Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Soho Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Soho starts with a design visit, and everything is built in our workshop.
- Shelving for books and records
- A place for a small desk
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
Ask about alcove units in Soho
Alcove units in Soho: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 49% of the housing in the area around Soho, with about 21% built since 2000, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Part of Soho is in the Soho Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. The controls in a conservation area are mostly about the outside of buildings, so furniture fitted inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. Purpose-built flats are home to about 78% of households in the streets around Soho, according to Census 2021. For a flat, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
Living in a block of flats near Tottenham Court Road station? Then the route in is measured as well as the room, and the sections are sized to fit it. If your home is one of the older houses near St Anne's Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Soho is about 1 mile west of City of Westminster, within the City of Westminster. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Soho included. In Westminster, Soho is one of the places we cover.
We work across the W1F, W1T and W1D postcode area for alcove units. Streets in the area include Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bridle Lane, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Soho is near the A4 and A301, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include West End (1 mile east), Chinatown (1 mile south), Seven Dials (1 mile east), St Giles (1 mile north-east) and St James's (1 mile south). Across the rest of Westminster, our area takes in Paddington Green (2 miles west), Paddington (2 miles west), Connaught Village (2 miles west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (3 miles west) and Little Venice (2 miles west). As one of the bigger places in Westminster, Soho is covered for alcove units and everything else we make.
Around Soho
Around Soho, we cover homes near LITE Regal International School, London Library and Bar Soho and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Soho itself: Tottenham Court Road station. Well-known places in the area include St James Workhouse (close by, under half a mile west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.3 miles east). Green spaces nearby include St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Alcove units in Soho
Few alcoves in older houses are truly 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 sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and the things people most often want solved are furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove and tired cupboards in the alcoves.
A large share of the homes around Soho were built before 1919, which in London mostly means Victorian and Edwardian houses. Houses of that age usually have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, and those alcoves are the natural home for alcove units. Because old walls bow and floors slope, the units are scribed to follow the wall and levelled at the base.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the alcove unit we have designed for the room, what it is made from and how it is finished, and the workshop works from it.
- Place
- Soho (W1F, W1T, W1D)
- Borough
- Westminster
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it is made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Neighbourhoods near Soho
More for homes in Soho
Questions from Soho
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Soho?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can you fit alcove units to the uneven walls of an older house in Soho?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It is best done before the units go in, and we can tell you where the units will sit so the sockets end up in the right place. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.
What materials do you use?
We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF gives a smooth, stable surface for paint; birch plywood is strong and good for shelves and drawer boxes, and the quote says which is used where.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It is up to you. Some people take the units right to the ceiling for the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We talk through the options at the measuring visit.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
We plan alcove units so any chimney vent stays clear. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away.
From workshop to your room
Fitting day follows a set order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Parking on terraced streets can be tight, especially in a controlled parking zone, so details of permits, bays and any loading restrictions help. The van is unloaded quickly, with the sections carried straight in. Saturdays are possible by prior arrangement.
- You send us some details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- We send a written quote for the units, for you to read through at your own pace.
- The units are made at our workshop, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Ask for a quote
Rough measurements are fine at the start. We measure everything properly during the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To arrange it, message us from the contact page with a few details about the room. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
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Flats, conversions and leaseholders
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. An agent can arrange access for you, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, and that’s best sorted before fitting day. We can’t advise on your lease, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
Before and after fitting day
Most of what helps is simple. Here’s what we suggest:
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
- Check whether there’s a vent in the chimney breast
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in, even when the cupboards fill up. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry.
Spread heavy loads and keep the heaviest things on lower shelves. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for.
The problems alcove units solve
A move into an older home is a common reason. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are an obvious place to start. It is easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
We’re often asked to help with:
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Space for a growing book collection
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as House of St Barnabas, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent.
What to check before you book
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- Whether the quote says what the furniture is made from
- Have they thought about parking near you?
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
The real difference is in the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. Off-the-shelf furniture can’t normally do that in an older room.
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that are not square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, which leaves standard units with gaps at the sides and top.