Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Wandsworth · London
Alcove units in Roehampton, Wandsworth
Thinking about alcove units in Roehampton? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
Alcove units designed for your room
Could you do it yourself?
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can run to the ceiling and fill the width.
Alcove units in Roehampton: what you get
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that look as though they belong there. Where a room in Roehampton has a pair of alcoves, we design a unit for each one, starting with a design visit to measure. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are units that sit well with original features and tired cupboards in the alcoves.
Post-war houses often have a through lounge or a living room with a wide window at one end. Around Roehampton, many homes come from between 1945 and the early 1970s, 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, leaving any radiator clear.
A written quote follows the design visit. It sets out the design we’ve talked through, the materials and the finish.
- Place
- Roehampton (SW15, SW13)
- Area
- Wandsworth
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near Roehampton
Other services in Roehampton
Looking after your furniture
Painted fitted furniture is easy to look after with a little care. These habits help most:
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
Keep a record of the colour. Hand-painted finishes are the easiest to touch up in place, and it’s useful to keep a little of the paint.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks. Wipe up spills right away.
Your questions about alcove units in Roehampton
Do you cover homes near Barnes station?
Yes. We cover all of Wandsworth and the rest of London. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Roehampton?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can require listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It depends on the room and the look you want. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice. We agree the height at the design visit.
How long will the fitting take?
The time on site depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The units are made in our workshop first.
How do I get a quote?
It’s easiest to use our contact form with a few details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture to avoid condensation. If there’s damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall, which we check during the design visit.
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there is a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you get in touch.
From workshop to your room
Once the main sections are fixed in place, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. Each one is adjusted until the gaps are even and it closes cleanly. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Fixing into concrete takes a heavy-duty drill and makes some noise, so a word with the neighbours before fitting day can help. Fitting day is planned around any building rules on noisy work. Dust is kept down and cleared as we go.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and go through the design.
- We send a written quote for the units, so you can look it over in your own time.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Before we arrive
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
Getting a quote
Rough sizes are fine at the start. We measure everything properly at the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, use our contact form. The written quote follows the visit.
Advice
Alcove units in Roehampton: local notes
Homes built between 1945 and 1972 make up about 46% of the housing in the area around Roehampton, with about 18% built between 1919 and 1939, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Roehampton is partly covered by the Dover House Estate 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 does not normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. Purpose-built flats are more common around Roehampton than across Wandsworth: about 65% of households, against about 48%, in the ONS Census 2021 figures. So the route in, from stairs to lifts, is part of the design.
Near listed buildings like Roehampton House (at Queen Mary's Hospital), less than half a mile south-west of the centre of Roehampton, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent. For families living near Granard Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room.
Roehampton is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, about 3 miles east of Clapham Junction. We can visit homes in Roehampton on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. Roehampton is one of the places in Wandsworth where we make alcove units, and the borough has 15 places on our list.
Every address in SW15 and SW13 is covered for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. If your home is on a street like Rodway Road, Cortis Road and Torwood Road, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Close by, we also work in Putney (1 mile north-east), Barnes (1 mile north), Mortlake (1 mile north-west), East Sheen (1 mile north-west) and Putney Vale (2 miles south-west). Elsewhere in Wandsworth, we also cover Clapham Junction (3 miles east), Battersea (3 miles east), Wandsworth (2 miles east), Tooting (4 miles south-east), Tooting Bec (4 miles south-east) and Balham (4 miles east).
Local landmarks in Roehampton
We fit furniture in homes around King's Head pub, The Falcons School for Girls and ARK Putney Academy, among other places. Roehampton’s nearest station is Barnes station, roughly 0.8 miles north. Nearby you will also find Putney Exchange (1 mile north-east) and Queen Marys Hospital Museum Exhibition (within half a mile west). For a walk, there is Duke's Hollow.
Do you need alcove units in Roehampton?
Sometimes it’s the clutter of a busy living room. Toys, games, paperwork and gadgets need somewhere to go, and closed cupboards hide them away. Open shelves above are left for the things you like to see.
Alcove units can help with:
- Space for a growing book collection
- Storage that suits a period room
- Room to work in an alcove
- Everyday clutter left on show
For an older house near St Margaret's Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Choosing a carpenter
- How the doors are hung and adjusted
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Have they thought about parking near you?