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Joinery

Alcove Units & Bespoke Shelving in Worksop & North Derbyshire

The two recesses either side of a chimney breast are never the same width, never square, and never fit anything you can buy. That is exactly what bespoke joinery is for.

  • Est. 30+ years' trade experience
  • NVQ Level 3 Carpentry & Joinery
  • Fully insured
  • All trades in-house
Get Your Free Quote Call 07811 466054

What Is Alcove Units & Shelving?

Alcove units are bespoke cupboards, shelving or media storage built into the recesses either side of a chimney breast. They are made to the measurements of each individual alcove, because in almost every older property the two are different widths and neither is square.

A typical unit combines a base cupboard with floating or fixed shelving above, scribed to the wall and finished to match the room. It is the smallest, quickest and most popular joinery job we do — and often the one that leads to everything else.

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Herringbone wood-effect flooring laid up to fitted kitchen units
Who it suits

Is Alcove Units & Shelving Right for You?

  • Victorian and colliery terraces with deep chimney breast recesses
  • 1930s semis where the alcoves flank a fireplace
  • Living rooms needing media and book storage that does not look bolted on
  • Anyone wanting a small, contained project to see how we work

Alcove shelving is often complete in 2 to 3 days. A full cupboard-and-shelving run in both alcoves takes 3 to 5.

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Bespoke alcove cupboard and floating shelves built beside a chimney breast
Scope

What Our Alcove Units & Shelving Includes

Included as standard

  • Measured survey of both alcoves — they will differ
  • Design combining cupboards, drawers and shelving to suit the room
  • Carcasses and doors made to each alcove
  • Floating shelves with concealed fixings, correctly rated for load
  • Scribing to skirting, picture rail and out-of-square walls
  • Cable management for televisions and media equipment
  • Socket and aerial relocation by our own electrician
  • Making good and plastering where old shelving is removed
  • Painted or sprayed finish
  • Clean and waste removal

Good to know

  • Every quote is fixed and in writing after a home visit.
  • All trades are ours — no waiting between contractors.
  • No travel charge anywhere within 30 miles of Creswell.
  • Part of a wider project? See bespoke joinery.
Timber framework built out ready for tiling around a window reveal
Stud framework and tiled wall part-way through a first-fix joinery installation
Bespoke boot room with dark green panelling, an oak bench and coat hooks

Want alcove units & shelving priced properly? We measure up first and quote in writing.

Book a Free Survey 07811 466054
Worth knowing

What Actually Decides Whether This Works

Match the room, do not fight it

Alcove joinery works best when the skirting, architrave and shadow lines carry through from the room. Matching an existing profile is routine for us and it is what stops a unit looking added on.

Decide about the sockets first

Almost every alcove unit hides a socket or an aerial point. Moving them properly while the wall is open is straightforward; leaving a cable trailing over a new unit is not.

Floating shelves need real fixings

A floating shelf carrying books needs a proper concealed bracket into masonry or a fixed batten, not a plasterboard fixing. This is the most common failure in DIY alcove work.

What Does Alcove Units & Shelving Cost?

Prices depend on the room, the specification and how much of the existing layout changes. Every quote we give is fixed and in writing after a home visit — we do not price from photographs, because that is where surprise costs come from.

Marble-effect tiled recess with a slim shelf formed in the wall
Free · No obligation

Get a fixed quote for alcove units & shelving

Tell us the postcode and roughly what you are after. We will arrange a visit and put a written price in your hands.

Rather talk? Call 07811 466054 or message us on WhatsApp. Mon–Fri 7:30am–8:30pm.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions About Alcove Units & Shelving

Why can I not just buy a unit to fit an alcove?
Because alcoves in older houses are almost never the same width as each other, and almost never square from front to back or top to bottom. A standard unit either leaves a visible gap or has to be forced in. Bespoke joinery is measured from the actual recess and scribed to the walls, which is why it sits flush and reads as part of the room.
Can you build around a television and its cables?
Yes, media storage with concealed cable runs is one of the most common alcove requests. We plan the routes at design stage and, because the electrics are handled in-house, we can relocate sockets and aerial points rather than working around where they happen to be. The result is a wall with no visible cabling.
Can you match the existing skirting and mouldings?
Yes, matching existing skirting profiles, architrave and picture rail is a standard part of our joinery work, and it is what makes a new unit look original to the house. Where a profile is no longer available we can have it matched or hand-cut. This matters most in the period terraces around Creswell, Bolsover and Retford.
How much disruption is involved?
Very little. Components are made off site, so the work in your home is fitting, scribing, any electrical alteration and finishing — typically two to five days in one room. We protect floors, contain dust and clear up at the end of each day.

Still deciding? A survey costs nothing and you will know exactly what the job involves.

Request Your Free Quote 07811 466054
Further reading

Guides Worth Reading Before You Start

Fitted Wardrobes vs Freestanding: Which Is Worth It?

A fitted wardrobe is built into the room and uses its full height and depth, including the awkward space around chimney breasts and under sloping ceilings. It typically yields 20 to 30% more usable storage than freestanding furniture in the same footprint, and it stays with the house when you move. Freestanding wins in rented homes, in rooms you expect to reconfigure, and where the walls are too irregular to justify the scribing work.

Read the guide
Related

You Might Also Need

Fitted Wardrobes

Fitted wardrobes made for your room — full height, wall to wall, around the chimney breast and under the slope.

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Media Wall Installation

A media wall needs joinery, electrics, plastering and decorating in the right order.

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Bespoke Understairs Storage

The understairs cupboard is the worst-used space in most houses — a deep, dark hole you have to crawl into.

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Free, no-obligation quote

Planning alcove units & shelving? Get a fixed quote.

We visit, measure up, check what's behind the walls and give you a written price with the exclusions stated plainly. No obligation, no charge, no sales visit.

Much of our work comes from repeat customers and recommendations, reflecting the standard we work to.

Request a Free Quote See Our Work
Contact us

Barbers Bathroom & Kitchens

Creswell, Derbyshire Service area business — we work in your home

We cover a 30-mile radius of Creswell, including Worksop, Clowne, Bolsover, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Retford, Sheffield and Nottingham. There is no travel charge anywhere within that area.

Phone
07811 466054
Hours
Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 8:30pm
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