Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Kensington and Chelsea · London
Notting Dale Alcove Units
Planning alcove units for a home in Notting Dale? We start with a design visit and a written quote.
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Alcoves that aren’t square
Alcove units in Notting Dale
About our alcove units in Notting Dale
Period alcoves are rarely square. Walls bow, corners wander and floors slope, sometimes all in one recess. 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 your home has standard units leaving gaps at the sides and alcoves that are wasted space, alcove units made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed can solve it.
A large share of the homes around Notting Dale were built before 1919, which in London mostly means Victorian and Edwardian houses. Main rooms in houses like these typically have a chimney breast with an alcove on each side, which gives alcove units an obvious place to go. Walls are rarely flat, so each piece is scribed to the plaster and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet.
Once you’ve read the quote and decided to go ahead, the furniture is made in our workshop. The quote sets out the agreed design, materials and finish, so every detail can be checked first.
- Where
- Notting Dale (W11, W10, W2)
- Area
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- Design visit, then a written quote
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Enquiries
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Alcove units in Notting Dale: local notes
About 58% of the homes in the area around Notting Dale went up before 1919, and about 15% between 1973 and 1999, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. Each era brings its own kind of wall, ceiling height and floor, so it shapes the design from the first measurement. 15 conservation areas have at least part of their area less than a mile from the middle of Notting Dale. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Flats in converted or shared houses account for about 28% of households in the streets around Notting Dale, going by Census 2021 figures from the ONS. Conversions often leave rooms in unusual shapes, with partition walls, boxed-in pipes and chimney breasts in odd places, and the way in often goes up shared stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
Near listed buildings like Cosmic House, less than half a mile south of the centre of Notting Dale, 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. For a family home near Thomas Jones Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. If you live near Emslie Horniman's Pleasance, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Notting Dale is about 1 mile south of Kensington, part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Homes in Notting Dale are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. In Kensington and Chelsea, Notting Dale is one of the places we cover, and the borough has 13 places on our list.
In W11, W10 and W2, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. If your home is on a street like Bard Road, Walmer Road and Sirdar Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. If you are just outside Notting Dale, we also cover Notting Hill (1 mile south-east), White City (1 mile west), Kensal Town (1 mile north), North Kensington (1 mile north-west) and Holland Park (1 mile south). Across the rest of Kensington and Chelsea, our area takes in Brompton (2 miles south-east), Chelsea (3 miles south-east), South Kensington (2 miles south-east), Earl's Court (2 miles south), World's End (3 miles south-east) and Little Chelsea (2 miles south-east).
Near you in Notting Dale
Our area takes in the homes around Maida Vale School, Abdus Salam Library and The Elgin pub, among other places. The nearest railway station is Shepherds Bush station, about 0.7 miles south-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Westfield London (0.7 miles south-west) and Princess Louise Hospital (0.6 miles north-west). For a walk, there is Campden Hill.
Also near Notting Dale
More for homes in Notting Dale
Your questions about alcove units in Notting Dale
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Notting Dale?
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. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
Is Notting Dale in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, we work across Kensington and Chelsea, Notting Dale included, and across the rest of London. You can fill in our short enquiry form to arrange a design visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Notting Dale?
It is easiest to message us from the contact page with a few details about the room. After that, we arrange a design visit and follow it with a quote in writing.
How long will the fitting take?
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 in our workshop first, so the time in your home is mostly fitting, scribing and finishing.
Should I send photos?
Yes, they help. A few pictures of the room, from floor to ceiling, tell us a lot. To send them, message us from the contact page.
Can the two alcove units be different?
That depends on how you use the room. The two alcoves are often slightly different sizes, so each unit is made to its own measurements. They can share a style while doing different things.
What alcove units cannot fix
We make and fit furniture, and we don’t do electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering or structural work. Please bear these in mind too:
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
- Making good damaged walls before fitting
- Any structural work on the chimney breast
If you’re not sure what’s possible in your room, you can get in touch through our contact form and we’ll give you a straight answer. Our process from visit to fitting.
What it’s made from
- Hand-painted finish
- Scribed side panels
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Panelled or flat doors
- Spray-painted finish
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
For a rented home, access for the design visit and fitting day has to be agreed with the tenants, at times that suit them. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind, after measuring the route at the design visit.
What affects the cost of alcove units
When we put a quote together, we consider:
- The number of doors and drawers
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How square the room is
Every room is priced on its own, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. Spray painting and hand painting are different processes, which affects the cost. You will see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
What to send when you contact us
Ahead of the design visit, we’ll typically ask about:
- Approximate measurements of the space
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- The type of home and how the room is reached
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly during the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To arrange it, message us from the contact page with a few details about the room. The written quote follows the visit.
Fitting day, step by step
Fitting day follows a set order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. If your hall still has its original tiles or boards, they’re covered before any carrying starts. Fixings into older walls are made carefully, as lath and plaster can crack if treated roughly. Decorating around the furniture afterwards is for your decorator.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves.
- 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, for you to read through at your own pace.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls.
How to prepare
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
Arranging a design visit
For a quote for alcove units in Notting Dale, fill in our short enquiry form. Let us know which room it is and roughly what you have in mind. Next comes a design visit, followed by a written quote.
Advice
When is bespoke worth it?
Standard units come in set widths and heights, so there’s normally a gap left over at the top or at one end. Furniture we make is built to the room’s own sizes, so it can use the full height and width.
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. How much a shelf bends depends on its span, depth and load, and long runs need a thicker shelf, a lip along the front or a support. That is something we plan for in the design.