Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
City of London · London
Alcove units in Temple Bar, City of London
We make alcove units for homes in Temple Bar, designed around the room you have. Your alcove unit is designed at a visit to your home and built in our workshop.
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
- Everyday clutter left on show
Alcove units for your home in Temple Bar
Alcove units in Temple Bar
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Built-in alcove units put that space to work as cupboards and shelving that sit as part of the room. If your home in Temple Bar has alcoves like these, each alcove gets a unit designed for it, starting with a design visit to measure. Typical reasons to get in touch are space for a growing book collection and alcoves that aren’t square; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted.
Victorian and Edwardian houses were built with solid brick outside walls, while the walls inside can be brick or lath and plaster. Since a large share of the homes around Temple Bar date from before 1919, we check which you have before deciding how alcove units are fixed. Lath and plaster in particular needs fixings chosen for it.
Everything we agree at the measuring visit goes into the written quote: the layout, what goes inside, the materials used and the finish. If something is not quite right, tell us before anything is made.
- Place
- Temple Bar (WC2B, WC2E, EC1N)
- Area
- City of London
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
The problems alcove units solve
A move into an older home is a common reason. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are the natural place for it. It’s easier to do before the room fills with boxes.
Most of the enquiries we get are about needs like these:
- Somewhere to keep books and records
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
- Units that sit well with original features
- A desk that tucks into an alcove
For a family home near St Clement Danes CofE Primary School, a cupboard for board games and a shelf for reading books can go into the same design.
Choosing a carpenter
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- Whether the route into your home has been checked
Places near Temple Bar
What else we make in Temple Bar
Alcove units for homes in Temple Bar
About 48% of the homes in the neighbourhood around Temple Bar went up before 1919, and about 22% since 2000, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. We take that into account at the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The Strand Conservation Area is close by, within about a quarter of a mile of the centre of Temple Bar. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. If you’re unsure, check with the council before work starts. Streets close to central London are often narrow and busy, with loading bays in short supply, so carrying the sections from the van to the door takes planning, particularly for larger pieces.
Dr Johnson's House, about 0.2 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at. If you live in a flat close to City Thameslink station, the lift, the stair turns and the front door all set the largest piece that can come in.
Temple Bar is part of the City of London, about 1 mile east of City of London. Wherever you are in Temple Bar, it works the same way: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture built in our workshop and fitting in your home. Across the City of London, we cover Temple Bar.
Every home in WC2B, WC2E and EC1N is within our area for alcove units. Whether you live on a street like Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square or on one nearby, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. Temple Bar is near the A4 and A40, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. If you’re just outside Temple Bar, we also cover Temple (1 mile south), Clare Market (1 mile west), Aldwych (1 mile west), Blackfriars (1 mile east) and Covent Garden (1 mile west).
Around Temple Bar
The streets we cover here include those near British Library of Political and Economic Science, London Nautical School and Mercers' School and the streets around them. Temple Bar has its own railway station: City Thameslink station. Well-known places in the area include St Philip's Hospital (a few minutes’ walk west) and Gabriel's Wharf (less than half a mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
Looking after your furniture
People planning alcove units often ask about these. They’re worth knowing whatever the room:
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
Make a note of the paint colour used so any touch-ups match. Small marks on a hand-painted finish are easy to touch up, and it helps to keep a little of the paint.
Put the heaviest books and objects low down and spread the weight. Most sagging comes from shelves carrying more than they were planned for, so tell us during the design visit if a shelf will hold something heavy.
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
Off-the-shelf furniture comes in set heights, so there is often wasted space overhead. We can take a bespoke unit to the ceiling or stop it at the picture rail, depending on the room. Chimney breasts in older houses stand out by different amounts, so the recesses either side are rarely the same, and standard units bought as a pair rarely suit both. Fitted furniture is made to each one separately.
How it is painted is part of the price: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
Why us?
- 300+ projects completed
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- We work across all London boroughs
See bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what to look for in a quote.
What affects the price in Temple Bar
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Parking near your home
- The number of doors and drawers
- How easy it is to get the furniture into the room
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because the size, the layout and the finish all vary. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. You’ll see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
What to send when you get in touch
Ahead of the design visit, we’ll typically ask about:
- Approximate measurements of the space
- What kind of home it is, and which floor the room is on
- Your postcode and the borough
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. To arrange a visit, fill in our short enquiry form.
How fitting day works
You will not need to do much on the day. Someone needs to let us in, and it’s useful to have the room cleared beforehand, as we’ll have talked about at the design visit. From there, we protect the floors, bring the furniture in and get on with the fitting. How long fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and your quote sets out the fitting days. Original hallway tiles and old floorboards are worth protecting, so they’re covered before anything comes in. Drilling into lath and plaster is done with care, so the plaster around stays sound. Any decorating around the new pieces is for your decorator.
- You send us some 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, so you can look it over in your own time.
- Each unit is built in our workshop to the measurements we took, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit them in your home, scribing them to the walls. Then we go through the doors and shelves with you.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Take anything hanging off the wall we’re fitting to
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Starting with a design visit
Getting a quote starts with some details: which room it is, rough sizes and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you’re ready, use our contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Advice
Questions we’re often asked
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Temple Bar?
It can be, as controlled parking zones cover much of inner London. 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. It helps to tell us about parking at the design visit. The whole City of London is also inside the Congestion Charge zone, and the ULEZ covers every London borough.
Will a conservation area stop me having alcove units fitted in Temple Bar?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so 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 are unsure, the council can confirm.
Do you work in Temple Bar?
Yes. We cover Temple Bar and the rest of the City of London, as part of our work across all London boroughs. To get a quote, get in touch through our contact form.
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 at the design visit.
What happens during the design visit?
We measure the space and discuss the design, materials and finish. We look at the walls, floors and anything the furniture has to work around, then send a quote in writing.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It’s good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.