Example photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash, not our project
Enfield · London
Alcove Units in Upper Edmonton
Alcove units in Upper Edmonton: cupboards and shelves built into the alcoves beside a chimney breast. We visit to measure and talk through the design, make the furniture in our workshop and fit it.
- Empty alcoves either side of the chimney breast
- Old alcove cupboards that have seen better days
- Cupboards in keeping with an older house
Ask about alcove units in Upper Edmonton
Built-in living-room furniture in Upper Edmonton
Homes built between 1919 and 1939 make up about 29% of the housing in the streets around Upper Edmonton, with about 26% built before 1919, according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). We take that into account at the measuring visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. The National Heritage List records 8 entries within half a mile of the centre of Upper Edmonton. Being near listed buildings does not make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Enfield is no exception. Where a street in Upper Edmonton is controlled, a van may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a bay suspension from the council. We ask about parking during the design visit, and we’ll plan around it.
If you live near Pymmes Park, alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear. For an older house near St Mary's Church, picture rails and cornices give alcove units a line to finish at.
Upper Edmonton is within the London Borough of Enfield, about 1 mile north of Edmonton. We cover Upper Edmonton as part of our work across Enfield, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Upper Edmonton is one of 26 places on our list for Enfield.
We make alcove units across N18, N9 and N17 for alcove units. If your home is on a street like Bull Lane, Park Lane and York Road, or close by, we can arrange a design visit for alcove units. If you are just outside Upper Edmonton, we also cover Northumberland Park (1 mile south-east), Edmonton (1 mile north), Picketts Lock (2 miles north-east), South Chingford (2 miles east) and Winchmore Hill (2 miles north-west). Across the rest of Enfield, our area takes in Enfield (3 miles north), Palmers Green (2 miles west), New Southgate (3 miles west), Enfield Chase (3 miles north-west), Gordon Hill (4 miles north) and Oakthorpe Park (2 miles west).
Near you in Upper Edmonton
We fit furniture in homes around London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, Tottenham University Technical College and No.8 Tottenham pub. There is a railway station in Upper Edmonton itself: Silver Street station. Other landmarks nearby include Edmonton Green Shopping Centre (0.8 miles north-east) and North Middlesex University Hospital (under half a mile west).
How we make alcove units for Upper Edmonton
Even a chimney that’s been blocked or capped needs some ventilation to help keep damp out of the breast. We keep any vent clear when we design alcove units, rather than boxing it in. If there are signs of damp on the chimney breast or in the alcoves, they’re best sorted before fitting. We make alcove units from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted, and people most often get in touch about shelving for books and records and alcoves that aren’t square.
Wherever your home in Upper Edmonton sits in London’s mix of housing, alcove units start with the room you actually have. Older rooms bring uneven walls and picture rails, while newer ones bring plasterboard walls and boxed-in pipes. We measure for whichever you have, and the pieces are made to suit.
Our quotes are written in plain words. They say what will be made, what it is made from and how it will be finished, all taken from the design visit.
- Location
- Upper Edmonton (N18, N9, N17)
- Area
- Enfield
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Where it’s made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Made from
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Working days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Nearby places to Upper Edmonton
What else we make in Upper Edmonton
How fitting day works
The last stage of the day is the finish. If the furniture was spray painted in the workshop, we fill the fixing holes and touch up on site; hand painting, if that is what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. The finish is always the one agreed in your quote. London parking ranges from controlled zones to driveways and private bays, so let us know what’s near you at the design visit. If you live in a flat, any lift or building rules are worth checking too.
- You get in touch and let us know about the room and the alcoves.
- At the design visit, we measure each alcove and go through the layout with you, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- 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.
- We install the units, set them level and scribe them to the alcoves.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Keep pets out of the room and the hallway
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
Ask for a quote
You don’t need exact measurements to get started. We measure everything properly at the measuring visit, along with the walls, floor and ceiling. To get started, message us from the contact page. You receive a written quote after the visit.
Read more
Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Alcoves vary in depth, and the chimney breast decides how far a unit can come out. A shop-bought cabinet may stick out past the chimney breast or leave a deep gap behind it. Bespoke units are made to the depth you want, flush with the chimney breast or set back from it. Ready-made pieces come with a fixed inside layout, rather than where you need them. Fitted furniture is laid out inside around your things.
Tricky rooms take more time: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. That’s reflected in the quote, which we write after seeing the room.
Why us?
- Spray painted or hand painted, in the colour you choose
- Made in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Saturday visits and fitting by arrangement
- Scribed to uneven walls
Before and after fitting day
Painted fitted furniture is easy to look after. These habits help most:
- Think about what you’ll store before we meet
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Have any damp looked at before the units are made
- Let us know about stairs, parking and access early
Paint is dry to the touch well before it has fully cured. At first, go gently with the new paintwork, lifting things rather than sliding them and avoiding any scrubbing.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units, as strong heat can mark paint over time.
The problems alcove units solve
Moving into a period house often prompts it. New owners want storage that suits the house, and the alcoves are an obvious place to start. It is also a good moment, before the room fills up.
Here are some of the needs we are asked about most:
- Alcoves that are wasted space
- Clutter with nowhere to go
- Room to work in an alcove
- Shelving for books and records
Bruce Castle, about 1.1 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- How they deal with uneven walls and floors
- Are the boards named, such as MDF or plywood?
- Where they’ll park and unload
- Whether you’ll get a quote in writing, not just a figure
Questions we’re often asked
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Usually 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 can require listed building consent from the council. If you are unsure, the council can confirm.
I live near Silver Street station. Is that in your area?
Yes. We cover all of Enfield and the rest of London. To get started, you can use our contact form with a few details about the room, and let us know about parking and access at the same time.
Does someone need to be home during the fitting?
Someone needs to let us in. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
How much will my alcove unit cost?
Size, doors and drawers, what goes inside and the finish all affect it. We send a quote in writing after the design visit.
Are alcove units spray painted or hand painted?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Either way, the colour is agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Do pictures help?
Yes, they help. Pictures of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling, give us a good idea of the space, particularly with rough sizes. To send them, fill in our short enquiry form.
What it’s made from
Birch plywood
Birch plywood is also good for drawer boxes. The edge can be painted or shown as a detail.
Shelves
Shelf thickness depends on the span and the load. Wider alcoves and heavy books need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support.