Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Brent · London
Alcove Units in Harlesden
We make alcove units for homes in Harlesden, designed around the room you have. Your alcove unit is designed at a visit to your home and made in our workshop.
- Storage that suits a period room
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
- A place for a small desk
Need alcove units in Harlesden?
Alcove units in Harlesden
Period alcoves are rarely square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope, sometimes all in one recess. Each unit is built in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. Most enquiries start with space for a growing book collection and empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast; the furniture is made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
A large share of the homes around Harlesden were built before 1919, and in London most homes of that age are Victorian or Edwardian. Houses of that age typically have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, and those alcoves are the natural home for alcove units. Walls are rarely flat, so each piece is scribed to the plaster and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet.
A written quote follows the design visit. It sets out the design we’ve talked through, the materials and the finish, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
- Where
- Harlesden (NW10, W3, NW26)
- Borough
- Brent
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What it costs
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. This is what makes the difference:
- The overall size of the piece
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- Where a van can park, such as a permit bay or a bay suspension
- How many doors and drawers there are
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size is the starting point. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Helping us understand the room
What helps most when you first contact us:
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- Where you live, with the postcode
- What the furniture needs to hold
Your quote is written for your room once we’ve visited and measured. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it. For a quote, drop us a line using the contact form.
Living-room storage in Harlesden
In the area around Harlesden, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 52%) and the years since 2000 (about 32%), going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account at the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. 4 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of Harlesden. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings. Around Harlesden, about 52% of homes date from before 1919, well above the figure for Brent as a whole, about 28%, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. So older-house details are more likely to come into the design of alcove units.
For a family home near John Keble CofE Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. If you live in a period home close to Church of All Souls, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Harlesden is in the London Borough of Brent, about 2 miles east of Kilburn. We can visit homes in Harlesden on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. Harlesden is one of 29 places on our list for Brent.
In NW10, W3 and NW26, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. We cover homes on streets like Fry Road, Wood Road and Park Road, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. We also cover the places around Harlesden: College Park (1 mile south-east), Old Oak Common (1 mile south), Church End (1 mile north), Stonebridge (1 mile north-west) and Willesden Green (1 mile north-east). Across the rest of Brent, our area takes in Kilburn (2 miles east), Wembley (3 miles north-west), Queen's Park (2 miles east), Kenton (4 miles north-west), Cricklewood (2 miles north-east) and Brondesbury (2 miles east). Harlesden is among the bigger places we cover in Brent.
Local landmarks in Harlesden
The streets we cover here include those near St Claudine's Catholic School for Girls, Royal Oak Inn and The Swaminarayan School and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Harlesden itself: Willesden Junction station. Well-known places in the area include Central Middlesex Hospital (1 mile west) and Brent Museum and Archives (1.1 miles north-east).
Questions we are often asked
I live near Willesden Junction station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Brent and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with some details about the room, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
My home in Harlesden is a flat. How do you get the furniture in?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Alcove units are built in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It helps to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
What paint finish can I have on alcove units?
Either a spray-painted or a hand-painted finish. Spray painting gives a smooth, factory-like finish. We talk through both during the design visit.
Does fitted furniture need planning permission?
Not normally. Inside a house, fitted furniture doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings can require listed building consent for works that affect their character.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need access, so someone has to let us in. After that, you don’t need to stay in the room, but it helps to be around at the end.
How long are you in the house for the fitting?
The fitting depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. We’ll explain what to expect before we arrive.
Nearby places to Harlesden
More for homes in Harlesden
Could you do it yourself?
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it is quick to buy.
Off-the-shelf cupboards come in fixed sizes, so there’s normally a gap left over at the top or at one end. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can use the full height and width.
Flats, leases and landlords
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. At the design visit, we measure the stairs, the landings, any lift and the doors, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through.
We also make and fit furniture for landlords furnishing a let, as it makes good use of an awkward room. The materials are the same as for any home: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
What happens on fitting day
Every fitting follows the same order: we protect the floors, bring the sections in, set them level, scribe them to the walls, fix them and finish them. Then the room is tidied and we look over the work with you. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. If your hall still has its original tiles or boards, they’re covered before any carrying starts. Fixings into older walls are made carefully, as lath and plaster can crack if treated roughly. Decorating around the furniture afterwards is for your decorator.
- You contact us with a short note about the room and the units you have in mind, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and go through the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- We send a written quote for the units, for you to read through at your own pace.
- The units are built in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Before we arrive
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Ask for a quote
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly at the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, fill in our short enquiry form with a few details about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Advice
Is it time for alcove units?
Moving into a period house often prompts it. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are the natural place for it. It’s easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
Some of the things we’re asked to solve include:
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Alcoves that aren’t square
Close to Roundwood Park? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Before you choose who makes it
- Real projects you can actually look at
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?