Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Alcove units in St James's, Westminster
We make alcove units in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in St James's. The finish is spray painted or hand painted, in a colour agreed with you.
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Worn or badly fitted alcove units
Alcove units in St James's
Flats, conversions and lettings
In a managed block, the building manager or concierge may need notice before we arrive. If there’s a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Let us know about it when you contact us.
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.
Alcove units for homes in St James's
In a tall room, a full-height alcove cupboard holds a great deal. In a bedroom, it can become a small wardrobe or a linen cupboard, while in a dining room it can keep china, glass and table linen. We ask what you want to store before we plan the inside, so shelves and rails go where they’re needed. Most enquiries start with standard units leaving gaps at the sides and tired cupboards in the alcoves; the furniture is made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
With a large share of homes around St James's built before 1919, lots of living rooms are two reception rooms knocked into one, each with its own chimney breast. One pair of alcoves might take shelves and the other cupboards, a TV or a desk. Older internal walls can be lath and plaster rather than brick, which changes how shelving is fixed.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. It also says how the furniture will be finished: spray painted or hand painted.
- Where
- St James's (W1F, W1D, W1J)
- Area
- Westminster
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What prompts alcove units in St James's
Some homes already have alcove cupboards, but they’ve seen better days. Starting again lets you rethink the layout, from the shelf heights to the doors.
Most of the enquiries we get are about needs like these:
- A place for a small desk
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
- Space for a growing book collection
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
For a family home near Soho Parish CofE Primary School, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
- How parking will work on your street
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Have they measured the stairs, lift and doorways?
St James's homes and alcove units
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around St James's were built before 1919 (about 54%) and since 2000 (about 24%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). It’s a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. The National Heritage List has 934 entries within half a mile of the centre of St James's. Older homes nearby may have original joinery, shutters or panelling worth keeping, and alcove units can be designed to work around them. Controlled parking zones cover much of inner London, and each borough runs its own. So a van fitting furniture in St James's typically needs a visitor permit, a pay-and-display bay or a suspended bay arranged through the council. We ask about parking at the measuring visit, so the van can be planned for.
For a flat near London Charing Cross station, alcove units are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. If your home is one of the older houses near St James’s Church, walls that bow and floors that slope are why alcove units are scribed to fit rather than pushed into place.
St James's is about 1 mile north-west of City of Westminster, within the City of Westminster. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, St James's included. Our Westminster coverage includes St James's, along with the rest of the borough.
We cover every part of W1F, W1D and W1J. You will find streets here such as Duck Lane, Bruton Lane and Bridle Lane, and homes on each of them are within our area for alcove units. Main roads around St James's include the A4 and A400. If your home is on one of them, tell us during the design visit, as some main roads have strict stopping rules. Other places close to St James's include Chinatown (1 mile north), Charing Cross (1 mile east), Soho (1 mile north), West End (1 mile north-east) and Burlington Estate (1 mile west). Other parts of Westminster we cover include Paddington Green (2 miles north-west), Paddington (2 miles west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (3 miles west), Little Venice (2 miles west) and Westbourne Green (3 miles west). St James's is one of the larger places we cover in Westminster.
Landmarks near St James's
In St James's, that includes homes near London Library, Tom Cribb pub and Harris Westminster Sixth Form, among other places. St James's has its own railway station: London Charing Cross station. Well-known places in the area include Montfichet's Tower (1.4 miles east) and Kingly Court (a few minutes’ walk north-west). Not far away are Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
Nearby places to St James's
Other services in St James's
From workshop to your room
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. How long the fitting itself takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. In houses converted into flats, the route in may include a shared hall and stairs, so neighbours may appreciate a note before fitting day. The sections are sized for the narrowest point on the route. Saturdays can be arranged.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room and the alcoves, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and go through the design.
- We send a written quote for the units, so you can look it over in your own time.
- The units are made at our workshop.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Before we arrive
- Tell us about any meters, fuse boards or boilers in the area
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
Arranging a design visit
To make a start, tell us about the room on our contact form and tell us a little about the room and what you want the furniture to do. From there, we arrange a design visit to measure up and talk through your ideas, and send you a quote in writing afterwards.
Read more
Honest limits
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- New sockets or wiring (your electrician handles those)
- Curing damp, which needs the right specialist
- Taking out a chimney breast or opening up a fireplace
If in doubt, you can send us a few details through our contact form and describe the room. How it works.
Materials and parts
- Adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Scribed side panels
- Panelled or flat doors
Made for the room, or bought in a box?
With bought furniture you’re limited to the maker’s finishes. Ours are painted in a colour agreed with you, sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand on site. They can match the walls, the woodwork or neither. Standard units assume square rooms, and period homes seldom have them, so you end up with gaps, wobbles and units that don’t meet the skirting. Fitted pieces follow the wall and sit level.
We don’t publish set prices, because each job is designed for a single room. Instead, we measure, talk through the design and then quote in writing, naming the materials and finish. To start, get in touch through our contact form.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in St James's
- Saturday visits and fitting by arrangement
- Built around your room
- 300+ projects completed
- Every quote follows a design visit
Read how bespoke compares with ready-made or what a quote should include.
Questions from St James's
Is St James's in the area you cover for alcove units?
Yes, we work across Westminster, St James's included, and across the rest of London. To get started, you can message us from the contact page with some details.
My house in St James's is Victorian. Can you deal with uneven walls?
Yes, that’s normal in older houses: each piece is scribed to the wall and levelled at the base. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Older walls can be solid brick or lath and plaster, and the fixings are chosen to suit.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. You don’t need to watch us work, but it is useful to be around at the end.
How tall should alcove units be?
That is your choice. Full-height units give the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We’ll go through what suits your room when we visit.
How is the price worked out?
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.
What happens when you come to measure?
We measure the room, check how level the walls and floors are and talk through the design with you. We will also ask about access and parking.