alcoves that aren’t square
For families living near Marshgate Primary School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Before you choose who makes it
- Whether you’ll get a quote in writing, not just a figure
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- How parking will work on your street
Alcove units for homes in Richmond upon Thames
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Richmond upon Thames were built before 1919 (about 44%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 20%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Richmond upon Thames is partly covered by the St Matthias Conservation Area, one of the conservation areas recorded by Historic England. 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. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. London’s red routes are run by TfL, and stopping on them is tightly controlled. If your home is on or just off a main road, it helps to mention it. We can then plan where the van will stop.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as The Trumpeters' House, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent. If your home is one of the older houses near Holy Trinity Richmond, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Richmond upon Thames is about 2 miles south-west of Twickenham, within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Whether your home in Richmond upon Thames is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. We cover places right across the rest of London, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We cover every part of TW9, TW10, SW14 and TW1 for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Church Road, King George Square and Topiary Square, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Main roads around Richmond upon Thames include the B321 and B322. If you’re just outside Richmond upon Thames, we also cover North Sheen (1 mile north-east), East Sheen (1 mile east), Mortlake (1 mile east), Kew (2 miles north-east) and Strand-on-the-Green (2 miles north-east). Other parts of the rest of London we cover include Twickenham (2 miles south-west), Teddington (3 miles south-west), Hampton (4 miles south-west), Barnes (2 miles east), Hanworth (4 miles south-west) and Whitton (3 miles west).
What’s near Richmond upon Thames
The streets we cover here include those near Christ's Church of England Comprehensive Secondary School, Kneller Hall Junior School and The White Horse Richmond pub, among other places. Richmond upon Thames has its own railway station: Richmond station. Well-known places in the area include Eel Pie Island Museum (1.5 miles south-west) and West Middlesex University Hospital (1.5 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens Lake.
Nearby places to Richmond upon Thames
What else we make in Richmond upon Thames
What we do not do
We make and fit furniture, and we do not do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. There are a few other points to bear in mind:
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can send us a few details through our contact form and we will tell you before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
Flats, leases and landlords
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, and that’s best sorted before fitting day. We cannot give advice on leases.
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, unloading takes some planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so tell us about it during the design visit.
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
In fairness, standalone furniture comes with you when you move. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and remain when you move on. It depends on how long you expect to stay. Walls and floors are seldom perfectly flat in any home, so standalone furniture can lean or leave gaps. Built-in pieces are adjusted to the room as they go in.
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. You will see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Richmond upon Thames
- We visit, measure and go through the design before we quote
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
See bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.
From workshop to your room
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails, cornices or coving for the furniture to meet. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details, so it sits neatly against the room. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Fitting day means joining the sections, fitting them to the walls and setting them level. The fixings suit whatever the walls are made of. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- We visit to measure the alcoves top, middle and bottom, and check the floor for level, then discuss the design with you.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a written quote.
- In our workshop the units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a little extra left on the edges that meet the wall.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall.
How to prepare
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Getting a quote
The quote is built from the design visit. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and go through the design with you. Afterwards, we send a written quote for you to look over. To book one, get in touch through our contact form.
Related advice
FAQs: alcove units in Richmond upon Thames
Do you cover homes near Richmond 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, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Can you make alcove units for a home in Richmond upon Thames?
Yes, Richmond upon Thames 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, followed by a quote.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
How do I get started?
Simply message us from the contact page. Rough sizes and a few photos help, and we will arrange a design visit.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
That depends on how you use the room. The two alcoves are often slightly different sizes. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Each room is quoted on its own: the size, what goes inside, the finish and how square the room is all count. The written quote follows the design visit.