Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Barnet · London
Alcove Units in Staples Corner
Thinking about alcove units in Staples Corner? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a quote in writing.
- Everyday clutter left on show
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Alcoves that are not square
Need alcove units in Staples Corner?
Alcove units in Staples Corner
Period alcoves are rarely square. The walls lean, the chimney breast may bow and the floor often slopes, sometimes all in one recess. Each unit is built in our workshop to our measurements and scribed to the walls when we fit it, 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 are living with empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast and furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove, alcove units made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed can solve it.
A house from between the wars normally has lower ceilings than a Victorian one, so alcove units are proportioned to the room rather than copied from a taller one. If yours is one of the interwar houses, semis or detached homes that make up much of the housing around Staples Corner, the cornice may be plain or missing, so the furniture can run straight to the ceiling. The skirting is scribed around neatly.
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.
- Place
- Staples Corner (NW2, NW4, NW9)
- Area
- Barnet
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
What it costs
Not every room costs the same, and it comes down to:
- How big the furniture is
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- Parking and unloading on your street
Parking is part of the price picture in London. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. It’s useful to talk about parking during the design visit, so we can plan for it.
What we need to know
A little information at the start saves time later. Where you can, include:
- Anything in the way, like radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- A few photos of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
- What kind of home it is, and which floor the room is on
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
Rough measurements are fine at the start. We measure everything properly at the design visit, including how level the floor and ceiling are. To get started, get in touch through our contact form. You receive a quote in writing after the visit.
Alcove units in Staples Corner: local notes
In the neighbourhood around Staples Corner, the largest groups of homes date from between 1919 and 1939 (about 38%) and between 1973 and 1999 (about 19%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (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. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Staples Corner include Church of St John (Grade II), about 0.6 miles north-west. For a listed home, works inside that affect its character can require listed building consent from the council, for example removing or fixing into original panelling. Ask the council’s conservation officer before anything is fixed. London’s red routes are run by TfL, and stopping on them is tightly controlled. If your street in Staples Corner joins a main road, it’s worth telling us during the design visit. We’ll plan where the van can stop.
For a family home near Parkfield Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place. Close to Clarefield Park? Alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. The wider area includes historic houses such as Heath House, about 2.2 miles east. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Staples Corner is about 3 miles north-east of Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Staples Corner included. Our Barnet coverage includes Staples Corner and the places around it.
In NW2, NW4 and NW9, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. We cover homes on streets such as Park Road, Humber Road and Oxgate Lane, whether you want alcove units or another piece made for the room. If you’re just outside Staples Corner, we also cover Brent Cross (1 mile north-east), Dollis Hill (1 mile south-west), Hendon (1 mile north), The Hyde (1 mile north-west) and West Hendon (1 mile north-west). Across the rest of Barnet, our area takes in Finchley (3 miles north-east), Barnet (5 miles north), Burnt Oak (3 miles north-west), East Finchley (3 miles north-east), Whetstone (4 miles north-east) and Edgware (4 miles north-west).
What’s near Staples Corner
The streets we cover here include those near Clarion and Woodfield School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Staples Corner itself: Brent Cross West station. A little further out are St Andrew's Hospital (0.7 miles south) and Church Farmhouse Museum (1.3 miles north).
Looking after your furniture
These points come up often when people plan alcove units. They help whatever the room:
- Let us know about parking and access during the design visit
- Measure anything large that must fit inside, like a record player
- Think about how the units meet the picture rail and cornice
- Sort out damp patches before fitting
Once the cupboards are filled and in daily use, a door may settle slightly. Hinges can normally be adjusted to bring a door back in line, which deals with a door that starts to catch.
If a damp patch appears near a unit, look into it early. The cause is a job for the right trade, not something paint will hide.
Flat-pack or bespoke?
If you are handy, a simple shelf or a standard wardrobe in a square room is a reasonable DIY job. It gets harder with sloping ceilings, out-of-level floors and lath-and-plaster walls, where scribing and fixings that suit the wall are important.
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that aren’t square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, which leaves standard units with gaps at the sides and top.
What it is made from
Plinths and scribe strips
Scribe strips are the edges we trim on site to follow the wall. This closes the gap between a straight unit and a bowed alcove.
Spray-painted finish
A spray-painted finish is applied in our workshop, for a smooth and even finish. It works on simple doors and on more traditional ones.
Fitting day, step by step
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 built in our workshop, a piece at a time. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the alcoves and what goes in them, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. If you have a driveway, it can make unloading simpler, so let us know at the measuring visit. Otherwise, a visitor permit or a nearby bay helps. Floors and doorways are protected while the pieces come in.
- You send us a few details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and we arrange a design visit at a time that suits you.
- 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.
- We make the cupboards and shelves in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Leave a clear route from the front door to the room
- Have your electrician move any sockets or switches beforehand
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Arranging a design visit
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it. To arrange a visit, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Read more
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FAQs: alcove units in Staples Corner
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Staples Corner?
Normally 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 may need listed building consent from the council. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Can you fit furniture in a home close to Brent Cross West station?
Yes. We cover all of Barnet and the rest of London. To get started, you can drop us a line using the contact form with a few details about the room, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
What happens to the chimney vent when alcove units go in?
Any vent in the chimney breast is kept clear when we design the units. Even a blocked chimney needs some ventilation to help keep damp away, so we never box a vent in.
Should alcove units go up to the ceiling?
It depends on the room and the look you want. Units can stop just under the picture rail or run up to the cornice. The height is settled during the design visit.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
We offer spray painting in the workshop and hand painting on site. Spray painting gives a smooth, factory-like finish; a hand-painted one is easy to touch up later. We will help you choose at the measuring visit.
How do I get a quote for alcove units in Staples Corner?
Simply tell us about the room on our contact form. Rough measurements and a few photos help, and we’ll arrange a design visit, followed by a quote in writing.