Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Islington · London
Alcove Units in Angel
In Angel, we design alcove units around the room you actually have. Your alcove unit is designed at a visit to your home and made in our workshop.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
Need alcove units in Angel?
How we make alcove units for Angel
Many people choose cupboards at low level and shelves above them. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, 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. We set the heights to suit the room and what you will store. We make alcove units from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed, and the things people most often want solved are worn or badly fitted alcove units and clutter with nowhere to go.
With most households around Angel in purpose-built flats, getting the furniture into the building matters as much as the design. Alcove units are made in sections sized to go up the stairs, into the lift and through the front door, then joined and scribed in the room. A lease can require consent before you fix furniture to the walls, so it is worth checking first.
We write quotes in plain English. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish.
- Where
- Angel (N1, N1P, EC1V)
- Area
- Islington
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Your questions about alcove units in Angel
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Angel?
At the design visit, we measure the way in along with the room itself. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to London Kings Cross station?
Yes, homes across Islington and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can get in touch through our contact form with some details about the room, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Angel?
Just send us a few details through our contact form. Rough measurements and a few photos help, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
We do not do electrical work. New or moved sockets are a job for your electrician, ideally before fitting. We can plan cut-outs and cable routes in the units around them.
Can the two alcove units be different?
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. We can keep the details the same so they still look like a pair.
Should I send photos?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough measurements. It is useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Conversions and newer flats often have stud walls rather than solid brick. We choose fixings to suit the wall, which we check during the design visit.
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so it is worth raising at the measuring visit.
Other services in Angel
What happens on fitting day
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and explain how to look after the paint. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. For a flat, the stairs, landings, lift and doors are measured not just the room: alcove units are made in sections sized for each of them. Mansion block lifts can be small, and some blocks have no lift at all, which the design allows for.
- You send us some details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- We send a written quote for the units, for you to read through at your own pace.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- 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
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
How to get a quote
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. Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. To book a design visit, send us a few details through our contact form.
Advice
Built-in living-room furniture in Angel
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Angel were built before 1919 (about 39%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 23%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Angel include Sadler House (Grade II*), less than half a mile south, and Wells House (Grade II*), under half a mile south. Listing covers the inside of a building as well as the outside, so works that affect a listed home’s character, like removing original joinery, may need listed building consent. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. Parking on many inner London streets is controlled, with zones run by each borough. A van working in Angel will typically need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension arranged through the council, which often needs notice. Let us know about parking near your home during the design visit.
For families living near St John Evangelist RC Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. If you live in a period home close to St Mark's Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If you live near Barnard Park, a room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Angel is within the London Borough of Islington, about 1 mile north of Highbury. Anywhere in Angel, the process is the same: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. Our work takes in places right across Islington.
We work across the N1, N1P and EC1V postcode area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street such as City Road, Noel Road and Dewey Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. The A501 run close to Angel, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. Other places close to Angel include Pentonville (1 mile north-east), Clerkenwell (1 mile south), Islington (1 mile north), St Pancras (1 mile south-west) and Kings Cross (1 mile west). We also make alcove units in nearby places such as Holloway (2 miles north), Mildmay (2 miles north-east), Upper Holloway (3 miles north-west), Nag's Head (2 miles north), Newington Green (2 miles north-east) and Tufnell Park (2 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Angel
Around Angel, we cover homes near Pilsudski Institute of London, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School and The Angel pub, among other places. The closest station to Angel is London Kings Cross station, about 0.7 miles west. Nearby you will also find Brunswick Centre (0.9 miles south-west) and Finsbury Health Centre (0.5 miles south). For a walk, there is Barnsbury Wood and Ludgate Hill.
Boards, parts and paint
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribe strips are the edges we trim on site to follow the wall. It’s how a straight unit meets a wall that isn’t straight.
Spray-painted finish
Spraying in the workshop means the units arrive already finished. Treat the units gently while the paint cures fully.
What it costs
There is no set price, because there is no set room. What affects it comes down to:
- How big the furniture is
- Where a van can park, such as a permit bay or a bay suspension
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- Awkward walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension. Tell us about parking at the design visit, so it can be planned.
What to send when you get in touch
To give us a picture of the room, it helps to include:
- Rough measurements, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- What the furniture needs to hold
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
A quote begins with some details from you: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of photos if you can take them. When you’re ready, fill in our short enquiry form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Could you do it yourself?
If you are handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. Sloping ceilings, uneven floors and lath-and-plaster walls make it harder, where scribing and fixings that suit the wall are important.
The real difference is in the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.