Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Southwark · London
South Bermondsey Alcove Units
Alcove units for your home in South Bermondsey: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We visit to measure and discuss the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Space for a growing book collection
- Units that sit well with original features
Need alcove units in South Bermondsey?
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, and that is best sorted before fitting day. We can’t advise on your lease, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there’s a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Tell us about it when you contact us.
Alcove units in South Bermondsey: what you get
Some alcoves suit a full-height unit, with doors from floor to ceiling. In bedrooms, this often becomes a compact wardrobe or a place for bedding, while in a dining room it can keep china, glass and table linen. At the design visit we ask what you plan to keep there, and set out the shelves and rails around it. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and the usual reasons to get in touch are furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove and everyday clutter left on show.
Around South Bermondsey, most households live in purpose-built flats, and in a flat the living room often has to do several jobs. Alcove units can bring shelving, closed storage and a screen into one run. Fixings are matched to the wall, whether it’s solid or plasterboard.
If the job needs another trade, such as an electrician or a plumber, we’ll tell you. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Location
- South Bermondsey (SE16, SE15, SE1)
- Borough
- Southwark
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
What alcove units can’t fix
Not everything around alcove units is carpentry, from an electrician to a plumber or a Gas Safe engineer. Here’s what to know:
- Electrical work, like new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Adjustable shelves
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
Fitting day, step by step
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so fitting day is about putting it in place carefully and leaving everything tidy. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Noise from drilling travels in a block, so neighbours may appreciate a note, and many buildings limit noisy work to certain hours. We plan the day to suit those rules. Saturdays can be arranged if your building allows work then.
- You contact us about the alcoves you want to fill, and we find a time for the design visit.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish set out, ready for you to check.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We bring them to your home and fit them in place. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
How to get 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. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Related advice
Why people ask for alcove units in South Bermondsey
Where a fireplace has been blocked up or removed, the chimney breast can look bare. Units on both sides frame the chimney breast and balance the room.
Most of the enquiries we get are about things like these:
- Alcoves that are not square
- Units that sit well with original features
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
For a family home near Ilderton Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room.
What to check before you book
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Are the boards named, like MDF or plywood?
Tips worth knowing
New paint needs time to cure fully, so go gently with it for a while. Beyond that, these tips help:
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
To clean painted units, a soft cloth that is barely damp is enough. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, which can dull or mark the paint. Wipe it dry when you have finished.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks. Dry any spills quickly.
Also near South Bermondsey
Other services in South Bermondsey
FAQs: alcove units in South Bermondsey
Can you fit furniture in a home close to South Bermondsey station?
Yes. We cover all of Southwark and the rest of London. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
My home in South Bermondsey is a flat. How do you get the furniture in?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Alcove units are built in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It is best done before the units go in so the sockets line up with the design. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
Either a spray-painted or a hand-painted finish. A sprayed finish is very smooth and even; a hand-painted one is easy to touch up later. We talk through both at the measuring visit.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
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.
Can I send photos ahead of the visit?
Yes. They give us a feel for the space before we visit. Show anything the furniture has to work around, like radiators or sockets.
Alcove units for homes in South Bermondsey
About 34% of the homes in the neighbourhood around South Bermondsey went up between 1973 and 1999, and about 23% between 1945 and 1972, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. 8 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of South Bermondsey. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings. About 71% of households in the area around South Bermondsey live in purpose-built flats, going by Census 2021 figures from the ONS. In a block, each section is sized to get up the stairs or into the lift and through the door. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early.
Close to Paterson Park? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. Near listed buildings like Church of St Augustine, less than half a mile north-west of the centre of South Bermondsey, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent.
South Bermondsey is within the London Borough of Southwark, about 2 miles south-west of East Dulwich. We can visit homes in South Bermondsey on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. South Bermondsey is one of the places in Southwark where we make alcove units.
Every address in SE16, SE15 and SE1 is covered for alcove units. If your home is on a street such as Tenda Road, Rolls Road and Simms Road, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Main roads around South Bermondsey include the A2208. If you are just outside South Bermondsey, we also cover Surrey Canal (1 mile east), Surrey Quays (1 mile north-east), Bermondsey (1 mile north-west), Peckham (1 mile south) and Rotherhithe (1 mile north-east). Elsewhere in Southwark, we also cover East Dulwich (2 miles south-west), Herne Hill (3 miles south-west), Elephant and Castle (2 miles west), Bankside (2 miles north-west), Southwark (2 miles north-west) and St George's Fields (2 miles west).
Local landmarks in South Bermondsey
In South Bermondsey, that includes homes near City of London Academy and The Kentish Drovers Public House and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in South Bermondsey itself: South Bermondsey station. Other landmarks nearby include Peek Frean Museum (0.6 miles north) and New Cross Hospital (0.6 miles south-east). Open spaces near South Bermondsey include Bellenden Road Nature Garden.