Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Ealing · London
Alcove Units in South Ealing
For homes in South Ealing, we make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Storage that suits a period room
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
Alcove units designed for your room
How we make alcove units for South Ealing
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. The cupboards take the things you’d rather not see, while the shelves hold books and the things you want on show. The cupboard top gives you a ledge for a lamp, a speaker or a plant. Heights are agreed with you to suit the room and your things. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are everyday clutter left on show and shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess.
Victorian and Edwardian houses were built with solid brick outside walls, while the walls inside can be brick or lath and plaster. Since a large share of the homes around South Ealing date from before 1919, the wall type is checked before any fixing for alcove units is chosen. Lath and plaster needs a lighter touch and the right fixings, especially behind loaded shelves.
A quote in writing is the clearest record of what we’ve agreed. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, its materials and its finish.
- Location
- South Ealing (W5, W13, TW8)
- Borough
- Ealing
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions we are often asked
Can you fit alcove units to the uneven walls of an older house in South Ealing?
Yes, that is normal in older houses: each piece is scribed to the wall and levelled at the base. We also work around skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Brentford station?
Yes, homes across Ealing and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
How do I get started?
Simply message us from the contact page. Rough sizes and a few photos help, and then we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, followed by a quote in writing.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and furniture inside a house does not normally need it. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
What affects the price of alcove units?
Size, doors and drawers, what goes inside and the finish all affect it. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
Will alcove units block the chimney vent?
Any vent in the chimney breast is kept clear when we design the units. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away, so we never box a vent in.
Where other trades come in
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Hand-painted finish
- Spray-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Panelled or flat doors
- Moisture-resistant MDF
Alcove units in South Ealing: local notes
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around South Ealing were built before 1919 (about 66%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 15%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. The centre of South Ealing is within about a quarter of a mile of the Ealing Green Conservation Area. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Ealing is no exception. If your road in South Ealing falls in a zone, the van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay, which the council arranges, often with notice. We ask about parking at the design visit, so the day can be planned around it.
Gunnersbury Park, about 0.7 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Church of St Mary, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
South Ealing is about 1 mile north of Ealing, within the London Borough of Ealing. South Ealing is part of the area we cover, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Across Ealing, we cover South Ealing.
In W5, W13 and TW8, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. We cover homes on streets such as South Road, Elers Road and Carew Road, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Ealing (1 mile north), Hanwell (1 mile north-west), West Ealing (2 miles west), Pitshanger (2 miles north) and Brentham Garden Suburb (2 miles north). Other parts of Ealing we cover include Acton (2 miles east), Southall (3 miles west), Greenford (3 miles north-west), Northolt (4 miles north-west), Acton Green (2 miles east) and Bedford Park (2 miles east).
Around South Ealing
In South Ealing, that includes homes near Ealing Park Tavern, Library for Iranian Studies and Great Ealing School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Brentford station, about 0.9 miles south of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Gunnersbury Park House - Large Mansion (0.9 miles east) and Ealing Hospital (1.7 miles west). For a walk, there is Castlebar Hill and Long Wood.
What happens on fitting day
On the morning of the fitting, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. The sections built in our workshop come in next, one at a time. The time the fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Scribing is done on site, which means some cutting in the room or close by, so a clear area to work in near the room helps. We keep dust down and tidy as we go. Where the finish is hand-painted, it can be done after the pieces are in.
- To begin, message us from the contact page; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. Parking is worth mentioning too, since a van often needs a permit or a paid bay in London.
- Your written quote sets out the design, materials and finish.
- 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.
- On fitting day the sections come in, are joined in place and scribed to the walls.
Before fitting day
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
Ask for a quote
You do not need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, message us from the contact page. The written quote follows the visit.
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Also near South Ealing
More for homes in South Ealing
What prompts alcove units in South Ealing
Often the alcoves are simply the biggest unused space in the room. Off-the-shelf furniture rarely fits them, leaving gaps at the sides and above. A fitted unit fills the recess up to the ceiling if you want.
A few of the things people ask us to solve include:
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Space for a growing book collection
- Units that sit well with original features
- Room to work in an alcove
For a flat near Brentford station, check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in.
Choosing a carpenter
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- Whether the route into your home has been checked
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
How it’s made
Plinths and scribe strips
Most alcoves need scribing on both sides and sometimes at the top. It is what makes a fitted unit look fitted.
Moisture-resistant MDF
Moisture-resistant MDF is stable and takes paint well, so we use it for doors, panels and the faces you see. It is a good match for alcoves on an external wall.
Flats, leases and landlords
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Let us know about them at the measuring visit.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.