Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Brent · London
Alcove units in Northwick Park, Brent
Cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast, for homes in Northwick Park. We make each piece in our workshop and fit it in your home.
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Alcoves that are wasted space
Need alcove units in Northwick Park?
Boards, parts and paint
Spray-painted finish
Spraying gets an even coat into corners and onto edges. You choose the colour at the design stage.
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribe strips are the edges we trim on site to follow the wall. It’s how a straight unit meets a wall that isn’t straight.
How we make alcove units for Northwick Park
Period alcoves are rarely square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope, often all at once. We make each unit in our workshop to the measurements we take, then scribe it on site, so the edges follow the plaster instead of leaving a gap. A plinth or adjustable feet take up any slope in the floor. If you’re living with everyday clutter left on show and bowed walls and sloping floors, alcove units made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted can solve it.
Open-plan living is usual in homes built since 2000, and around Northwick Park many homes date from those years. Alcove units can give the sitting end of an open-plan room its own identity, without putting up a wall. Floors are protected throughout, as newer finishes mark easily.
Our quotes are written in plain words. They say what will be made, what it is made from and how it will be finished.
- Where
- Northwick Park (HA1, HA3, HA0)
- Area
- Brent
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Made from
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Updated
- 27 October 2026
Flats, blocks and rented homes
If your building is on a red route or a busy main road, getting the furniture from the van to the door needs planning. TfL runs the red routes, and the stopping rules are strict, so it’s worth raising at the design visit.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, which often brings a shared hall and tight turns on the stairs. We plan the size of each section around it, once we’ve measured the way in.
What it costs
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Parking and unloading on your street
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- How square the room is
There’s no price list: each design is priced in writing after we’ve seen the space. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Before the design visit
A few details help us understand the job before we visit. When you contact us, it’s useful to send:
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Your postcode and the borough
- Examples of the look you are after
The quote is built from the design visit. We measure the room properly, check how the walls and floors run and talk through the design with you. Afterwards, we send a written quote. To book one, message us from the contact page.
Neighbourhoods near Northwick Park
What else we make in Northwick Park
How fitting works for alcove units
When we arrive on fitting day, the first job is covering the floors and protecting the way in from the front door. Next, we carry in the sections made in our workshop, a piece at a time. How long fitting takes depends on how many alcoves there are and how tall the units go, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Stud walls can carry pipes and cables, so we check before drilling, with heavier pieces tied into the studs. Any new sockets or plumbing are for your electrician or plumber.
- You contact us with some details about the chimney breast and alcoves.
- At the design visit we measure each alcove at several heights, because period walls are rarely flat or square. Then we go through the design together.
- We send the design, materials and finish in a quote in writing.
- The units are made at our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, leaving a scribing allowance where they meet the walls.
- At fitting, we set each unit level on a plinth or feet and trim that edge to follow the wall. Spray-painted units arrive finished; hand-painted ones are painted once fitted.
Before fitting day
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Check the building’s rules for trades and lift bookings
- Keep pets in another room while we work
Getting a quote
To make a start, drop us a line using the contact form and tell us a little about the room and what you want the furniture to do. We then arrange a design visit to measure and discuss the design, and send you a written quote afterwards.
Advice
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
A bespoke unit takes longer to arrive than something from a shop: there’s a design visit, a quote and making time in the workshop. In return, the unit is planned for your alcove alone, not the nearest catalogue size. Large standalone pieces do not always fit the lift or the hallway, whereas fitted furniture is made in sections that fit. The sections are joined and fixed once inside.
How it’s painted is part of the price: spray painting happens in the workshop, and hand painting can be done in your home. The written quote reflects your choice, along with the size and fittings.
What you get with us
- 300+ projects completed
- A design visit, then a written quote
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- We work across all London boroughs
See how bespoke compares with ready-made and what to look for in a quote.
Living-room storage in Northwick Park
Homes built since 2000 make up about 39% of the housing in the streets around Northwick Park, with about 35% built between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how alcove units are fixed and fitted. There are 14 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Northwick Park. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. Red routes are run by TfL, with tight limits on where and when vehicles can stop. If your home is on or just off a main road, it helps to mention it. We can then plan where the van will stop.
Living in a block of flats near Kenton station? Then the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in. For a family home near Harrow High School, alcove units can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else. For an older house near Saint Cuthberts Church, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Northwick Park is within the London Borough of Brent, about 6 miles south-east of Kilburn. Homes in Northwick Park are part of the area we cover for alcove units. In Brent, Northwick Park is one of the places we cover.
Design visits and fitting in HA1, HA3 and HA0 work the same way as everywhere else we cover. We cover homes on streets like Lyon Road, Manor Road and Gayton Road, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. Northwick Park sits close to the A404. Neighbouring places we cover for alcove units include Greenhill (1 mile north-west), Harrow on the Hill (1 mile south-west), South Kenton (1 mile east), Kenton (1 mile north-east) and Harrow (1 mile west). We also make alcove units in nearby places like Kilburn (6 miles south-east), Neasden (4 miles east), Harlesden (4 miles south-east), Wembley (2 miles south-east), Queen's Park (6 miles south-east) and Church End (4 miles south-east).
What’s near Northwick Park
Around Northwick Park, we cover homes near Trinity Bar, Orley Farm School and St Anselm's Catholic Primary School and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Kenton station, about 0.6 miles north-east. A little further out are Northwick Park Hospital (within half a mile north-east) and Kodak Museum (1.5 miles north-west).
FAQs: alcove units in Northwick Park
Does a conservation area in or near Northwick Park affect fitted furniture?
Usually not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different, as works inside that affect their character can need listed building consent from the council. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Northwick Park?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. Alcove units are made at our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
How tall should alcove units be?
It depends on the room and the look you want. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice, or run to the ceiling for a built-in look. The height is settled at the measuring visit.
How long does it take to fit alcove units?
The time on site depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. The units are made at our workshop first.
Do both alcove units have to match?
That depends on how you use the room. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made to its own measurements. They can share a style while doing different things.
Can you come on a Saturday?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by arrangement. Let us know when you first get in touch.