Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Southwark · London
Alcove Units in Sydenham Hill
Planning alcove units for a home in Sydenham Hill? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing.
- Storage that suits a period room
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
- A place for a small desk
Ask about alcove units in Sydenham Hill
Alcove units in Sydenham Hill: what you get
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that sit as part of the room. If your home in Sydenham Hill has alcoves like these, we design a unit for each one, starting with a design visit to measure. Most enquiries start with a desk that tucks into an alcove and units that sit well with original features, and the answer is made at our workshop from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
A room in a house or flat from the 1950s or 1960s is typically plain, with flat walls, a simple skirting and no picture rail. Many homes around Sydenham Hill were built between 1945 and the early 1970s, which often leaves alcove units with clean lines to follow. The furniture can then become the main feature of the room, in a paint colour you choose.
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
- Sydenham Hill (SE26, SE23, SE21)
- Area
- Southwark
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What affects the price in Sydenham Hill
What you pay depends on:
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- How big the furniture is
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- Spray painting or hand painting
The finish affects the cost: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Helping us understand the room
Ahead of the design visit, we’ll typically ask about:
- Examples of the look you are after
- How you want to use the space
- Your postcode and the borough
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
We quote once we’ve seen the room. We measure the space, check the walls and floors and discuss what you’d like, then send a quote in writing. We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. To book a design visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Questions from Sydenham Hill
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Sydenham Hill?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. It helps to let us know about parking at the measuring visit, and we’ll plan around it.
Is Sydenham Hill in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes. We cover all of Southwark and the rest of London, and Sydenham Hill is part of that. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, and then we send a quote.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. You can have a desk in one alcove and cupboards in the other. We will plan the desk around how you work.
How do I get a quote?
Just use our contact form. It helps to send rough sizes and a few pictures, and then we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, followed by a written quote.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
The fitting depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
We offer spray painting in the workshop and hand painting on site. A sprayed finish is very smooth and even. We talk through both during the design visit.
Looking after your furniture
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Let us know about parking and access at the design visit
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. A full shelf of books is heavier than it looks, so spreading them out helps the shelves stay level.
Watch for damp marks on the chimney breast or the walls near the units. The cause is a job for the right trade, not something paint will hide, and it’s easier to deal with before it spreads.
Do you need alcove units in Sydenham Hill?
Often the alcoves are simply the biggest unused space in the room. Off-the-shelf furniture rarely fits them, so there are gaps at the sides and the top. A fitted unit fills the recess.
Here’s what alcove units can help with:
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Everyday clutter left on show
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Somewhere to keep books and records
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Church of St Bartholomew, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Are the boards named, like MDF or plywood?
What happens on fitting day
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room and lift the floor protection. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and answer any questions. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Post-war blocks often have shared stairwells and lifts, so alcove units are made in sections sized for each. If the building has rules on lift use or working hours, it’s useful to tell us during the design visit.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you.
- You receive a quote in writing setting out the units, materials and finish.
- The units are built in our workshop.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Preparing the room
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Tell us about parking near your home
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
Starting with a design visit
To get a quote, send us a few details through our contact form and let us know which room you have in mind and roughly what you’d like. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and a written quote follows.
Read more
Nearby places to Sydenham Hill
More for homes in Sydenham Hill
Sydenham Hill homes and alcove units
In the area around Sydenham Hill, the largest groups of homes date from between 1945 and 1972 (about 48%) and before 1919 (about 19%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Part of Sydenham Hill is in the Dulwich Wood Conservation Area, one of the conservation areas recorded by Historic England. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. Red routes, run by TfL, have strict rules on stopping and loading. If you live on or close to a main road in Sydenham Hill, let us know at the measuring visit. It lets us plan the stop before fitting day.
If you live in a period home close to Church of St Philip the Apostle, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If you live near Long Meadow, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
Sydenham Hill is in the London Borough of Southwark, about 2 miles north of East Dulwich. Homes in Sydenham Hill are part of the area we cover for alcove units. We cover places right across Southwark, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
Every address in SE26, SE23 and SE21 is covered for alcove units. Our area takes in homes on streets like Grange Lane, Dallas Road and Lyall Avenue, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Other places close to Sydenham Hill include West Dulwich (1 mile west), Sydenham (1 mile south-east), Crystal Palace (1 mile south), Dulwich (1 mile north-west) and Gipsy Hill (1 mile south-west). Other parts of Southwark we cover include East Dulwich (2 miles north), Herne Hill (2 miles north-west), Bermondsey (4 miles north), Elephant and Castle (5 miles north), Bankside (5 miles north) and Southwark (5 miles north).
Local landmarks in Sydenham Hill
In Sydenham Hill, that includes homes near Sydenham School, Kirkdale School and The Wood House, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Sydenham Hill station, roughly 0.5 miles west. Nearby you will also find St Christopher's Hospice (0.9 miles south-east) and Horniman Museum and Gardens (0.6 miles north-east). Not far away are Dulwich Upper Wood and Knight's Hill.
What it’s made from
Spray-painted finish
A sprayed coat covers edges and corners evenly, which suits panelled doors. The colour is agreed with you before we start.
Shelves
We set shelf spacing around what you own so tall books and records have room. Upper shelves can be shallower for a lighter look.