Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Croydon · London
Alcove units in Selhurst, Croydon
Alcove units in Selhurst: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, made at our workshop and fitted by us.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove
- A place for a small desk
Alcove units designed for your room
Alcove units in Selhurst: what you get
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, often all at once. We make each unit in our workshop to the measurements we take, then scribe it on site, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. Most enquiries start with old alcove cupboards that have seen better days and everyday clutter left on show, and the answer is made at our workshop from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
Some living rooms in London have tall ceilings and cornices, while others have low, plain ceilings. In Selhurst, as anywhere, we measure the height as carefully as the width, because it decides how tall alcove units can go. Sections are sized for the stairs and doors on the way in.
We write quotes in plain English, without jargon. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, taken from what we agreed at the visit.
- Location
- Selhurst (SE25, SE20, CR0)
- Area
- Croydon
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Common questions about alcove units
I live near Norwood Junction station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Croydon and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with a few details about the room.
Does a conservation area in or near Selhurst affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, internal works that affect its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It’s up to you. Full-height units give the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We’ll go through what suits your room when we visit.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You do not need to watch us work, but it helps to be around at the end.
How do I get started?
Just fill in our short enquiry form. Rough measurements and a few pictures help, and we will arrange a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Materials and finishes
Moisture-resistant MDF
In an alcove unit, MDF gives smooth doors and tidy edges. Its moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice beside a chimney breast.
Shelves
How thick a shelf needs to be depends on how wide the alcove is and what it holds. Wider alcoves and heavy books need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support.
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job, and it’s easy to buy.
How fitting day works
Every fitting follows the same order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. Then the room is tidied and we look over the work with you. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Before fitting day, we check the route in along with the room itself, so the furniture comes in sections sized for the route. Floors and doorways are protected while the pieces come in.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors.
- A written quote follows, with the finish set out.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. A spray-painted finish is applied there too, if that is what you chose.
- The units are fitted in your home, ready to fill.
How to prepare
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician in advance
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
Ask for a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you do not, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Advice
Flats, blocks and rented homes
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
Many London terraces have been converted into flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind, after measuring the route at the measuring visit.
Alcove units in Selhurst: local notes
About 41% of the homes in the area around Selhurst went up before 1919, and about 17% between 1945 and 1972, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Within a mile of the centre of Selhurst, 3 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. Vans bringing furniture to Selhurst fall under it, just as they do across the rest of London. How the van gets to your door is planned at the measuring visit.
If you live near South Norwood Recreation Ground, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. If you live in a period home close to Church of St Mark, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. For families living near St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Selhurst is about 1 mile west of Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon. We design and make alcove units for homes in Selhurst. Selhurst is one of the places in Croydon where we make alcove units, and the borough has 32 places on our list.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: SE25, SE20 and CR0. Whether you live on a street such as Park Road, Court Road and Dixon Road or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Selhurst sits close to the A213. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover the places around Selhurst: South Norwood (1 mile north), Woodside (1 mile south), Ashburton (1 mile south), Elmers End (1 mile east) and Addiscombe (1 mile south). Other parts of Croydon we cover include Croydon (2 miles south), Coulsdon (6 miles south-west), Purley (5 miles south-west), Broad Green (2 miles south-west), Norwood New Town (2 miles north-west) and Old Town (2 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Selhurst
The streets we cover here include those near The Albion pub and Harris Academy South Norwood. Selhurst has its own railway station: Norwood Junction station. A little further out are Croydon University Hospital (1.7 miles south-west) and Whitgift Centre (2 miles south-west).
Tips worth knowing
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They help whatever the room:
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Hinges can usually be adjusted to bring a door back in line, which deals with a door that starts to catch.
Watch for damp marks on the chimney breast or the walls near the units. Damp needs its cause fixing by the right trade.