Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Barnet Alcove Units
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Barnet. We measure, design and quote first, then make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Shelving for books and records
Ask about alcove units in Barnet
How we make alcove units for Barnet
A classic layout is a low cupboard with open shelves above. Closed cupboards hide everyday clutter, while the shelves hold books and the things you want on show. The top of the cupboard makes a useful surface at a comfortable height. We set the heights to suit the room and what you will store. Most enquiries start with cupboards in keeping with an older house and clutter with nowhere to go, and the answer is made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
Where housing types are mixed, as they are in much of London, living rooms vary a lot in shape. Some have alcoves either side of a chimney breast, some a bay window, and some neither. The design for your home in Barnet starts from its own walls, with shelves sized so they don’t sag.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the alcove unit we’ve designed for the room, what it is made from and how it’s finished, and it’s what the workshop builds to.
- Location
- Barnet (EN5, EN4, N20, N11)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How it’s made
Spray-painted finish
Because the units are sprayed before they come to you, there’s less painting to do in your home, in the colour agreed with you. Give the paint time to cure fully once fitted.
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribing means trimming the edges on site so they follow the wall. It is how a straight unit meets a wall that isn’t straight.
FAQs: alcove units in Barnet
Do you make alcove units for homes in Barnet?
Yes, Barnet is within the area we cover, which takes in all of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Barnet?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to let us know about parking at the measuring visit.
How long will the fitting take?
The time on site depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The units are made in our workshop first, so the time in your home is mostly fitting, scribing and finishing.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
It’s up to you. Matching units give a balanced, formal look around the chimney breast, but many people put a desk or a TV in one alcove and cupboards in the other. Shared details, like the plinth and paint colour, keep them looking related.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It needs a little planning: ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps avoid condensation and mould. Damp treatment is not something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
What affects the cost of alcove units
Prices vary from room to room, and it comes down to:
- Parking and unloading on your street
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- The width and height of the space
- Doors and drawers, and how many
Parking is part of the price picture in London. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay near your home. Let us know about parking during the design visit.
What we need to know
Ahead of the design visit, we will typically ask about:
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- Examples of the look you are after
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- Your postcode and the borough
To make a start, get in touch through our contact form and tell us which room you have in mind. We then arrange a design visit to measure and discuss the design, and a written quote follows.
Alcove units in Barnet: local notes
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 27% of the housing in the area around Barnet, with about 26% built between 1945 and 1972, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Near the centre of Barnet, Historic England’s list includes Odeon Cinema (Grade II), less than half a mile west, and Church of St Mark (Grade II), about 0.5 miles north. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features such as panelling may need listed building consent. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. Red routes are run by TfL, with tight limits on where and when vehicles can stop. If your street in Barnet joins a main road, it is worth telling us at the measuring visit. We will plan where the van can stop.
If your children go to Grasvenor Avenue Infant School or a school nearby, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. Close to Highlands Gardens? Shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green. If you live in a period home close to St John's United Reformed Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Barnet is within the London Borough of Barnet, about 3 miles south of Finchley. Whether your home in Barnet is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. We cover places right across the rest of London, large and small.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: EN5, EN4, N20 and N11. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Station Road, High Street and Sambroke Square, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Barnet sits close to the B193 and A1081. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Other places close to Barnet include Underhill (1 mile west), New Barnet (1 mile east), Monken Hadley (1 mile north-west), Hadley Wood (1 mile north-east) and Cockfosters (1 mile east). Other parts of the rest of London we cover include Finchley (3 miles south), Burnt Oak (4 miles south-west), East Finchley (4 miles south), Hendon (5 miles south), Whetstone (2 miles south-east) and Edgware (4 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Barnet
We fit furniture in homes around Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School and The Railway Tavern, among other places. The nearest railway station is New Barnet station, roughly 0.6 miles east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Barnet General Hospital (1.2 miles west) and Spires Shopping Centre (0.9 miles north-west). Open spaces near Barnet include Greenhill Gardens.
How fitting day works
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. On fitting day, each piece is fitted to the room’s own walls, scribed where walls bow and levelled where floors slope. Hand painting can happen on site, while spray-painted pieces come ready from the workshop.
- To begin, get in touch through our contact form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns.
- We then send a quote in writing for the units.
- 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.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls.
Before we arrive
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
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, and the written quote comes after. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. To book a design visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Read more
Looking after your furniture
Most of what helps is simple. Here’s what we suggest:
- Make the alcoves easy to reach for measuring
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Decide whether the units stop at the picture rail or run to the ceiling
Keep any chimney vent clear once the units are in, even when the cupboards fill up. Ventilation helps keep the chimney breast dry.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks, since standing water can mark painted shelves. Wipe up spills straight away.
Flats, leases and landlords
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, unloading takes some planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so let us know about it at the measuring visit.
Many London terraces have been converted into flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.