Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
City of London · London
Blackfriars Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Blackfriars starts with a design visit, and everything is made in our workshop.
- Shelving for books and records
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
Need alcove units in Blackfriars?
How we make alcove units for Blackfriars
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that sit as part of the room. Where a room in Blackfriars has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it after we’ve measured them at a design visit. If your home has clutter with nowhere to go and walls too uneven for standard furniture, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish can solve it.
Around Blackfriars, where many homes date from the post-war decades, a living room often has plain walls and simple skirtings, so there are fewer mouldings to cut around. That gives alcove units a clean line from floor to ceiling, with low cupboards, open shelves or both. Wall types can vary within one home, so we check each wall and choose fixings to suit it.
The written quote is your record of the job. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it’s made from and how it is finished, and it’s what the workshop builds to.
- Location
- Blackfriars (SE1, EC1M, EC1N)
- Area
- City of London
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Living-room storage in Blackfriars
In the area around Blackfriars, the largest groups of homes date from between 1945 and 1972 (about 40%) and the years since 2000 (about 27%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. Within a mile of the centre of Blackfriars, 35 conservation areas are recorded by Historic England. England has around 10,000 in all, and their controls are mainly about the outside of buildings. The whole City of London, Blackfriars included, is inside the Congestion Charge zone. Deliveries and fitting days are planned with the zone’s rules and the City’s loading restrictions in mind.
Dr Johnson's House, about 0.2 miles north-west, 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. If your home is one of the older houses near St Ann Blackfriars, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. Near listed buildings like Apothecaries Hall, under half a mile north-east of the centre of Blackfriars, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent.
Blackfriars is about 1 mile east of City of London, in the City of London. Homes in Blackfriars are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. Our the City of London coverage includes Blackfriars.
We make alcove units across SE1, EC1M and EC1N for alcove units. Streets in the area include Oat Lane, Bear Lane and Shoe Lane, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Main roads around Blackfriars include the A4 and A40. We also cover Temple (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile west), Bankside (1 mile south-east), Smithfield (1 mile north) and Clare Market (1 mile west).
What’s near Blackfriars
In Blackfriars, that includes homes near London Nautical School, St Mary-at-Hill and St Alban's Church of England Primary School and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include Barts Health Archives (close by, under half a mile north-east) and The Black Friar pub (less than half a mile south-east). There is a railway station in Blackfriars itself: London Blackfriars station. Nearby you’ll also find Montfichet's Tower (close by, under half a mile north-east) and St Brides Crypt Museum (close by, under half a mile north-west). Green spaces nearby include St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Neighbourhoods near Blackfriars
Other services in Blackfriars
What it is made from
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is also good for drawer boxes, where strength matters. It is painted to match the rest of the unit, or the edge is left as a detail.
Moisture-resistant MDF
With no grain to show through, MDF keeps the painted surface smooth and even. Moisture-resistant MDF is what we use for fitted work.
How fitting day works
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In a post-war block of flats, the route in may include communal stairs, landings and a lift, so alcove units are made in sections sized for each. If the building has rules on lift use or working hours, it is useful to tell us at the measuring visit.
- You get in touch and describe the alcoves you want to fill.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square.
- You get a quote in writing for the units, materials and finish.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall. Spray-painted units arrive finished; hand-painted ones are painted once fitted.
Preparing the room
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Arranging a design visit
The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, use our contact form.
Read more
Pricing alcove units in Blackfriars
Not every room costs the same, and it comes down to:
- How many doors and drawers there are
- Spray painting or hand painting
- Where a van can park, such as a permit bay or a bay suspension
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
Getting to the room affects the job as well. Narrow halls, tight stairs or a small lift may mean the furniture is made in more sections. Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit.
Before the design visit
Getting some details early makes the visit more useful. If you can, send:
- How you want to use the space
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Your postcode and the borough
We quote once we’ve seen the room. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and go through the design with you, and the written quote comes after. Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. To book a design visit, fill in our short enquiry form.
Practical tips
Fitted furniture is part of the room, so it’s worth looking after. A few pointers help:
- Plan any new sockets with your electrician before fitting
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Most hinges can be adjusted to line the doors up again, which deals with a door that starts to catch.
Use a mat under plants, vases and drinks. Wipe up spills right away.
When you need someone else
Electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering and structural work are not part of what we do. Please bear these in mind too:
- Electrical work, such as new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can fill in our short enquiry form and we’ll tell you. Our process from visit to fitting.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Birch plywood
- Panelled or flat doors
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hand-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Adjustable shelves
- Spray-painted finish
Common questions about alcove units
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Blackfriars?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Is Blackfriars in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, Blackfriars is within the area we cover, which takes in all of the City of London and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, and then we send a quote.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Size, doors and drawers, what goes inside and the finish all affect it, along with access and parking. We send a written quote after the design visit.
Will alcove units fit if my walls aren’t straight?
Yes. Each alcove is measured at the design visit, make the units in our workshop and trim the edges on site to meet the wall, which closes the gaps you’d see with standard furniture.
How do I get started?
Just drop us a line using the contact form. It helps to send rough sizes and a few photos, and then we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. Ideally it’s done before fitting. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.