Camden · London
Alcove Units in Camden
We make alcove units for homes in all 28 neighbourhoods we list across Camden, designed after a visit and made in our workshop., made in our workshop and fitted in your home, and fitting on weekdays or Saturdays by arrangement.
Alcove Units across Camden
Where we work in Camden
We design, make and fit alcove units for homes of every age. Choose your neighbourhood from the list for local details. To get started, use the contact form.
Largest neighbourhoods
Our alcove units across Camden
Few alcoves in older houses are truly square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope, often all at once. Each unit is built in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. We make alcove units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and people most often get in touch about somewhere to keep books and records and standard units leaving gaps at the sides.
When we arrive on fitting day, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. Next, we carry in the sections made in our workshop. 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.
- To begin, tell us about the room on our contact form; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, talk through the design and check the route from the street to the room. It’s useful to tell us then about parking, as much of London is in a controlled parking zone.
- Your written quote sets out the design, materials and finish.
- In our workshop we build the units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, sized so each piece gets up the stairs and round the corners.
- On fitting day the sections come in, are joined in place and scribed to the walls.
How our quotes work
We don’t publish set prices, because every piece is designed for one room. Instead, we measure, go through the design and then quote in writing. To start, fill in our short enquiry form.
Why homeowners in Camden choose us
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Scribed to uneven walls
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
- Built around your room
Getting a quote
It helps to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them tell us a lot about the space. To share them, use our contact form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.
Around St Pancras
The streets we cover here include those near Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School, Lumen United Reformed Church and Pilsudski Institute of London and the streets around them. You’ll also find Lincoln's Inn Fields (0.7 miles south), St George the Martyr Church of England Primary School (under half a mile south), City Academy (within half a mile south-east) and Calthorpe Arms Public House (under half a mile south-east). The closest station to St Pancras is London Kings Cross station, about 0.5 miles north-west of the centre. A little further out are Foundling Museum (a few minutes’ walk west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.1 miles south-east). For a walk, there is Barnsbury Wood and Ludgate Hill.
Homes across Camden and their living rooms
If you’re in one of the older streets of Camden, expect walls that lean and floors that dip, which is why every piece is trimmed to the wall on site. Newer homes nearby tend to have stud walls instead, so the fixings change.
In Camden, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 49%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 16%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. More than a third of the homes in Camden (about 49%) were built before 1919, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). Most London houses of that age have chimney breasts with an alcove either side in the main rooms, the classic place for alcove units. About 28% of households in Camden live in flats in converted or shared houses, the 2021 Census shows. In a converted house, rooms can be odd shapes, with new partitions meeting old walls, and the route in may go through a shared hall and stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
Camden is part of the area we cover, which takes in all 32 boroughs and the City. If you are unsure about access or parking, mention it when you contact us.
St Pancras: For families living near St George the Martyr Church of England Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. If you live near Lincoln's Inn Fields, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Honest limits
We make and fit furniture, and we do not do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. There are a few other points to bear in mind:
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
Materials and finishes
Shelves
We set shelf spacing around what you own. Upper shelves can be shallower for a lighter look.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF in a moisture-resistant grade is stable and paints beautifully, which makes it our choice for doors and visible panels. It’s a good match for alcoves on an external wall.
Before and after fitting day
A little care keeps the finish looking good, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
Painted finishes feel dry quickly but take longer to cure fully. For the first while, treat the units gently: lift things onto the shelves rather than sliding them, and do not scrub the surfaces.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
Flats, leases and landlords
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.
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?
With bought furniture you are limited to the maker’s finishes. We paint ours in the colour you pick, sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand on site. They can match the walls, the woodwork or neither.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- How parking will work on your street
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
- Are the boards named, like MDF or plywood?
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
Common questions about alcove units
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
It 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 talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We also check the walls and floors and note radiators, sockets and other things in the way, and the written quote comes afterwards.
Do alcove units affect the chimney’s ventilation?
We design around any vent so it stays open. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp, which protects the units as well as the wall. Any existing damp should be dealt with before the units go in.
Can an alcove unit include a desk?
Yes. Many people use one alcove for a desk and the other for cupboards. We will plan the desk around how you work.
Is the furniture made to order?
Each piece is made in our workshop for the room it’s going into, then brought to your home and fitted. It is built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It can be done with some care: leaving ventilation behind and inside helps stop condensation. We do not treat damp, so any damp should be sorted before fitting day.
What affects the price of alcove units?
Size, doors and drawers, what goes inside and the finish all affect it, along with access and parking. The price comes in a quote in writing after the design visit.