Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Harrow · London
Alcove Units in Headstone
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. We make alcove units for homes in Headstone, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Standard units leaving gaps at the sides
Alcove units in Headstone
Alcove units in Headstone: what you get
We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, chosen part by part. MDF suits doors and panels because it paints so evenly, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. You can have a spray-painted finish from the workshop or a hand-painted one done on site, in a colour agreed with you. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and the usual reasons to get in touch are everyday clutter left on show and shop-bought shelving that doesn’t fill the recess.
Plenty of semis and interwar houses have been extended at the back or had the back rooms knocked through, and around Headstone, interwar houses, semis and detached homes make up a large share of the housing. In a long knocked-through room, alcove units can run the full length of one wall, or mark out the sitting end from the dining end. New plasterboard in an extension and older brick or block in the original house take different fixings.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we will tell you, so it can be arranged before fitting day. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Where
- Headstone (HA5, HA3, HA2)
- Area
- Harrow
- Price
- 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
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Questions we are often asked
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Headstone?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
Is Headstone in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes. We cover all of Harrow and the rest of London, and Headstone is part of that. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, and then we send a quote.
How do I get a quote?
The first step is to send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Do alcove units need to reach the ceiling?
It depends on the room and the look you want. In a tall period room, units can stop under the picture rail or the cornice. The height is settled at the design visit.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
We plan alcove units so any chimney vent stays clear. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away, so we never box a vent in.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
The time on site depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. The units are made in our workshop first, so the work in your home is about fitting and finishing.
Materials and finishes
Spray-painted finish
Spray painting is done in the workshop, giving a smooth, even, factory-like surface. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF doesn’t have a grain to show through the paint, so a painted finish looks even and calm. We choose the moisture-resistant grade for fitted furniture.
Built-in living-room furniture in Headstone
In the area around Headstone, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 45%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 26%), on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. Near the centre of Headstone, Historic England’s list includes Pinner Park Farmhouse (Grade II), less than half a mile west, and Letchford House (Grade II), under half a mile north-east. If your own home is listed, changes inside that alter its character, such as fixing into or removing original joinery, can require listed building consent. An early word with the council’s conservation officer is the best first step. All of London, Harrow included, is inside the ULEZ. Vans bringing furniture to Headstone fall under it, just as they do across the rest of London. We go through parking and access during the design visit.
Headstone Manor, about 0.6 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. Living in a block of flats near Headstone Lane station? Then alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. For families living near Pinner Park Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Headstone is in the London Borough of Harrow, about 2 miles south of Harrow. From period terraces to newer flats in Headstone, the furniture is designed around the room as we find it. Headstone is one of the places in Harrow where we make alcove units, and the borough has 20 places on our list.
Postcode districts we cover here for alcove units: HA5, HA3 and HA2. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Anselm Road, Ufford Road and Chantry Road, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. If you are just outside Headstone, we also cover Hatch End (1 mile west), Harrow Weald (1 mile east) and Belmont (2 miles east). Other parts of Harrow we cover include Harrow (2 miles south), Stanmore (3 miles east), Little Stanmore (3 miles east), Greenhill (2 miles south-east), South Harrow (3 miles south) and Roxeth (2 miles south).
Around Headstone
Our area takes in the homes around Hatch End High School and The Moon & Sixpence pub and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Headstone itself: Headstone Lane station. Well-known places in the area include Kodak Museum (1 mile south-east) and St. George's Shopping Centre (1.7 miles south-east).
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
What you pay for with bespoke is mainly the fit: scribed edges, a level base on an uneven floor and furniture that meets the ceiling, skirting and picture rail. Off-the-shelf furniture can’t usually do that in an older room.
Practical tips
These points come up often when people plan alcove units. They help whatever the room:
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. Books weigh more than most people expect, so spreading them out helps the shelves stay level.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Overloaded shelves are the main cause of sagging.
How fitting day works
You are welcome to ask questions while we work. 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 we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Fitting day means carrying in the sections, joining them and fitting them to the walls. Spray-painted pieces come finished from the workshop, while hand painting can happen on site. Saturday fitting is possible by arrangement.
- You contact us with a short note about the room and the units you have in mind.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and discuss the design, checking how far the walls are out of square.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, so you can look it over in your own time.
- The units are made at our workshop, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
Starting with a design visit
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if you do not, 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, get in touch through our contact form.
Advice
Flats, blocks and rented homes
Landlords furnishing a let use fitted furniture too. It is made from the same moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood as any of our work, finished by spray or by hand.
If you live in a flat, getting the furniture in is planned from the start. 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 without a struggle.