Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Alcove Units in Grahame Park
Alcove units in Grahame Park: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, built in our workshop and fitted by us.
- Alcoves that aren’t square
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
Alcove units designed for your room
Caring for painted furniture
Most of what helps is simple. What we’d suggest:
- Check whether there is a vent in the chimney breast
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Think about what you will store before we meet
- Consider whether the units should reach the ceiling
A soft, slightly damp cloth is all painted units usually need. Avoid abrasive pads and strong cleaning sprays, as they can mark the finish. Wipe it dry when you have finished.
Now and then, check handles and hinges are still tight, and adjust any door that starts to catch.
Alcove units for homes in Grahame Park
Skirting boards, picture rails and coving are common in older rooms. Units can be cut around them, stop just below them or run neatly up to them, depending on the look you want. A plinth can be set to line up with the skirting. These details are settled when we visit, before anything is made. People normally come to us about shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess and old alcove cupboards that have seen better days, and the answer is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
Homes built since 2000 are often open-plan, with the kitchen, dining and living space in one room, and around Grahame Park many homes date from those years. In a room like that, alcove units can help separate the sitting area from the kitchen. Finished floors in newer homes mark easily, so they’re covered while we work.
A written quote follows the design visit. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you are getting.
- Where
- Grahame Park (NW9, NW7, NW4)
- Area
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Is it time for alcove units?
Where a fireplace has been blocked up or removed, the chimney breast can look bare. Units on both sides frame the chimney breast and balance the room, whether or not the fireplace is used.
Here’s what alcove units can help with:
- A place for a small desk
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- Storage that suits a period room
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
For families living near St James' Catholic High School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Choosing a carpenter
- Where they’ll park and unload
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- How they handle walls that are not straight
Built-in living-room furniture in Grahame Park
In the streets around Grahame Park, the largest groups of homes date from the years since 2000 (about 54%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 20%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. The National Heritage List records 8 entries within half a mile of the centre of Grahame Park. You can check whether a particular building is listed on Historic England’s list. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Barnet is no exception. If parking near you is controlled, a visitor permit or a bay suspension may be needed, and the council arranges suspensions, often with notice. Let us know about parking at the design visit.
If your home is one of the older houses near St Augustine Grahame Park, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place. Close to Sunny Hill Park? Alcove units can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
Grahame Park is about 3 miles east of Finchley, part of the London Borough of Barnet. We cover Grahame Park as part of our work across Barnet, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Our work takes in places right across Barnet, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
Here we cover the NW9, NW7 and NW4 postcode area for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Hall Lane, Booth Road and Harrier Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Grahame Park sits close to the M1, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. Close by, we also work in Burnt Oak (1 mile north-west), Mill Hill (1 mile north), The Hale (2 miles north-west), Edgware (2 miles north-west) and Little Stanmore (2 miles west). Other parts of Barnet we cover include Finchley (3 miles east), Barnet (4 miles north-east), East Finchley (3 miles east), Whetstone (4 miles north-east), Friern Barnet (4 miles east) and Southgate (5 miles east).
Near you in Grahame Park
The streets we cover here include those near Dollis Junior School, Blessed Dominic Catholic Primary School and The Greyhound pub, among other places. Grahame Park’s nearest station is Mill Hill Broadway station, roughly 0.9 miles north. A little further out are Church Farmhouse Museum (0.8 miles south-east) and Edgware Community Hospital (1.3 miles west). For a walk, there’s Copthall South Fields.
FAQs: alcove units in Grahame Park
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Mill Hill Broadway station?
Yes. We cover all of Barnet and the rest of London. You can message us from the contact page to arrange a design visit.
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Grahame Park?
At the design visit, we measure the way in as well as the room. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
What do you do at the measuring visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, then send a written quote.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. You don’t need to watch us work, though we like to go over the furniture with you at the end.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, by arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you get in touch.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. A plinth or adjustable feet set it level on a sloping floor.
How fitting works for alcove units
With the carcasses fixed and level, any doors go on and any drawers or lids are fitted. We adjust each one so the gaps line up and it closes cleanly. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Newer homes often have finished floors, painted walls and new doors that mark easily, so we protect the route before carrying anything in. Door frames and corners get covers too. Once inside, the pieces are joined in place.
- You contact us about the alcoves you want to fill, with a note of the room they’re in.
- A design visit follows, where we measure up and agree the layout with you.
- A written quote follows, with the finish set out, ready for you to check.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home, ready to fill. Any scribing to the walls is done on the day.
Preparing the room
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Tell us about parking near your home
Starting with a design visit
To make a start, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us a little about the room. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and a written quote follows.
Read more
Pricing alcove units in Grahame Park
When we put a quote together, we consider:
- The width and height of the space
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- Awkward walls, sloping ceilings and uneven floors
- Stairs, lifts and the route to the room
How it’s painted is part of the price: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
Before the design visit
Getting a few details early makes the visit more useful. If you can, send:
- Your postcode and the borough
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
- The type of home and how the room is reached
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit, along with the walls, floor and ceiling. To get started, fill in our short enquiry form. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
To be fair, a standalone bookcase or cabinet can go with you to your next home. Built-in units become part of the room and remain when you move on. It depends on how long you expect to stay. Off-the-shelf depths can crowd a compact new-build room, while fitted furniture can be made shallower where space is tight. It can still go to the ceiling.
There is no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. We measure up, discuss the design and send a quote in writing. To arrange a design visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Why us?
- Saturday visits and fitting by arrangement
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Every London borough and the City of London covered
- Finished by spray or by hand
See bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what a quote should include.