Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Camden · London
Holborn Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on alcove units in Holborn starts with a design visit, and everything is made in our workshop.
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
Alcove units in Holborn
Why people ask for alcove units in Holborn
In bedrooms, the alcoves may be the only place for hanging space. A fitted alcove cupboard holds clothes without filling the floor, which matters in a smaller room.
If any of these sound familiar, it is worth getting in touch:
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
If you live in a period home close to St Alban's Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
Choosing a carpenter
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- How doors and drawers are fitted
- Which materials they’ll use, named in the quote
Alcove units in Holborn: what you get
In a typical Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast leaves an alcove on either side of it. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that sit as part of the room. If your home in Holborn has alcoves like these, each alcove gets a unit designed for it, starting with a design visit to measure. People typically come to us about standard units leaving gaps at the sides and worn or badly fitted alcove units; the furniture is made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
With most households around Holborn in purpose-built flats, getting the furniture into the building matters as much as the design. Each piece is built in sections that fit the stairs, the lift and the doorways, then joined and scribed in the room. A lease can require consent before you fix furniture to the walls, so it’s worth checking first.
The written quote is your record of the job. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, its materials and its finish.
- Location
- Holborn (WC1X, WC1N, EC1R)
- Borough
- Camden
- Price
- 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
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Holborn
Other services in Holborn
What affects the cost of alcove units
The price for your room depends on:
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- How square the room is
- Spray painting or hand painting
- Doors and drawers, and how many
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. The price depends mainly on the size of the piece, how many doors and drawers it has and what goes inside.
What to send when you contact us
To give us a picture of the room, it is useful to include:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- Examples of the look you are after
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
Getting a quote starts with a few details: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of photos if you can take them. To send them, fill in our short enquiry form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, then send a written quote.
Fitting day, step by step
When we arrive on fitting day, we start by protecting your floors and the route from the front door to the room. The sections made in our workshop come in next, one at a time. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Where there is no lift, each section is sized to be carried up the stairs safely. The tightest landing sets the largest piece. The pieces are assembled in the flat.
- To begin, use our contact form; a brief note on the room and the alcoves is enough, and mention if you live in a flat or up a few flights of stairs.
- At the design visit we measure the alcoves and also the way in: the front door, the hall and any stair turns. Parking is worth mentioning too, since a van often needs a permit or a paid bay in London.
- We then send a quote in writing for the units.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, in sections sized to come through your door.
- We carry the sections in, assemble them in the alcoves and scribe them to the walls. A spray-painted finish arrives done; a hand-painted one is applied once the units are in.
Preparing the room
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
Getting a quote
You do not need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, tell us about the room on our contact form and tell us about the room. You receive a written quote after the visit.
Read more
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
In fairness, standalone furniture comes with you when you move. Fitted alcove units stay with the house and are left behind when you go. It depends on how long you expect to stay. Standard furniture doesn’t allow for boxed-in pipes, risers or meter cupboards, leaving gaps or blocking access. Built-in pieces are designed around them, with access kept.
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. Spray painting and hand painting are different processes, which affects the cost. You’ll see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
What you get with us
- Scribed to uneven walls
- A design visit, then a quote in writing
- Built in our workshop and fitted in your home
- Made for your room, not a standard size
Take a look at bespoke vs off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
What it is made from
Birch plywood
For alcove shelves that carry books, birch plywood helps keep them straight over a wider alcove. We size the shelf for the span and the load.
Shelves
Shelves can be fixed in place or set on adjustable supports. Fixed shelves help brace the unit, while adjustable ones let you change heights later.
Living-room carpentry in Holborn: local notes
Homes built before 1919 make up about 44% of the housing in the streets around Holborn, with about 20% built since 2000, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account during the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Holborn include The Chapel (Grade I), under half a mile south, and Nos. 16-23 (Grade I), less than half a mile south. If you live in a listed building, fixing into or taking out original features such as panelling can need listed building consent. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. About 73% of households around Holborn live in purpose-built flats, well above the figure for Camden as a whole, about 56%, according to Census 2021. So the route in, from stairs to lifts, is part of the design.
For a flat near Farringdon station, the route in is measured not just the room, and the sections are sized to fit it. If you live near Lincoln's Inn Fields, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
Holborn is in the London Borough of Camden, about 1 mile north-west of St Pancras. Whether your home in Holborn is a terraced house, a flat or a newer build, we measure the room as it is and design around it. Holborn is one of the places in Camden where we make alcove units, and the borough has 28 places on our list.
Every address in WC1X, WC1N and EC1R is covered for alcove units. Streets in the area include Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Holborn sits close to the A4 and A40. If your home is on one of them, tell us during the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. We also cover Farringdon (1 mile east), St Pancras (1 mile north-west), Clare Market (1 mile south), Smithfield (1 mile east) and Temple Bar (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Camden, we also cover Hampstead (4 miles north-west), West Hampstead (4 miles north-west), Agar Town (2 miles north-west), Kentish Town (2 miles north-west), Greenhill (4 miles north-west) and Chalk Farm (2 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Holborn
The streets we cover here include those near City Academy, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School and The Yorkshire Grey pub. Holborn has its own railway station: Farringdon station. Nearby you will also find Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (less than half a mile west) and Montfichet's Tower (0.7 miles south-east). Open spaces near Holborn include Barnsbury Wood and Ludgate Hill.
Your questions about alcove units in Holborn
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Farringdon station?
Yes, homes across Camden and the rest of London are within the area we cover. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with some details about the room, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Does a conservation area in or near Holborn affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mainly about the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character may need listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
Any vent is kept clear in the design. Air moving through a capped chimney helps stop damp, which protects the units as well as the wall. Any existing damp should be dealt with before the units go in.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Holborn?
It is easiest to drop us a line using the contact form with some details about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a written quote.
How is the price worked out?
Every job is priced for its room: size, internal fittings, the finish and how tricky the walls are all play a part. You will get a written quote once we have measured up.