Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Haringey · London
Alcove units in Broadwater Farm, Haringey
Alcove units for your home in Broadwater Farm: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We visit to measure and talk through the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
Ask about alcove units in Broadwater Farm
How we make alcove units for Broadwater Farm
We work across London, including Broadwater Farm. The first step is a design visit to measure the alcoves and agree the layout. Then you receive a quote; the units are then made in our workshop and fitted in your home. People normally come to us about bare alcoves beside the fireplace and shelving for books and records; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Picture rails, deep skirting boards and plaster cornices are part of the character of older houses, and they set the lines that alcove units have to meet. A large share of the housing around Broadwater Farm went up before 1919, so those details are worth looking at closely at the measuring visit. The top of the furniture can stop at the picture rail or carry on to the cornice, whichever suits the room.
You get the quote in writing, so there is time to read it properly. It covers the design, materials and finish agreed at the visit.
- Location
- Broadwater Farm (N17, N15, N22)
- Borough
- Haringey
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Boards, parts and paint
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides, ready for a spray-painted or hand-painted finish. The moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice next to a chimney breast.
Birch plywood
Birch plywood helps shelves stay straight under books over a wider alcove. Thickness is chosen to suit the span and the weight.
Questions from Broadwater Farm
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Broadwater Farm?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can you make alcove units for a home in Broadwater Farm?
Yes, Broadwater Farm is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Haringey and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and discuss the design, followed by a quote.
Should both alcoves have the same units?
That depends on how you use the room. The two alcoves are often slightly different sizes. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
Who moves the sockets behind the alcove units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. It’s best done before the units go in so the sockets line up with the design. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Most of the making happens in our workshop, so the time in your home is mostly fitting, scribing and finishing.
Will alcove units fit if my walls aren’t straight?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. Adjustable feet or a plinth take care of a floor that slopes.
Living-room storage in Broadwater Farm
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Broadwater Farm were built before 1919 (about 48%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 19%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The National Heritage List has 25 entries within half a mile of the centre of Broadwater Farm. Older homes nearby may have original joinery, shutters or panelling worth keeping, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. The ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) now covers the whole of London, Haringey included. That includes the vans that bring and fit furniture in Broadwater Farm. We go through parking and access at the design visit.
If you live in a period home close to St Philip the Apostle, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, like Tower to South West of Bruce Castle, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. If you live near Bruce Castle Park, alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
Broadwater Farm is about 1 mile east of Tottenham, within the London Borough of Haringey. We can visit homes in Broadwater Farm on weekdays, or on a Saturday by prior arrangement. Broadwater Farm is one of the places in Haringey where we make alcove units.
Every home in N17, N15 and N22 is covered for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Streets in the area include High Road, Ripon Road and Clyde Road, and we cover homes on all of them for alcove units. Broadwater Farm sits close to the A10. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Tottenham (1 mile east), West Green (1 mile south-west), Tottenham Green (1 mile south-east), Duckett's Green (1 mile south-west) and South Tottenham (1 mile south-east). Across the rest of Haringey, our area takes in Crouch End (2 miles south-west), Finsbury Park (2 miles south-west), Bounds Green (2 miles north-west), Hornsey (2 miles west), Stroud Green (2 miles south-west) and Highgate (3 miles south-west).
Near you in Broadwater Farm
Our area takes in the homes around Bruce Castle School, The Beehive Public House and Park View School. The nearest railway station is Bruce Grove station, roughly 0.5 miles east. Well-known places in the area include The Mall Wood Green (1.2 miles west) and North Middlesex University Hospital (1.3 miles north). For a walk, there’s Railway Fields.
DIY, flat-pack or bespoke
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that are not square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths.
It’s worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture usually costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
Nearby places to Broadwater Farm
More for homes in Broadwater Farm
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
In fairness, standalone furniture comes with you when you move. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and are left behind when you go. Which suits you depends on your plans. Standard furniture is drawn for modern rooms, so its proportions can look odd in a tall period room, whereas fitted pieces can pick up the room’s height and mouldings, with panels and details to suit the house.
Awkward rooms take more time: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. That’s reflected in the quote, which we write after seeing the room.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Broadwater Farm
- Designed for the room you have
- Saturdays by arrangement
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Edges scribed to follow your walls
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made and what to look for in a quote.
How fitting works for alcove units
With the carcasses fixed and level, we hang any doors and fit any drawers or lids. Each one is adjusted until the gaps are even and it closes cleanly, and then we check it all again. How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Original hallway tiles and old floorboards are worth protecting, so they’re covered before anything comes in. Drilling into lath and plaster is done with care, so the plaster around stays sound. Decorating around the furniture afterwards is for your decorator.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, 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.
- We send a quote in writing for the units, so you can look it over in your own time.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
How to get a quote
Pictures help us understand the room before we visit. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line tell us a lot about the space, particularly with rough measurements. To share them, get in touch through our contact form, and we will suggest a time for a design visit.
Read more
Caring for painted furniture
Getting the most from alcove units starts with the planning and carries on after fitting day. Here are some things worth bearing in mind:
- Mention parking and access when we visit
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, like a record player
- Decide what goes behind doors and what goes on show
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. A full shelf of books is heavier than it looks.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for, so mention heavy collections when we plan the unit.