Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Newham · London
Alcove Units in Royal Docks
We make alcove units for homes in Royal Docks, designed around the room you have. We design your alcove unit at a visit to your home, make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Clutter with nowhere to go
Alcove units for your home in Royal Docks
When you need someone else
We don’t treat damp or carry out building work, so these points are worth knowing:
- New sockets or wiring (your electrician handles those)
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
If in doubt, you can tell us about the room on our contact form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it is made from
- Birch plywood
- Adjustable shelves
- Scribed side panels
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
Alcove units in Royal Docks
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. Units can be cut around them, stop just below them or run neatly up to them, whichever suits the room. A plinth can be set to line up with the skirting. We agree these details at the measuring visit. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are units that sit well with original features and old alcove cupboards that have seen better days.
Newer homes often come with a TV point and sockets on one wall but nothing built around them. A good number of homes around Royal Docks went up since 2000, so alcove units are normally designed around what’s already there. Any new socket is a job for your electrician.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it suits the job. The finish is stated too, whether that is spray painting or hand painting.
- Location
- Royal Docks (E16, E6)
- Borough
- Newham
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Royal Docks
Also in Royal Docks
Living-room storage in Royal Docks
Homes built since 2000 make up about 49% of the housing in the area around Royal Docks, with about 44% built between 1973 and 1999, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Royal Docks include The Connaught Tavern (Grade II), less than half a mile north-west, and Central Buffet at Custom House (Grade II), about 0.6 miles east. For a listed home, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent from the council, for instance removing or fixing into original panelling. Check with the council’s conservation officer first. The ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) now covers the whole of London, Newham included. Vans bringing furniture to Royal Docks fall under it, just as they do across the rest of London. We plan parking and access with you at the design visit.
For an older house near Church of the Ascension, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. For families living near Calverton Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. For a flat near Custom House 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.
Royal Docks is part of the London Borough of Newham, about 1 mile north-west of Plaistow. We can visit homes in Royal Docks on weekdays, or on a Saturday by prior arrangement. Royal Docks is one of 26 places on our list for Newham.
We cover every part of E16 and E6. We cover homes on streets like Drew Road, Leyes Road and Camel Road, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Main roads around Royal Docks include the A1020, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Other places close to Royal Docks include Custom House (1 mile west), Silvertown (1 mile south-west), North Woolwich (1 mile south-east), West Silvertown (1 mile west) and Canning Town (1 mile north-west). Across the rest of Newham, our area takes in Stratford (3 miles north-west), Forest Gate (3 miles north), East Ham (2 miles north), Upton Park (2 miles north), Greengate (2 miles north-west) and Maryland (3 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Royal Docks
Our area takes in the homes around The Connaught Tavern, Royal Docks Academy and The Royal Docks Community School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Custom House station, roughly 0.7 miles west. Other landmarks nearby include Gallions Reach Shopping Park (1.6 miles east) and Albert Dock Seamen's Hospital (under half a mile north-west). For a walk, there is Gilbert's Pit.
Tips worth knowing
Fitted furniture is part of the room, so it is worth looking after. A few pointers help:
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Tell us about parking and access at the design visit
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Most hinges can be adjusted to line the doors up again, so a small gap or rub is easy to correct.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units.
How fitting day works
However carefully a piece is made in the workshop, it still has to meet the room, and fitting day is where that happens. Walls in older homes are rarely flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it. How long the fitting itself takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Newer homes often have stud walls, so fixings go into the studs or use fixings made for the board. Floors are covered while we work, and dust is kept to a minimum.
- To begin, fill in our short enquiry form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, talk through the design and check the route from the street to the room.
- We then send a written quote for the units.
- In our workshop we build the units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, sized so each piece gets up the stairs and round the corners.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls.
Before we arrive
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Ask for a quote
To get a quote for alcove units in Royal Docks, use our contact form. Let us know the room and the rough idea. We will arrange a design visit, then send a written quote.
Read more
Your questions about alcove units in Royal Docks
I live in a flat in Royal Docks. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in not just the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. Alcove units are built in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it is worth checking those early.
Do you cover homes near Custom House station?
Yes, homes across Newham and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
It needs a little planning: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. We don’t treat damp, so any damp should be sorted before fitting day.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. We plan the height and depth with you.
Flats, conversions and lettings
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. Lifts sometimes need to be booked, and the lift size helps decide how big each section can be. Mention it when you contact us.
If the property is let, we will need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.
When is bespoke worth it?
It’s worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture typically costs less up front. Bespoke earns its place where the room is tricky, space is tight or you want the furniture to look part of the house.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there is normally a gap left over at the top or at one end. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can use the full height and width.