Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Lambeth · London
Tulse Hill Alcove Units
Planning alcove units for a home in Tulse Hill? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote, before anything is made.
- Alcoves that are not square
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
Alcove units in Tulse Hill
What happens on fitting day
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 the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Older London houses often have narrow hallways and tight turns on the stairs, so alcove units are made in sections sized to get through. Floors, stairs and doorways are covered before anything is carried through.
- You contact us with some details about the chimney breast and alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square. Then we go through the design together.
- You get a written quote for the units, materials and finish.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- On fitting day we level the units and scribe the edges so they follow the line of the plaster.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Keep pets in another room while we work
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Getting a quote
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, send us a few details through our contact form.
Read more
About our alcove units in Tulse Hill
Skirting boards, picture rails and coving are common in older rooms. Units can be cut around them, stop just below them or run neatly up to them, depending on the look you want. A plinth can be set to line up with the skirting. We agree these details during the design visit. 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 everyday clutter left on show and shelving for books and records.
In a house from the Victorian or Edwardian years, the chimney breast tends to survive even when the fireplace itself has been blocked up. That matters around Tulse Hill, as a large share of the homes there were built before 1919. The recesses either side take alcove units scribed to the plaster and cut around the skirting, so they sit as if they came with the house.
The quote comes in writing, so you can read it at your own pace and share it with anyone else involved. It records the design, the materials and the finish we discussed.
- Where
- Tulse Hill (SW2, SE24, SE27)
- Borough
- Lambeth
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Boards, parts and paint
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribing means trimming the edges on site so they follow the wall. This closes the gap between a straight unit and a bowed alcove.
Birch plywood
We often use birch plywood for drawer boxes too. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Tulse Hill homes and alcove units
About 46% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Tulse Hill went up before 1919, and about 23% between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. There are 12 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Tulse Hill. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. TfL’s Ultra Low Emission Zone covers every part of London, Lambeth included. It applies to every van that comes to fit furniture in Tulse Hill. Access and parking are talked through at the design visit.
Living in a block of flats near Tulse Hill station? Then check any building rules on lifts and working hours early, and the sections will be sized for the way in. For families living near St Martin-In-The-Fields High School for Girls, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Christ Church, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent.
Tulse Hill is about 2 miles north of Stockwell, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. Homes in Tulse Hill are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. We cover places right across Lambeth, large and small.
In SW2, SE24 and SE27, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. You will find streets here like Ostade Road, Medora Road and Palace Road, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. The A204 runs close to Tulse Hill; on busy main roads, unloading alcove units takes a little planning. Other places close to Tulse Hill include Streatham Hill (1 mile south-west), Brixton (1 mile north-west), Clapham Park (1 mile north-west), Hyde farm estate (1 mile west) and Streatham (1 mile south-west). Across the rest of Lambeth, our area takes in Stockwell (2 miles north), Kennington (3 miles north), North Brixton (2 miles north), Little Portugal (2 miles north), Clapham (2 miles north-west) and South Bank (4 miles north).
Local landmarks in Tulse Hill
Around Tulse Hill, we cover homes near Tulse Hill School, Fenstanton Primary School and The Commercial pub, among other places. There is a railway station in Tulse Hill itself: Tulse Hill station. A little further out are Clockworks Museum (0.9 miles south) and Dulwich Community Hospital (1.5 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Knight's Hill.
Caring for painted furniture
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. A few pointers help:
- Bring the sizes of anything that has to fit in the cupboards
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Look for a chimney vent that needs to stay clear
Paint is dry to the touch well before it has fully cured. For the first while, treat the units gently, lifting things rather than sliding them and avoiding any scrubbing.
Put coasters or mats under anything that holds water, since standing water can mark painted shelves. Wipe up spills straight away.
Flats, leases and landlords
If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before fixing furniture to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We cannot give advice on leases.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Shop-bought shelving and cabinets can go in an alcove, and they’re normally cheaper. The trouble is normally the gaps: 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. Ready-made units stop well short of a tall period ceiling, and that space collects dust instead of storage. Fitted furniture can go all the way up.
Parking is part of the price picture in London. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. It helps to talk about parking at the measuring visit.
Why work with us in Tulse Hill
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Over 300 projects completed
- Every quote follows a design visit
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made and what to look for in a quote.
Places near Tulse Hill
Other services in Tulse Hill
Your questions about alcove units in Tulse Hill
I live in a flat in Tulse Hill. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Tulse Hill?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character may need listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
How is the price worked out?
It depends on the size, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish, along with access and parking. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
Can an alcove unit include a desk?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. We plan the height and depth with you, with a route left for cables.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It’s 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.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
Someone needs to let us in at the start of the day. It’s good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.