Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Alcove units in Hendon, Barnet
Alcove units in Hendon: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home, with a spray or hand-painted finish.
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Somewhere to keep books and records
Alcove units for your home in Hendon
Materials and finishes
Moisture-resistant MDF
For alcove units, MDF gives crisp doors and smooth sides. The moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice next to a chimney breast.
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, which makes it a good choice for shelves and carcasses. Its layered edge can be painted or left to show.
Alcove units in Hendon
Even a chimney that’s been blocked or capped needs some ventilation to help stop damp. Units are planned so any vent stays clear, rather than boxing it in. Any damp in the alcoves should be dealt with by the right trade before the units go in so the new furniture starts on a dry wall. Typical reasons to get in touch are alcoves that are wasted space and units that sit well with original features; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand.
In an area like Hendon, where interwar homes or semis make up much of the housing, many homes have had the front and back rooms knocked together. That leaves a long room with a chimney breast on one side, which suits alcove units along that wall. Cable routes for a TV or speakers, and space for set-top boxes, are planned during the design visit, with any new sockets left to your electrician.
After the design visit, we send you a quote in writing. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so it is clear what’s included.
- Where
- Hendon (NW4, NW9, NW2, NW11)
- Borough
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Where it is made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Why bespoke in Hendon?
The depth of an alcove is set by the chimney breast. Standard cabinets can stand proud of the breast or sit too far back. Bespoke units are made to the depth you want. Off-the-shelf furniture comes in a few set depths, which may be too deep for one spot and too shallow for another. With fitted furniture, the depth is chosen for the room.
Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size comes first. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Why us?
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Designed for the room you have
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
Take a look at our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
How we price alcove units
To work out the quote, we look at:
- How big the furniture is
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- Doors and drawers, and how many
- Spray painting or hand painting
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. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design.
What we need to know
Ahead of the design visit, we’ll normally ask about:
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Anything fixed to the wall that the furniture needs to work around
- Any ideas or images you’ve saved
- A few pictures of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
To make a start, send us a few details through our 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 send you a written quote afterwards.
What we don’t do
Electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering and structural work aren’t part of what we do. There are a few other points to bear in mind:
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
- Finding and fixing the cause of damp
If in doubt, you can drop us a line using the contact form and describe the room. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Spray-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Scribed side panels
- Adjustable shelves
How fitting works for alcove units
You won’t need to do much on the day. We need someone to let us in at the start, and it helps to have the room cleared beforehand, as agreed during the design visit. After that, it’s over to us: the floors are covered, the sections come in and the fitting begins. How long the 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. Clearing the room and the way in beforehand helps the day run well. On the day, we cover the floors first, then bring the sections in. The pieces are levelled, fitted to the walls and fixed back.
- 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.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you.
- Your quote follows, with the design, materials and finish set out, so you can look it over in your own time.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves.
How to prepare
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
Ask for a quote
The design visit is where every quote starts. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and discuss the design with you. A quote in writing follows the visit. To book one, message us from the contact page.
Related advice
More for homes in Hendon
FAQs: alcove units in Hendon
Is parking a problem for fitting in Hendon?
It can be, depending on whether your street is in a controlled parking zone. Depending on the street, a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension through the council may be needed, and suspensions often need notice. Let us know what parking is near you at the design visit, so we can plan the day around it.
My home in Hendon is a flat. How do you get the furniture in?
We measure the route in not just the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. 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 happens at the measuring visit?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and discuss the design with you. We will also ask about access and parking, and afterwards we send a written quote.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
How long will the fitting take?
The fitting depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. We will talk you through what fitting day involves before we start.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by arrangement. Let us know when you first get in touch, and we will see what we can do.
Alcove units for homes in Hendon
In the area around Hendon, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 45%) and before 1919 (about 20%), in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. The National Heritage List records 19 entries within half a mile of the centre of Hendon. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. Vans bringing furniture to Hendon fall under it, just as they do across the rest of London. We plan parking and access with you during the design visit.
If your children go to Hendon School or a school nearby, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. If you live near Hendon Park, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. The wider area includes historic houses like Heath Hall, about 2.3 miles east. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Hendon is about 2 miles north-east of Finchley, part of the London Borough of Barnet. We can visit homes in Hendon on weekdays, or on a Saturday by arrangement. Hendon is one of the places in Barnet where we make alcove units, and the borough has 41 places on our list.
Design visits and fitting in NW4, NW9, NW2 and NW11 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. Whether you live on a street such as Church Road, Station Road and Sydney Grove or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Hendon is near the A5 and A41, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you contact us. We also cover The Burroughs (1 mile north-west), Brent Cross (1 mile south), Staples Corner (1 mile south), West Hendon (1 mile west) and The Hyde (1 mile west). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Finchley (2 miles north-east), Barnet (5 miles north), Burnt Oak (2 miles north-west), East Finchley (2 miles east), Whetstone (4 miles north-east) and Edgware (3 miles north-west). As one of the bigger places in Barnet, Hendon is covered for alcove units and everything else we make.
Near you in Hendon
Our area takes in the homes around The White Bear pub, Kisharon College and Hasmonean Primary School. The closest station to Hendon is Hendon station, roughly 0.7 miles south-west. Well-known places in the area include Church Farmhouse Museum (0.5 miles north-west) and Brent Cross Shopping Centre (0.5 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Ashley Lane.