Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Camden · London
Alcove Units in Belsize Park
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. We make alcove units for homes in Belsize Park, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Shelving for books and records
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Alcoves that aren’t square
Alcove units for your home in Belsize Park
Is bespoke worth it?
Alcoves vary in depth, and the chimney breast decides how far a unit can come out. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. Bespoke units are made to the depth you want, whether that’s flush with the breast or a little shallower. Alcoves and recesses in period houses are rarely a standard width or depth, so off-the-shelf pieces either do not fit or leave a gap either side. Furniture made for the space fills it.
There is no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. We measure up, discuss the design and send a written quote, naming the materials and finish. To start, get in touch through our contact form.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Belsize Park
- Edges scribed to follow your walls
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- A design visit, then a written quote
- Over 300 projects completed
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or how to compare quotes.
How we make alcove units for Belsize Park
We work across London, including Belsize Park. It starts with a design visit, where we measure the alcoves and go through the design. After that we send a written quote, and once you are happy the units are made in our workshop and fitted in your home. If your home has walls too uneven for standard furniture and worn or badly fitted alcove units, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
A large share of the homes around Belsize Park were built before 1919, which in London mostly means Victorian and Edwardian houses. Houses of that age normally have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, and those alcoves are the natural home for alcove units. 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.
We write quotes in plain English, without jargon. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, all taken from the design visit.
- Place
- Belsize Park (NW3, NW5, NW1)
- Area
- Camden
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting works for alcove units
On the morning of the fitting, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. The sections made in our workshop come in next, one at a time. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so it helps to let neighbours know about fitting day. The sections are sized for the narrowest point on the route. Saturdays can be arranged.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and talk through the design, including the paint finish. You can choose a spray-painted finish from our workshop or a hand-painted one done in your home.
- A quote in writing follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- We make the units in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF, which takes paint well, and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
Preparing the room
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Empty the space we will be working in
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
How to get a quote
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly at the measuring visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, message us from the contact page with some details about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Read more
Flats, leases and landlords
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, as it makes good use of an tricky room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
Could you do it yourself?
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.
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there is often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can use the full height and width.
Common questions about alcove units
My house in Belsize Park is Victorian. Can you deal with uneven walls?
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. We also work around skirting boards, picture rails and cornices. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Is parking a problem for fitting in Belsize Park?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. It’s useful to tell us about parking at the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
What materials do you use?
We use moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF is stable and takes paint well, while birch plywood is strong and holds screws well.
Can you make alcove units for a home in Belsize Park?
Yes. Belsize Park is part of the area we cover. To get a quote, fill in our short enquiry form.
Do both alcove units have to match?
It is 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.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Belsize Park?
Just send us a few details through our contact form. Rough sizes and a few photos help, and we’ll arrange a design visit.
Belsize Park homes and alcove units
About 46% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Belsize Park went up before 1919, and about 23% between 1945 and 1972, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. There are 88 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Belsize Park. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. Strict stopping rules apply on red routes, which TfL runs. Where a home in Belsize Park is on or beside a main road, it’s useful to mention that at the design visit. We can then plan where the van will stop.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Belsize Fire Station, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. If you live in a period home close to Church of St Mary the Virgin, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Belsize Park is about 2 miles south-east of St Pancras, part of the London Borough of Camden. We can visit homes in Belsize Park on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. Belsize Park is one of the places in Camden where we make alcove units.
In NW3, NW5 and NW1, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. If your home is on a street such as Eton Road, Lawn Road and Ornan Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. We also cover the places around Belsize Park: Haverstock (1 mile north), Primrose Hill (1 mile south), South Hampstead (1 mile west), Swiss Cottage (1 mile west) and Chalk Farm (1 mile east). We also make alcove units in nearby places like St Pancras (2 miles south-east), West End (3 miles south-east), St Giles (3 miles south-east), Seven Dials (3 miles south-east), Holborn (3 miles south-east) and Bloomsbury (2 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Belsize Park
We fit furniture in homes around St. Mary's Town and Country School, Cecil Sharp House and The Washington pub and the streets around them. Belsize Park’s nearest station is South Hampstead station, about 0.7 miles west. Well-known places in the area include O2 Centre (0.8 miles west) and Isokon Gallery (0.5 miles north). For a walk, there’s Adelaide Nature Reserve.
The problems alcove units solve
Often the alcoves are simply the biggest unused space in the room. Off-the-shelf furniture rarely fits them, leaving gaps at the sides and above. A fitted unit fills the recess from wall to wall.
A few of the things people ask us to solve include:
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
For a family home near Fine Arts College, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else.
Choosing a carpenter
- Have they thought about parking near you?
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Will the quote be in writing?