Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Southwark · London
Alcove units in Rotherhithe, Southwark
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Rotherhithe. We measure, design and quote first, then make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Room to work in an alcove
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Somewhere to keep books and records
Ask about alcove units in Rotherhithe
Tips worth knowing
None of this takes much effort. Here’s what we suggest:
- Talk to your electrician early if you want new sockets
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Mention parking and access when we visit
A soft, slightly damp cloth is all painted units normally need. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you’ve finished.
If a damp patch appears near a unit, look into it early. Damp needs its cause fixing by the right trade.
How we make alcove units for Rotherhithe
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it works best. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, 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. If you’re living with standard units leaving gaps at the sides and worn or badly fitted alcove units, that is what alcove units are for, made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
A large number of homes around Rotherhithe date from 2000 onwards, and in London many homes of that age are flats in newer blocks. In a compact new-build room, a shallower run of alcove units can add storage without crowding the space. Boxing for pipes and risers is common in newer homes, and the furniture can be designed around it.
The furniture is made at our workshop after you have had the quote and decided to go ahead. It describes the design, the materials and the finish agreed at the visit, so every detail can be checked first.
- Where
- Rotherhithe (SE16, SE8, E1W)
- Area
- Southwark
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the cost of alcove units
Several things affect the price:
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Where a van can park, such as a permit bay or a bay suspension
- The internal fittings
- Access to the room, such as stairs, lifts and narrow halls
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension near your home. It helps to talk about parking at the measuring visit, so we can plan for it.
Getting in touch
There is no need for exact sizes or plans. Just send what you can:
- Anything in the way, like radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Your postcode and the borough
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- How you want to use the space
Pictures help us understand the room before we visit. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line tell us a lot about the space. To send them over, send us a few details through our contact form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.
Questions we’re often asked
Can you make alcove units for a home in Rotherhithe?
Yes, we work across Southwark, Rotherhithe included, and across the rest of London. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
I live in a flat in Rotherhithe. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Alcove units are made at our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It helps to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
Can the two alcove units be different?
It is up to you. Matching units give a balanced, formal look around the chimney breast, but you might want a desk on one side and cupboards on the other. We can keep the details the same so they still look like a pair.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The units are built in our workshop first.
Also near Rotherhithe
More for homes in Rotherhithe
Living-room carpentry in Rotherhithe: local notes
About 39% of the homes in the area around Rotherhithe went up since 2000, and about 34% between 1973 and 1999, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. The National Heritage List has 23 entries within half a mile of the centre of Rotherhithe. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and the furniture can be designed around them rather than over them. More than a third of the homes in the area around Rotherhithe (about 39%) were built since 2000, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. In homes built since 2000, living rooms are often open-plan with stud walls, so the fixings go into the studs, or heavier pieces stand on the floor.
If you live near Russia Dock Woodland, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green. If you live in a flat close to Canada Water station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Rotherhithe is about 3 miles south-west of East Dulwich, in the London Borough of Southwark. Anywhere in Rotherhithe, the process is the same: a design visit, a written quote, furniture made at our workshop and fitting in your home. Rotherhithe is one of the places in Southwark where we make alcove units, and the borough has 21 places on our list.
Every address in SE16, SE8 and E1W is within our area for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Our area takes in homes on streets like Bush Road, Gomm Road and Swan Road, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Rotherhithe sits close to the A200, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. We also cover the places around Rotherhithe: Surrey Quays (1 mile south), Surrey Canal (1 mile south), South Bermondsey (1 mile south-west), Millwall (1 mile south-east) and North Greenwich (1 mile south-east). Elsewhere in Southwark, we also cover East Dulwich (3 miles south-west), Herne Hill (4 miles south-west), Elephant and Castle (3 miles west), Bankside (3 miles west), Southwark (2 miles west) and St George's Fields (3 miles west).
Landmarks near Rotherhithe
The streets we cover here include those near The Ship York pub, St Mellitus College and Bacon's College. There’s a railway station in Rotherhithe itself: Canada Water station. Other landmarks nearby include Tower of London (1.6 miles north-west) and Surrey Quays Shopping Centre (under half a mile south-west). For a walk, there is Lavender Pond.
What we don’t do
It is worth being clear about where our work stops:
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
If in doubt, you can message us from the contact page and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How it works.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Spray-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Birch plywood
Fitting day, step by step
You will not need to do much on the day. Someone needs to let us in, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand, as agreed during the design visit. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Newer homes often have stud walls, so fixings go into the studs or use fixings made for the board. Floors are protected throughout, as many newer homes have finished floors that mark easily.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit the units in your home and scribe them to the walls; a hand-painted finish is done on site after fitting and is easy to touch up later.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
How to prepare
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Let us know about parking near your home
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Getting a quote
Every quote follows a design visit. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, and the written quote comes after. Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Related advice
Do you need alcove units in Rotherhithe?
Some homes already have alcove cupboards, but they’ve seen better days. Starting again lets you rethink the layout, from the doors to what goes inside.
Requests we hear often include:
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
If your home is one of the older houses near Holy Trinity Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Choosing a carpenter
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- How parking will work on your street
- Can you see real work of theirs?