Example photo by Franco Debartolo on Unsplash, not our project
Hackney · London
TV and Media Units in Shacklewell
Planning TV and media units for a home in Shacklewell? It starts with a design visit to measure and talk through ideas, then a written quote, before anything is made.
- Empty alcoves beside the TV
- Space for a soundbar and speakers
- Cables trailing across the wall
TV and media units for your home in Shacklewell
What TV and media units can’t fix
Damp treatment and building work are for other specialists, so these points are worth knowing:
- Connecting the TV signal or internet
- Removing a chimney breast or any structural work
- Configuring the TV and sound system
If in doubt, you can message us from the contact page and describe the room before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Cable routes
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Ventilated cabinets
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Hand-painted finish
How we make TV and media units for Shacklewell
Media equipment warms up as it runs, so sealing equipment in a cupboard isn’t a good idea. Ventilation is planned into the design, with open backs, gaps or vented doors where they’re needed. Equipment makers often say how much space their boxes need around them. We make TV and media units from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and people most often get in touch about a TV stand that doesn’t fit the wall and boxes with no ventilation.
Ceilings in homes built before 1919 are often taller than in later houses, and around Shacklewell, a large share of homes are that age. Full-height TV and media units can run up to the picture rail or the cornice, so the furniture looks as if it belongs to the house. Blocked fireplaces are common too, and a capped chimney should still be ventilated before anything is built against it.
The written quote is your record of the job. It describes the TV unit we have designed for the room, its materials and its finish, and it’s what the workshop builds to.
- Location
- Shacklewell (N16, E8, E5)
- Area
- Hackney
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and plywood, painted to order
- Fitting days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Get in touch
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Boards, parts and paint
Moisture-resistant MDF
MDF has no grain to show through, so a painted TV unit looks calm and even. We use the moisture-resistant grade.
Birch plywood
Long shelves under a screen need to stay straight. Birch plywood, sized for the span, keeps it flat.
Common questions about TV and media units
I live in a flat in Shacklewell. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. TV and media units are made in our workshop in sections sized to fit that route, then assembled in your flat. It is useful to check any building rules and your lease before fitting day.
I live near Rectory Road station. Is that in your area?
Yes, homes across Hackney and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit.
What if the wall is cold or damp?
It can be done with some care: ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps avoid condensation and mould. Damp treatment is not something we do, so any damp needs sorting first.
Can the fitting be on a Saturday?
Yes, we can arrange Saturdays. Let us know when you first get in touch, and we will see what we can do.
Do I need permission in a conservation area?
Not usually. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house doesn’t normally need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: check with the council’s conservation officer first.
Can a built-in unit hide all the wires?
Cable routes are built into the design, with access panels for later changes. Where cables reach the wall depends on the sockets.
How fitting works for TV and media units
At the end, we tidy up and lift the floor protection. Before we leave, we go over the finished piece together and explain how to look after the paint. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the unit and the cable routes planned into it, and your quote sets out the fitting days. On fitting day in an older house, the main job is scribing to walls and levelling on floors that slope, so each piece is trimmed and adjusted on site. Floors are protected, and dust is kept down as far as possible. It helps to let us know about parking during the design visit, as terraced streets are often busy.
- You get in touch with details of the room and where it is in your home.
- At the design visit we measure the wall and also the hall, stairs and doorways the unit has to pass through.
- A written quote follows, setting out the design, materials and finish.
- In our workshop we make the unit in sections from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We bring the sections in, join them on the wall and scribe them to fit.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Let us know where the boiler and meters are
- Get any new sockets or wiring done by your electrician before fitting day
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
Arranging a design visit
Every quote follows a design visit. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and discuss the design with you, then send a written quote. The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose. To arrange a visit, use our contact form.
Advice
Flat-pack or bespoke?
Shop-bought shelves can sag over a long span. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Off-the-shelf cupboards come in fixed sizes, so there’s often a strip of wasted space at the side or above. Fitted furniture is made to the room’s measurements, so it can use the full height and width.
Neighbourhoods near Shacklewell
More for homes in Shacklewell
Flats, conversions and leaseholders
Some blocks ask for notice before trades arrive, often through a building manager or concierge. If there is a lift, it may need booking, and its size matters when we plan the sections. Mention it when you contact us.
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. We measure the stairs, landings, lift and doorways as well as the room, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through.
Built-in living-room furniture in Shacklewell
About 50% of the homes in the area around Shacklewell went up before 1919, and about 18% between 1945 and 1972, in the VOA’s 2025 council tax stock figures. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. 16 conservation areas have at least part of their area within a mile of the centre of Shacklewell. Historic England says England has around 10,000, and the controls mainly cover the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. The Ultra Low Emission Zone has covered all of London since it reached the outer boroughs on 29 August 2023. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in Shacklewell is covered by it. We plan parking and access with you at the design visit.
If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Church of St Matthias, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent. Sutton House, about 0.9 miles east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. If your own home is a period one, picture rails and cornices give TV and media units a line to finish at. Close to Stoke Newington Common? A room that looks out on trees deserves a design that leaves the window alone.
Shacklewell is about 2 miles south of Shoreditch, within the London Borough of Hackney. Shacklewell is part of the area we cover. Shacklewell is one of the places in Hackney where we make TV and media units, and the borough has 20 places on our list.
We cover every part of the N16, E8 and E5 postcode area. Whether you live on a street such as Muir Road, Allen Road and Downs Road or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for TV and media units. Shacklewell sits close to the A107. Neighbouring places we cover for TV and media units include West Hackney (1 mile north), Dalston (1 mile south), Kingsland (1 mile south-west), Newington Green (1 mile west) and Mildmay (1 mile south-west). Across the rest of Hackney, our area takes in Shoreditch (2 miles south), Manor House (2 miles north-west) and Hackney Marshes (2 miles east).
Local landmarks in Shacklewell
The streets we cover here include those near Shacklewell Primary School, The Shacklewell Arms and Kingsland Secondary School. Shacklewell has its own railway station: Rectory Road station. Nearby you’ll also find Hackney Walk (0.9 miles south-east) and German Hospital (close by, under half a mile south). Green spaces nearby include Woodberry Wetlands.