Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Tower Hamlets · London
Alcove Units in Tower Hill
Alcove units for your home in Tower Hill: 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.
- Storage that suits a period room
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
Need alcove units in Tower Hill?
Alcove units for homes in Tower Hill
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it works best. MDF suits doors and panels because it paints so evenly, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted on site, in a colour agreed with you. People usually come to us about a desk that tucks into an alcove and worn or badly fitted alcove units; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Newer homes often come with a TV point and sockets on one wall but nothing built around them. Many homes around Tower Hill are from those years, so alcove units are normally designed around what’s already there. Any new socket is a job for your electrician.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It sets out the design we’ve talked through, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Place
- Tower Hill (SE1, E1, E1W)
- Area
- Tower Hamlets
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need alcove units in Tower Hill?
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, whether or not the fireplace is used.
Some of the things we are asked to solve include:
- Shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess
- Shelving for books and records
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Storage that suits a period room
The wider area includes historic houses like Mansion House, about 0.6 miles north-west. If your own home is a period one, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
- A quote in writing that sets out the job
- Whether the quote follows a visit to your home
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
Alcove units for homes in Tower Hill
About 49% of the homes in the area around Tower Hill went up since 2000, and about 23% between 1973 and 1999, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Part of Tower Hill is in the Tower Conservation Area, one of the conservation areas recorded by Historic England. Planning controls in conservation areas are mainly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitting furniture inside a house does not normally need permission. The council can confirm if you are not sure. Near central London, streets tend to be narrow and busy, so carrying the sections from the van to the door takes planning.
Close to William Curtis Ecological Park? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it. For an older house near Church of St Peter ad Vincula, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Tower Hill is about 1 mile north-east of Whitechapel, part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Homes in Tower Hill are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. Tower Hill is one of 31 places on our list for Tower Hamlets.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: SE1, E1 and E1W. If your home is on a street like Bush Lane, Swan Lane and Mark Lane, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Tower Hill is near the A3 and A10, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. Close by, we also work in Aldgate (1 mile north), Bishopsgate (1 mile north), Spitalfields (1 mile north), Whitechapel (1 mile north-east) and St George in the East (1 mile east). Elsewhere in Tower Hamlets, we also cover Bethnal Green (2 miles north-east), Cambridge Heath (2 miles north-east), Mile End (2 miles north-east), Bow Common (2 miles east), Bromley (3 miles north-east) and Limehouse (2 miles east). Tower Hill is among the bigger places we cover in Tower Hamlets.
What’s near Tower Hill
The streets we cover here include those near St Michael's Catholic College, Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives and Fund Academy, among other places. Nearby too are St Mary-at-Hill (close by, under half a mile north-west) and The Liberty Bounds pub (close by, under half a mile north). There’s a railway station in Tower Hill itself: London Fenchurch Street station. A little further out are Gabriel's Wharf (1.3 miles west) and London Bridge Hospital (close by, under half a mile south-west). Green spaces nearby include Ludgate Hill.
Nearby places to Tower Hill
What else we make in Tower Hill
Is bespoke worth it?
Off-the-shelf units can work in an alcove, and they normally cost less to buy. The catch is the fit: standard widths rarely match the recess, and uneven walls make every gap obvious. A bespoke unit is built to the alcove and scribed to follow the wall. In a newer flat, big flat-pack units can be hard to get into the lift or through the door, whereas fitted furniture is made in sections that fit. It’s then assembled and fixed in the room.
The finish affects the cost: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Why work with us in Tower Hill
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- Work across the whole of London
- Finished by spray or by hand
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf or how to compare quotes.
Your questions about alcove units in Tower Hill
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Typically 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, works inside that affect its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you cover homes near London Fenchurch Street station?
Yes. We cover all of Tower Hamlets and the rest of London. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
How long will the fitting take?
The fitting depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We’ll explain what to expect before we arrive.
How is the price worked out?
It depends on the size, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
Do both alcove units have to match?
It’s entirely your choice. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made for its own recess. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
What it costs
The price for your room depends on:
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size comes first. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Before the design visit
A little information at the start saves time later. Where you can, include:
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, use our contact form and let us know about the room. You receive a written quote after the visit.
From workshop to your room
There isn’t much for you to do on fitting day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and the room should already be cleared. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Parking at newer developments can be restricted, with private bays or loading areas, so tell us what applies at the measuring visit. The furniture comes in sections and is fixed in place. Saturdays can be arranged.
- 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 written quote follows, with the finish set out, ready for you to check.
- 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.
- We bring them to your home and fit them in place.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician beforehand
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
Ask for a quote
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and go through the design with you. A written quote follows the visit. To arrange the visit, message us from the contact page.
Advice
Materials and finishes
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is stiff, strong and grips screws firmly, so it is ideal for shelves and the boxes behind the doors. Its layered edge can be painted or left to show.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, giving a smooth, even, factory-like surface. It works on simple doors and on more traditional ones.