Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Haringey · London
Alcove units in Fortis Green, Haringey
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Fortis Green. Every piece is made at our workshop and fitted in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Storage that suits a period room
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
Alcove units in Fortis Green
How we make alcove units for Fortis Green
We fit alcove units across Haringey and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit to measure the alcoves and agree the layout. After that we send a quote in writing; the units are then built in our workshop and fitted in your home. If your home has alcoves that are wasted space and everyday clutter left on show, that is what alcove units are for, made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Ceilings in homes built before 1919 are often taller than in later houses, and around Fortis Green, a large share of homes are that age. That gives full-height alcove units room to reach the picture rail or the cornice, with the top line set to match the room’s own mouldings. Where a fireplace has been blocked up, the chimney still needs ventilating, and any damp is sorted before units go in.
Everything we agree during the design visit goes into the written quote: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If you’d like to change anything, it’s easier before the furniture is made.
- Place
- Fortis Green (N10, N2, N6)
- Area
- Haringey
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it is made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Materials and finish
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Looking after your furniture
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. Here are a few tips worth knowing:
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, like a record player
- Note any vent or air brick on the chimney breast
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
Paint is dry to the touch well before it has fully cured. For the first while, treat the units gently: lift things onto the shelves rather than sliding them, and don’t scrub the surfaces.
If a damp patch appears near a unit, look into it early. The cause is a job for the right trade, not something paint will hide.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Bought units stop at standard heights, so there’s often wasted space overhead. We can take a bespoke unit to the ceiling or stop it at the picture rail, whichever looks right in your room. Ready-made pieces are proportioned for newer homes and can look lost in an older one, while fitted furniture can follow the room’s own lines.
Access to the room makes a difference too. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying, and that is part of the price. Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit.
Why choose us
- A design visit, then a written quote
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
Take a look at our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and how to compare quotes.
How fitting day works
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Scribing is done on site, which means some cutting in the room or close by, so we ask for a clear space to work near the room. Dust is kept down and cleared up as we go. Hand painting, if that is your finish, can follow the fitting.
- To begin, message us from the contact page; a brief note on the alcoves is plenty.
- We visit to measure the alcoves, talk through the design and check the route from the street to the room. Parking is worth mentioning too, since a van often needs a permit or a paid bay in London.
- Your written quote sets out the design, materials and finish.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- On fitting day the sections come in, are joined in place and scribed to the walls.
Before fitting day
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
Arranging a design visit
It helps to see the room before we come. A few pictures showing the walls, the corners and where the ceiling meets them tell us a lot about the space, particularly with rough sizes. To send them over, drop us a line using the contact form, and we’ll suggest a time for a design visit.
Related advice
FAQs: alcove units in Fortis Green
My home in Fortis Green 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. 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.
Do you cover homes near Alexandra Palace station?
Yes. We cover all of Haringey and the rest of London. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Fortis Green?
Just send us a few details through our contact form. It’s useful to send rough measurements and a few pictures, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a quote in writing.
Do photos help?
Yes, they help. Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space. To send them, get in touch through our contact form.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. You do not need to watch us work.
Is it possible to have a desk built into one alcove?
Yes. You can have a desk in one alcove and cupboards in the other if you want the two sides to differ. We’ll plan the desk around how you work.
Built-in living-room furniture in Fortis Green
In the neighbourhood around Fortis Green, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 56%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 21%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Fortis Green include Odeon Cinema (Grade II*), under half a mile south-east, and St James's Church Hall (Grade II), less than half a mile south-east. If your own home is listed, changes inside that alter its character, like fixing into or removing original joinery, can require listed building consent. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. Strict stopping rules apply on red routes, which TfL runs. If your home is on or just off a main road, it helps to mention it. That way we can plan where to load and unload.
For an older house near United Reformed Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. Heath Hall, about 1.4 miles south-west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Fortis Green is about 4 miles east of Tottenham, part of the London Borough of Haringey. We work across all London boroughs and the City of London, and Fortis Green is part of that. Fortis Green is one of 23 places on our list for Haringey.
We work across the N10, N2 and N6 postcode area for alcove units. We cover homes on streets such as Hill Road, Durham Road and Steeds Road, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. Fortis Green sits close to the A504. If your home is on one of them, tell us at the measuring visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Other places close to Fortis Green include Muswell Hill (1 mile east), East Finchley (1 mile west), Highgate (1 mile south), Crouch End (1 mile south-east) and Hampstead Garden Suburb (2 miles south-west). Other parts of Haringey we cover include Tottenham (4 miles east), Noel Park (2 miles east), Wood Green (2 miles east), Tottenham Green (3 miles east), South Tottenham (3 miles east) and Seven Sisters (3 miles east).
What’s near Fortis Green
We fit furniture in homes around Tollington School, The Clissold Arms and Our Lady of Muswell Catholic Primary School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Alexandra Palace station, roughly 1.4 miles east. A little further out are Coppetts Wood Hospital (0.7 miles north) and Kenwood House (1.6 miles south-west). Open spaces near Fortis Green include Glebelands Local Nature Reserve.
Places near Fortis Green
Other services in Fortis Green
Is it time for alcove units?
A bedroom’s alcoves are often the best place for a wardrobe. A fitted alcove cupboard holds clothes without filling the floor, which matters in a smaller room.
Here are some of the needs we are asked about most:
- Storage that suits a period room
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
If your children go to Fortismere School or a school nearby, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
What to check before you book
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- How the furniture will be finished, and where
- Where they’ll park and unload
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
Where other trades come in
Damp treatment and building work are for other specialists, so these points are worth knowing:
- Decorating the rest of the room
- Plastering or repairing loose plaster in the alcoves
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can drop us a line using the contact form and we’ll tell you. How a job runs, step by step.
What it is made from
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Spray-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Panelled or flat doors
- Adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish