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Haringey · London
Alcove units in Wood Green, Haringey
Planning alcove units for a home in Wood Green? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote.
- Storage that suits a period room
- Room to work in an alcove
- Bare alcoves beside the fireplace
Alcove units in Wood Green
Your questions about alcove units in Wood Green
How do you fit alcove units in a flat in Wood Green?
At the design visit, we measure the way in as well as the room. Alcove units are made in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It’s useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
Does a conservation area in or near Wood Green affect fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Can the two alcove units be different?
It’s entirely your choice. Alcoves are often different widths anyway, so each unit is made for its own recess. They can match in style while doing different jobs.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, Saturdays are possible by prior arrangement. Let us know when you first get in touch.
Which finishes are there for alcove units?
There are two options: a spray-painted finish done in our workshop, or a hand-painted finish done on site. Both are in a colour agreed with you. Spray painting is smooth and even, while hand painting is easy to touch up.
Can you build alcove units for alcoves that are not square?
Yes. Few alcoves in older houses are truly square, so each unit is scribed to the wall on site. Adjustable feet or a plinth take care of a floor that slopes.
Alcove units in Wood Green
Most Victorian and Edwardian terraced houses have a chimney breast in the main rooms, with an alcove on each side. Alcove units turn that space into cupboards and shelves that look as though they belong there. If your home in Wood Green has alcoves like these, each alcove gets a unit designed for it. 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 toys and paperwork with no proper home and walls too uneven for standard furniture.
A large share of the homes around Wood Green were built before 1919, and in London most homes of that age are Victorian or Edwardian. Main rooms in houses like these usually have a chimney breast with an alcove on each 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.
A written quote is the clearest record of what we’ve agreed. It sets out the alcove unit designed for your room, what it’s made from and how it is finished, and the workshop works from it.
- Location
- Wood Green (N22, N8)
- Borough
- Haringey
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it’s made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Materials and finish
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Weekdays, and Saturdays by arrangement
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Do you need alcove units in Wood Green?
For some, it is about books, records or a TV. We can plan an alcove unit around exactly what you have, with each shelf set to suit it.
A few of the things people ask us to solve include:
- A place for a small desk
- Alcoves that aren’t square
- Units that sit well with original features
- Furniture that doesn’t fit the alcove
Living in a block of flats near Alexandra Palace station? Then it helps to book the lift and tell the concierge before fitting day.
Choosing a carpenter
- Will the doors close with even gaps?
- Is it spray painted or hand painted?
- Who does any electrics, plumbing or gas work
- Are the boards named, like MDF or plywood?
Honest limits
It is worth being clear about where our work stops:
- Treating damp in the chimney breast or walls
- New sockets or wiring (your electrician handles those)
- Removing or altering a chimney breast, which is structural work
Not sure whether your space suits alcove units? You can use our contact form and we’ll tell you before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
What it’s made from
- Hand-painted finish
- Adjustable shelves
- Birch plywood
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Spray-painted finish
- Panelled or flat doors
- Scribed side panels
Before and after fitting day
Because fitted furniture stays put, a little upkeep goes a long way. Here are a few tips worth knowing:
- Clear the alcoves before the design visit if you can
- Make a rough list of what the cupboards need to hold
- Deal with any damp on the chimney breast first
- Check whether there is a vent in the chimney breast
Keep a record of the colour for future touch-ups. Small marks on a hand-painted finish are easy to touch up, and it helps to keep a little of the paint.
Avoid placing a heater hard up against the units.
Places near Wood Green
More for homes in Wood Green
How fitting day works
In older rooms, the furniture usually has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. We cut and scribe the furniture around them on site, so it looks as though it was always there. How long the fitting takes depends on the size and number of units, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. Older London houses often have narrow hallways and tight turns on the stairs, so the furniture comes in sections sized for the route in. Floors, stairs and doorways are covered before anything is carried through.
- You send us some details about the alcoves and what you’d like in them, and a rough sketch helps if you have one.
- We visit to measure the alcoves and discuss the design, noting the skirting, picture rail and any chimney vent.
- We send a quote in writing for the units.
- The units are built in our workshop, ready for a spray-painted finish or for hand painting on site.
- The units are fitted in your home and scribed to follow the walls, so they sit tight to the chimney breast.
Before we arrive
- Make sure pets are kept safely away
- Empty the space we’ll be working in
- If you live in a block, book the lift and tell the building manager
Getting a quote
Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit, once the room is measured and the design talked through. For a quote, fill in our short enquiry form.
Read more
Built-in living-room furniture in Wood Green
Homes built before 1919 make up about 62% of the housing in the streets around Wood Green, with about 13% built since 2000, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. The National Heritage List has 20 entries within half a mile of the centre of Wood Green. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and the furniture can be designed around them rather than over them. Each London borough runs its own parking controls, and Haringey is no exception. If parking near you is controlled, a visitor permit or a bay suspension may be needed, and the council arranges suspensions, often with notice. Parking near your home is worth mentioning during the design visit.
If you live in a period home close to Church of St Michael and All Angels, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove units. Close to Woodside Park? Alcove units can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Wood Green is about 2 miles east of Tottenham, within the London Borough of Haringey. We can visit homes in Wood Green on weekdays, or on a Saturday by prior arrangement. Wood Green is one of the places in Haringey where we make alcove units, and the borough has 23 places on our list.
In N22 and N8, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. If your home is on a street like Vincent Square, Station Road and Gathorne Road, or close by, we can visit to measure up for alcove units. Main roads around Wood Green include the B151, and we plan where the van can stop before fitting day. If you are just outside Wood Green, we also cover Noel Park (1 mile south-east), Turnpike Lane (1 mile south), Hornsey (1 mile south-west), Crouch End (1 mile south-west) and Stroud Green (2 miles south). Across the rest of Haringey, our area takes in Tottenham (2 miles east), Tottenham Green (2 miles south-east), South Tottenham (2 miles south-east), Seven Sisters (2 miles south-east), Finsbury Park (2 miles south) and Highgate (2 miles south-west). Wood Green is among the bigger places we cover in Haringey.
Local landmarks in Wood Green
We fit furniture in homes around St Thomas More Catholic School, The Nag's Head pub and Greek Secondary School of London, among other places. The nearest railway station is Alexandra Palace station, about 0.5 miles west of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Broomfield House Museum (1.3 miles north) and The Mall Wood Green (within half a mile south). Green spaces nearby include Railway Fields.
Bespoke alcove units or ready-made?
To be fair, a standalone bookcase or cabinet can go with you to your next home. Built-in units become part of the room and are left behind when you go. Which suits you depends on your plans. Ready-made pieces are proportioned for newer homes and can look lost in an older one, while fitted furniture can follow the room’s own lines.
No two rooms cost the same to furnish, because size, layout and finish change from job to job. A spray finish and a hand-painted finish involve different work, and that shows in the price. You will see the figure in your written quote, after the design visit.
What you get with us
- Made for your room, not a standard size
- Built from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Over 300 projects completed
Read bespoke vs off-the-shelf or what to look for in a quote.