Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Alcove units in Burlington Estate, Westminster
In Burlington Estate, we design alcove units around the room you actually have. We design your alcove unit at a visit to your home, make it in our workshop and fit it.
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Room to work in an alcove
- Clutter with nowhere to go
Need alcove units in Burlington Estate?
Materials and finishes
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, giving a smooth, even, factory-like surface. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, which makes it a good choice for shelves and carcasses. You can paint its layered edge or leave it on show.
Alcove units in Burlington Estate: what you get
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that look as though they belong there. Where a room in Burlington Estate has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it after we’ve measured them at a design visit. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted, and the things people most often want solved are somewhere to keep books and records and worn or badly fitted alcove units.
Victorian and Edwardian houses were built with solid brick outside walls, and internal walls may be brick or lath and plaster. Since a large share of the homes around Burlington Estate date from before 1919, we check which you have before deciding how alcove units are fixed. Lath and plaster needs a lighter touch and the right fixings, particularly behind loaded shelves.
Our quotes are written in plain words. You’ll see what will be made, the boards used and the finish, taken from what we agreed at the visit.
- Where
- Burlington Estate (W1K, W1F, W1D)
- Area
- Westminster
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Burlington Estate
Also in Burlington Estate
Living-room carpentry in Burlington Estate: local notes
The biggest shares of homes in the streets around Burlington Estate were built before 1919 (about 52%) and since 2000 (about 21%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. 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. Near the centre of Burlington Estate, Historic England’s list includes Bodley House Chambers B1 to 6 (Grade I), less than half a mile east, and Albany Courtyard (Grade I), under half a mile south-east. Where a home is listed, listed building consent can be needed for inside works that affect its character, like fixing into original panelling. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. Purpose-built flats are home to about 75% of households in the area around Burlington Estate, according to Census 2021. In a block, each section is sized to get up the stairs or into the lift and through the door. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early.
Burlington House, about 0.1 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. Close to St Anne's Churchyard? Alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. For families living near LITE Regal International School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Burlington Estate is about 1 mile north-west of City of Westminster, in the City of Westminster. Anywhere in Burlington Estate, it works the same way: we visit and measure, send a written quote, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it. Burlington Estate is one of 29 places on our list for Westminster.
We cover every part of W1K, W1F and W1D for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Duck Lane, Bruton Lane and Market Mews, or close by, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Burlington Estate is near the A4 and A401, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. Other places close to Burlington Estate include Mayfair (1 mile west), St James's (1 mile east), Chinatown (1 mile east), Soho (1 mile north-east) and City of Westminster (1 mile north-west). Across the rest of Westminster, our area takes in Paddington Green (2 miles north-west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (2 miles west), Little Venice (2 miles north-west), Westbourne Green (2 miles west) and Maida Vale (2 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Burlington Estate
Around Burlington Estate, we cover homes near Harris Westminster Sixth Form, Coach and Horses pub and Soho Parish CofE Primary School and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Burlington Estate itself: Bond Street station. Nearby you will also find St James Workhouse (under half a mile north-east) and Faraday Museum (within half a mile south-west). Not far away are St. James's Park Lake.
Pricing alcove units in Burlington Estate
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. This is what makes the difference:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- The width and height of the space
- Parking and unloading on your street
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. You will see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
What to send when you contact us
What helps most when you first contact us:
- Whether it is a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
If you know what you want, say so; if you don’t, that is fine, and we can work it out together. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote then sets it out. To start, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. Some leases need the building owner’s consent for alterations, and that is best sorted before fitting day. We can’t give advice on leases.
If the property is let, we will need access agreed with the tenants. An agent can arrange access for you.
FAQs: alcove units in Burlington Estate
Can you make alcove units for a home in Burlington Estate?
Yes, we work across Westminster, Burlington Estate included, and across the rest of London. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit.
Does a conservation area in or near Burlington Estate affect fitted furniture?
Typically 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 require listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
How long will the fitting take?
The fitting depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
How tall should alcove units be?
That depends on the room and what you’d like to store. In a tall period room, units can stop under the picture rail or the cornice. The height is settled during the design visit.
Can you add sockets inside the units?
Your electrician handles sockets and wiring. Ideally it’s done before fitting, and we can tell you where the units will sit so the sockets end up in the right place. We then plan cut-outs and cable gaps around them.
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.
From workshop to your room
If anything comes up on the day, just ask. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so the day itself is about careful fitting and leaving the room tidy. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and your quote sets out the fitting days. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so neighbours may appreciate a note before fitting day. Each section is sized for the tightest door or turn. Saturdays can be arranged.
- You tell us which room it is and roughly what you’d like in the alcoves, even if the design is only a rough idea so far.
- At the design visit, we measure both alcoves, check the walls and look at the skirting and picture rail.
- You receive a quote with the design, the materials and the paint finish.
- The cupboards and shelves are then built in our workshop.
- Fitting day: the units go in, are scribed to the alcoves and levelled on a plinth or feet.
Preparing the room
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
- Let us know about parking near your home
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
Getting a quote
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we have measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, message us from the contact page.
Related advice
Caring for painted furniture
New paint needs time to cure fully, so go gently with it for a while. Beyond that, these tips help:
- Check whether there’s a vent in the chimney breast
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
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, so a small gap or rub is easy to correct.
Every so often, check that hinges and handles haven’t worked loose.