Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Ealing · London
Alcove Units in Bedford Park
Alcove units in Bedford Park: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- Space for a growing book collection
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
Alcove units designed for your room
Alcove units in Bedford Park
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, often all at once. Each unit is made in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the sides meet the wall closely rather than showing a dark line. Adjustable feet or a plinth set it level. Typical reasons to get in touch are everyday clutter left on show and units that sit well with original features, and the answer is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
With a large share of homes around Bedford Park built before 1919, plenty of living rooms are two reception rooms knocked into one, each with its own chimney breast. One pair of alcoves might take shelves and the other cupboards, a TV or a desk. Older internal walls can be lath and plaster rather than brick, which changes how shelving is fixed, and long shelves are sized so they do not sag under books.
A written quote is the clearest record of what we’ve agreed. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it is made from and how it is finished, and it’s what the workshop builds to.
- Location
- Bedford Park (W4, W3, W12)
- Borough
- Ealing
- 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
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Looking after your furniture
The finish lasts best with a little care, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. Here are our suggestions:
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, such as a record player
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
Load the shelves evenly rather than piling weight in the middle. Books weigh more than most people expect, and an even load keeps the shelves straight.
Now and then, check handles and hinges are still tight.
What prompts alcove units in Bedford Park
Often the alcoves are simply the biggest unused space in the room. Standard furniture seldom fits an alcove, leaving gaps at the sides and above. A fitted unit fills the recess.
Here are some of the needs we are asked about most:
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Somewhere to keep books and records
If you live in a period home close to St Peter's, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Choosing a carpenter
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- How parking will work on your street
- Whether they can show you real projects they’ve done
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
Places near Bedford Park
Also in Bedford Park
Flats, conversions and lettings
Blocks of flats often have their own rules on lift bookings, entry systems and times for trades. Let us know about them at the measuring visit.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it, once we have measured the way in.
Built-in living-room furniture in Bedford Park
About 55% of the homes in the area around Bedford Park went up before 1919, and about 20% since 2000, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Within a mile of the centre of Bedford Park, 13 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. About 42% of households in the neighbourhood around Bedford Park live in purpose-built flats, the 2021 Census shows. For a flat, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Many blocks have rules on lift booking and working hours, so check with the managing agent before fitting day.
For families living near Southfield Primary School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design. Hogarth's House, about 0.9 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Bedford Park is part of the London Borough of Ealing, about 2 miles west of Ealing. We can visit homes in Bedford Park on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. We cover places right across Ealing.
We make alcove units across W4, W3 and W12. Our area takes in homes on streets like Meon Road, Kent Road and Bath Road, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Nearby, we also make alcove units in Acton Green (1 mile west), Acton Vale (1 mile north-east), Acton (1 mile north), South Acton (1 mile west) and Hanger Hill (2 miles north-west). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Ealing (2 miles west), Southall (5 miles west), Greenford (5 miles north-west), Northolt (6 miles north-west), Northfields (2 miles west) and South Ealing (2 miles west).
Around Bedford Park
Around Bedford Park, we cover homes near Ark Soane Academy, The Duke Of Sussex Public House and Leap Service - the National Autistics Society. Bedford Park has its own railway station: South Acton station. Nearby you’ll also find Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital (1.5 miles north-east) and Livat Hammersmith (1.5 miles east).
What happens on fitting day
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and answer any questions. 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. Parking on terraced streets can be tight, particularly in a controlled parking zone, so details of permits, bays and any loading restrictions help. The van is unloaded quickly, with the sections carried straight in. Saturday fitting can be arranged.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- We come to measure the alcoves, look at the walls and agree the design with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop, 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
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote starts with a few details: the room, rough measurements and some pictures if you have them. When you are ready, fill in our short enquiry form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Advice
Questions from Bedford Park
My home in Bedford Park is a period house with walls that aren’t 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. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to South Acton station?
Yes, homes across Ealing and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can send us a few details through our contact form with a few details about the room.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch, and we’ll see what we can do.
Can I send pictures ahead of the visit?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit. Show anything the furniture has to work around, such as radiators or sockets.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Bedford Park?
It is easiest to message us from the contact page. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted finish in your home. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
What affects the cost of alcove units
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The number of doors and drawers
- Spray painting or hand painting
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Helping us understand the room
Before the design visit, it helps us to know about:
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- The type of home and how the room is reached
To get a quote, fill in our short enquiry form and tell us which room you have in mind and what you want the furniture to do. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and a written quote follows.