Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Hammersmith and Fulham · London
Alcove units in West Kensington, Hammersmith and Fulham
Thinking about alcove units in West Kensington? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing, before anything is made.
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- A place for a small desk
Alcove units for your home in West Kensington
Pricing alcove units in West Kensington
The price reflects the time and materials the job needs. That depends on:
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How big the furniture is
- Parking and unloading on your street
How it is painted is part of the price: 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:
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Rough measurements: width, height and depth
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
Pictures help us understand the room before we visit. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them give us a good feel for the space. To share them, use our contact form, and we’ll suggest a time for a design visit.
About our alcove units in West Kensington
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in a colour agreed with you. Typical reasons to get in touch are a place for a small desk and walls too uneven for standard furniture; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
A large share of the homes around West Kensington were built before 1919, and in London most homes of that age are Victorian or Edwardian. Main rooms in houses like these normally have a chimney breast with an alcove on each side, which gives alcove units an obvious place to go. Because old walls bow and floors slope, the units are scribed to follow the wall and levelled at the base, then cut neatly around the skirting and any picture rail or cornice.
The quote comes in writing, so you can read it at your own pace and share it with anyone else involved. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Where
- West Kensington (W14, SW6, SW5)
- Borough
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, conversions and lettings
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, often to make the most of a small or awkward room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. Lifts sometimes need to be booked, and the lift size helps decide how big each section can be. Tell us about it when you contact us.
Alcove units in West Kensington: local notes
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around West Kensington were built before 1919 (about 68%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 11%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. West Kensington is partly covered by a conservation area, going by Historic England’s data. Fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission in a conservation area, as the controls are largely about how buildings look from outside. If in doubt, the council’s planning team can confirm. About 53% of households in the streets around West Kensington live in purpose-built flats, based on Census 2021. For a flat, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early.
Living in a block of flats near Kensington Olympia station? Then each piece is planned so it can be carried up and joined together in the room. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Church of St Cuthbert and St Matthias, 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.
West Kensington is within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, about 1 mile south of Fulham. We cover West Kensington as part of our work across Hammersmith and Fulham. Our work takes in places right across Hammersmith and Fulham, large and small.
In W14, SW6 and SW5, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. We cover homes on streets like Sun Road, Star Road and Field Road, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. We also cover the places around West Kensington: North End (1 mile west), Brook Green (1 mile north-west), Fulham (1 mile south), Hammersmith (1 mile west) and Brackenbury Village (1 mile north-west). Elsewhere in Hammersmith and Fulham, we also cover Chelsea Harbour (2 miles south-east), Sands End (2 miles south-east), White City (2 miles north-west), College Park (3 miles north-west) and Old Oak Common (3 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in West Kensington
Around West Kensington, we cover homes near Seven Stars pub, Avonmore Primary School and Abdus Salam Library, among other places. West Kensington’s nearest station is Kensington Olympia station, roughly 0.5 miles north. Well-known places in the area include Fulham Hospital (0.6 miles south-west) and Chelsea Stadium Tour And Museum (1 mile south-east). Not far away are Campden Hill and WWT London Wetland Centre.
Boards, parts and paint
Shelves
How thick a shelf needs to be depends on how wide the alcove is and what it holds. Wider alcoves and heavy books need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support.
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides. Its moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice beside a chimney breast.
Why people ask for alcove units in West Kensington
For some, it’s about books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with each shelf set to suit it.
Here are some of the needs we are asked about most:
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
If you live in a period home close to St Cuthbert's, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Before you hire any carpenter
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- How they handle walls that are not straight
Places near West Kensington
More for homes in West Kensington
How fitting day works
Once the main sections are fixed in place, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly, then checked again. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. If your hall still has its original tiles or boards, they’re covered before any carrying starts. Fixings into older walls are made carefully, as lath and plaster can crack if treated roughly. Any decorating around the new pieces is for your decorator.
- You contact us about the alcoves you want to fill.
- A design visit follows, where we measure up and agree the layout with you. If one alcove needs a desk or a TV space, this is when we plan it.
- A written quote 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.
Before we arrive
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
Arranging a design visit
Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, once the room is measured and the design talked through. To arrange a visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
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FAQs: alcove units in West Kensington
Do you make alcove units for homes in West Kensington?
Yes, we work across Hammersmith and Fulham, West Kensington included, and across the rest of London. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
My home in West Kensington is a period house with walls that are not straight. Is that a problem?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
Do both alcove units have to match?
That’s your choice. A matching pair balances the chimney breast, but you might want a desk on one side and cupboards on the other. Shared details, such as the plinth and paint colour, keep them looking related.
Can an alcove unit include a desk?
Yes. One alcove can take a desk with shelves above and a drawer or cupboard beneath. Height and depth are agreed with you, with a way planned for cables to reach the sockets.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in West Kensington?
Simply send us a few details through our contact form. Rough measurements and a few photos help, and then we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, followed by a quote in writing.
Do alcove units need to reach the ceiling?
That’s your choice. Some people take the units right to the ceiling for the most storage, while a low cupboard with shelves above keeps the room feeling lighter. We talk through the options during the design visit.