Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Islington · London
Alcove Units in Islington
Alcove units for your home in Islington: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, built in our workshop and fitted by us.
- Alcoves that aren’t square
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Toys and paperwork with no proper home
Ask about alcove units in Islington
Alcove units for homes in Islington
Skirting boards, picture rails and coving are common in older rooms. We can cut units around these details, stop beneath them or run up to meet them, depending on the look you want. A plinth can be set to line up with the skirting. These details are settled when we visit, before anything is made. We make alcove units from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, finished by spray or by hand, and people most often get in touch about everyday clutter left on show and standard units leaving gaps at the sides.
In a house from the Victorian or Edwardian years, the chimney breast tends to survive even when the fireplace itself has been blocked up. That matters around Islington, as a large share of the homes there were built before 1919. Alcove units built into the recesses either side are scribed to the plaster and cut around the skirting.
Everything we agree at the design visit goes into the written quote: the layout and internal fittings, the materials and the finish. If something is not quite right, tell us before anything is made.
- Where
- Islington (N1, N7, NW1, EC1V)
- Area
- Islington
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Making
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Made from
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
In conversions and newer blocks, many internal walls are timber or metal stud with plasterboard. Fixings are chosen to suit whatever the wall is made of.
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. Lifts sometimes need to be booked, and the lift size helps decide how big each section can be. Tell us about it when you get in touch.
Caring for painted furniture
Fresh paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so go gently with it for a while. Beyond that, these tips help:
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
Fill the shelves gradually and spread heavy things evenly. A full shelf of books is heavier than it looks, so spreading them out helps the shelves stay level.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, because constant heat isn’t kind to a painted finish.
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Off-the-shelf cupboards come in fixed sizes, so there is often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can use the full height and width.
Flat-pack and off-the-shelf furniture has its place. In a room with square walls and standard sizes, it can work well, and it is quick to buy.
Boards, parts and paint
Birch plywood
We often use birch plywood for drawer boxes too because it stands up to daily use. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It suits a crisp, modern look as well as a classic one.
Questions we are often asked
Is Islington in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, Islington is within the area we cover, which takes in all of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Islington?
At the design visit, we measure the way in along with the room itself. Alcove units are made at our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
It depends on the size, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish. The price comes in a written quote after the design visit.
Can alcove units be fitted to uneven walls?
Yes. We measure each alcove carefully during the design visit, then the units are made in our workshop and scribed to the walls when we fit them, so there are no awkward gaps.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room.
Can you fit a desk into an alcove?
Yes. A desk in one alcove, with shelves above and storage below, works well in many rooms. We plan the height and depth with you, with a route left for cables.
How fitting works for alcove units
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. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Where a period house has been split into flats, the way in often goes through shared parts, so neighbours may appreciate a note before fitting day. The sections are sized for the narrowest point on the route. Saturday fitting is possible by prior arrangement.
- It starts with a short message from you about the alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure up, agree the layout and talk about colour and finish.
- A quote in writing 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.
- The units are fitted and scribed to the alcoves.
- New paintwork takes a while to cure fully, so treat the surfaces gently at first.
Preparing the room
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Tell us about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
How to get a quote
It is useful to see the room before we come. Pictures of the whole wall, the corners and the ceiling line give us a good feel for the space, along with rough measurements. To send them over, use our contact form, and we’ll arrange a design visit.
Related advice
Islington homes and alcove units
About 49% of the homes in the streets around Islington went up before 1919, and about 16% between 1945 and 1972, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. 4 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of Islington. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings. Near central London, streets tend to be narrow and busy, so carrying the sections from the van to the door takes planning, particularly for larger pieces.
Near listed buildings like Union Chapel, less than half a mile north of the centre of Islington, older homes may keep original joinery that alcove units can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can need listed building consent. Close to Barnard Park? Alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. If your home is one of the older houses near St Mary's Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Islington is about 1 mile north of Highbury, within the London Borough of Islington. Wherever you are in Islington, it works the same way: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made in our workshop and fitting in your home. Our work takes in places right across the rest of London, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
We make alcove units across N1, N7, NW1 and EC1V. We cover homes on streets like Gibson Square, Old Royal Free Square and Cloudesley Square, along with the roads around them, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. The B515 and A5203 runs close to Islington; on busy main roads, unloading alcove units takes a little planning. If you’re just outside Islington, we also cover Pentonville (1 mile south), Angel (1 mile south), Barnsbury (1 mile north-west), Clerkenwell (1 mile south) and Lower Holloway (1 mile north-west).
What’s near Islington
The streets we cover here include those near The King's Head Public House, Islington Green School and St Mary's CofE Primary School and the streets around them. There is a railway station in Islington itself: Essex Road station. Well-known places in the area include Montfichet's Tower (1.7 miles south) and Queer Britain (0.8 miles west). Open spaces near Islington include Barnsbury Wood.