Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Islington · London
Holloway Alcove Units
Planning alcove units for a home in Holloway? We start with a design visit and a written quote, before anything is made.
- Furniture that does not fit the alcove
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Units that sit well with original features
Alcove units designed for your room
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that aren’t square. In period homes, walls lean, floors slope and the alcoves on each side are often different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
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.
Alcove units in Holloway: what you get
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that look as though they belong there. Where a room in Holloway has a pair of alcoves, each alcove gets a unit designed for it after we’ve measured them at a design visit. Most enquiries start with cupboards in keeping with an older house and a desk that tucks into an alcove; the furniture is made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
In a Victorian or Edwardian terrace, the chimney breast tends to survive even when the fireplace itself has been blocked up. That matters around Holloway, as a large share of the homes there were built before 1919. The recesses either side take alcove units scribed to the plaster and cut around the skirting.
After the design visit, we send you a written quote. It sets out the design we’ve talked through, the materials and the finish.
- Place
- Holloway (N7, N19, N4)
- Borough
- Islington
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting day works
Furniture made in a workshop still has to meet the room it’s going into, and that happens on fitting day. Walls in older homes are rarely flat or square, so each edge that meets a wall is scribed to follow it, closing the gaps a standard unit would leave. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Original hallway tiles and old floorboards are worth protecting, so they’re covered before anything comes in. Fixings into older walls are made carefully, as lath and plaster can crack if treated roughly. Any decorating around the new pieces is for your decorator.
- You get in touch about alcove units and the room they’re for.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish.
- A written quote follows, with the finish written in alongside the design and materials.
- The units are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. If you chose spray painting, that is done in the workshop too, for a smooth, even surface.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves.
- Paint needs time to cure, so go gently with the new units at first.
How to prepare
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
Starting with a design visit
We quote once we have seen the room. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and discuss the design with you, then send a quote in writing. Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. To book a design visit, fill in our short enquiry form.
Advice
What we do not do
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
- Replastering, which is a plasterer’s job
If in doubt, you can get in touch through our contact form and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Boards, parts and finishes
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Scribed side panels
- Spray-painted finish
Questions we’re often asked
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Holloway?
It can be: much of inner London is covered by controlled parking zones. 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. It helps to tell us about parking at the measuring visit, and we’ll plan around it.
My home in Holloway is a period house with walls that aren’t straight. Is that a problem?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
Do you move sockets for alcove units?
That’s a job for your electrician. Ideally it is done before fitting, and we can tell you where the units will sit so the sockets end up in the right place. The units are made with cut-outs and cable gaps to suit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Holloway?
Simply get in touch through our contact form. Rough measurements and a few pictures help, and then we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design.
Do photos help?
Yes, they help. Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space. You can send them when you tell us about the room on our contact form.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need it. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Practical tips
Looking after painted furniture is simple. These habits help most:
- Note the sizes of large things you want to store
- Move things out of the alcoves so we can measure properly
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Check whether there’s a vent in the chimney breast
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Most hinges can be adjusted to line the doors up again, so a small gap or rub is easy to correct.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for, so mention heavy collections when we plan the unit.
Alcove units in Holloway: local notes
About 52% of the homes in the area around Holloway went up before 1919, and about 19% since 2000, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Knowing roughly when a home was built helps, because walls and fixings change from one era to the next. Part of Holloway is in a conservation area, according to Historic England’s records. Being in a conservation area mainly affects changes to the outside of a building, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If in doubt, the council’s planning team can confirm. Flats in converted or shared houses account for about 30% of households in the area around Holloway, the 2021 Census shows. In a converted house, rooms can be odd shapes, with new partitions meeting old walls, and the route in may go through a shared hall and stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Odeon Cinema, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. For families living near Grafton Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. For an older house near St Joseph and St Padarn's Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Holloway is in the London Borough of Islington, about 1 mile east of Highbury. Wherever you are in Holloway, the process is the same: a design visit, a written quote, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. Holloway is one of 17 places on our list for Islington.
Every home in N7, N19 and N4 is within our area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street such as Penn Road, Lough Road and Tabley Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. If you are just outside Holloway, we also cover Nag's Head (1 mile north), Lower Holloway (1 mile south), Tufnell Park (1 mile west), Upper Holloway (1 mile north-west) and Barnsbury (1 mile south). Elsewhere in Islington, we also cover Farringdon (3 miles south), Clerkenwell (2 miles south), Finsbury (3 miles south-east), St Luke's (2 miles south-east), Angel (2 miles south) and Pentonville (2 miles south).
Near you in Holloway
We fit furniture in homes around Musical Theatre Academy, Beacon High and The Coronet pub and the streets around them. The closest station to Holloway is Drayton Park station, about 0.6 miles south-east. Well-known places in the area include Royal Northern Hospital (a few minutes’ walk north-west) and Arsenal Football Club Museum (close by, under half a mile east). For a walk, there is Dartmouth Park Hill and Gillespie Park.
How it is made
Shelves
How thick a shelf needs to be depends on how wide the alcove is and what it holds. Wider alcoves and heavy books need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support.
Moisture-resistant MDF
In an alcove unit, MDF gives smooth doors and tidy edges that take a spray or hand-painted finish evenly. Its moisture-resistant grade is a sensible choice beside a chimney breast.