Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Haringey · London
Turnpike Lane Alcove Units
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. We make alcove units for homes in Turnpike Lane, each designed at a visit to your home.
- A place for a small desk
- Shop-bought shelving that does not fill the recess
- Walls too uneven for standard furniture
Alcove units in Turnpike Lane
From workshop to your room
At the end, we tidy up. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and explain how to look after the paint. The time the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, 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. Any decorating around the new pieces is for your decorator.
- You get in touch to say you’d like alcove units.
- We come to measure and talk through cupboards, shelves, heights and doors.
- A written quote follows, with the finish set out.
- We build the units in our workshop, using moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. A spray-painted finish is applied there too, if that is what you chose.
- We bring them to your home and fit them in place.
Preparing the room
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
Arranging a design visit
To get a quote for alcove units in Turnpike Lane, message us from the contact page. Let us know which room it is and roughly what you have in mind. Next comes a design visit, followed by a quote in writing.
Related advice
Alcove units in Turnpike Lane: what you get
Alcove units are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, chosen part by part. MDF gives smooth doors and panels that take paint well, and birch plywood is strong for shelves and carcasses. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted on site, in the colour you choose. If you are living with bare alcoves beside the fireplace and alcoves that aren’t square, that’s what alcove units are for, made from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Around Turnpike Lane, a large share of homes date from before 1919, which in London mostly means Victorian and Edwardian houses. Houses of that age typically have a chimney breast in the front and back reception rooms, with an alcove either side, and those alcoves are the natural home for alcove units. Because old walls bow and floors slope, the units are scribed to follow the wall and levelled at the base.
The quote names the materials: moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, each used where it suits the job. The finish is stated too, whether that is spray painting or hand painting.
- Location
- Turnpike Lane (N8, N22, N15)
- Area
- Haringey
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Get in touch
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Also near Turnpike Lane
Also in Turnpike Lane
Questions from Turnpike Lane
Can parking be tricky on fitting day in Turnpike Lane?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a parking bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. It helps to let us know about parking at the measuring visit, so the day can be planned around it.
I live in a flat in Turnpike Lane. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
We measure the route in not just the room: the stairs, landings, lift and doors. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. It is useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, by prior arrangement. Tell us when you get in touch if a Saturday suits you best.
Do alcove units need to reach the ceiling?
It is up to you. Some people take the units right to the ceiling for the most storage, while others stop them at the picture rail or leave open shelves above a low cupboard. We go through the options at the measuring visit.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
Someone needs to be there to let us in. After that, you do not need to stay in the room, but it is useful to be around at the end.
Is an outside wall a problem for fitted furniture?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so we allow for ventilation behind and inside the furniture to avoid condensation. Any damp needs sorting by the right specialist before fitting.
What affects the price in Turnpike Lane
To work out the quote, we look at:
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- Parking and unloading on your street
- How big the furniture is
In London, parking can affect the price. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay near your home. Tell us about parking at the design visit, so it can be planned.
What to send when you contact us
A few details help us understand the job before we visit. It’s useful to include:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Radiators, sockets, pipes or meters on or near the wall
- Whether it’s a house or a flat, and if there are stairs or a lift
- Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
Getting a quote starts with some details: the room, rough sizes and some photos if you have them. When you’re ready, send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, then send a written quote.
Is bespoke worth it?
With bought furniture you’re limited to the maker’s finishes. Ours are painted in a colour agreed with you, either spray painted in the workshop or hand painted. They can match the walls, the woodwork or neither. Alcoves and recesses in period houses are rarely a standard width or depth, so ready-made units rarely fill them properly. Made for the space, the furniture uses the full width and height.
Every piece is quoted for your room after the design visit. A larger piece means more material and more time, so size comes first. Doors, drawers, internal fittings and the finish make up most of the rest.
Why work with us in Turnpike Lane
- More than 300 projects completed
- Work across the whole of London
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- A design visit, then a written quote
See how bespoke compares with ready-made and what to look for in a quote.
When is bespoke worth it?
Bespoke work comes into its own in rooms that aren’t square. In period homes, walls lean, floors slope and the alcoves on each side are often different widths.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job, and it is easy to buy.
Alcove units for homes in Turnpike Lane
Homes built before 1919 make up about 66% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Turnpike Lane, with about 15% built since 2000, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). That matters for alcove units, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. The National Heritage List records 15 entries within half a mile of the centre of Turnpike Lane. Being near listed buildings doesn’t make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. About 28% of households in the streets around Turnpike Lane live in flats in converted or shared houses, based on Census 2021. In a converted house, rooms can be odd shapes, with new partitions meeting old walls, and the way in often goes up shared stairs. If your flat is leasehold, check your lease before anything is fixed to the walls.
If your children go to North Harringay Primary School or a school nearby, low doors that small hands can open, with books and ornaments higher up, suit a busy family room. Bruce Castle, about 1.5 miles north-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Turnpike Lane is about 2 miles east of Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. Homes in Turnpike Lane are part of the area we cover for alcove units, as part of our work in every London borough. Our work takes in places right across Haringey, from the busiest high streets to quiet residential roads.
Every address in N8, N22 and N15 is within our area for alcove units, from the main roads to the quieter streets. Our area takes in homes on streets such as Bury Road, High Road and Glebe Road, along with the roads around them, for alcove units and any of our other fitted furniture. If you’re just outside Turnpike Lane, we also cover Hornsey (1 mile west), Noel Park (1 mile north), Wood Green (1 mile north), Stroud Green (1 mile south) and Crouch End (1 mile south-west). Elsewhere in Haringey, we also cover Tottenham (2 miles east), Highgate (2 miles south-west), Muswell Hill (2 miles west), Fortis Green (2 miles west), Northumberland Park (2 miles north-east) and Tottenham Hale (2 miles east).
Near you in Turnpike Lane
In Turnpike Lane, that includes homes near The Toll Gate pub, Greig City Academy and Moselle Upper School. There’s a railway station in Turnpike Lane itself: Hornsey station. Nearby you’ll also find Hornsey Central Hospital (1.1 miles west) and Broomfield House Museum (1.9 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Railway Fields.
Is it time for alcove units?
Sometimes it is the clutter of a busy living room. Toys, games, paperwork and gadgets need somewhere to go, and cupboards with doors keep them out of sight. Open shelves above are left for the things you like to see.
If any of these sound familiar, it is worth getting in touch:
- Everyday clutter left on show
- A place for a small desk
- Tired cupboards in the alcoves
- Bowed walls and sloping floors
If you live near Ducketts Common, shelving that stops short of the window keeps the view of the green.
Before you choose who makes it
- Whether they measure the room themselves
- Have they thought about parking near you?
- Will the quote be in writing?
- Which parts of the job need an electrician or a plumber