Bespoke Victorian Alcove Cabinets for a Forest Gate E7 Period Home

After a full remodel — freshly painted walls, polished floorboards, and a newly-installed wood-burning stove — our client came to us with a clear vision for the alcoves flanking her fireplace in her Forest Gate E7 home. She wanted a pair of handmade Victorian-style alcove cabinets that would feel original to the period property, with floating shelves above for books and vinyl.

A Bespoke Design Grounded in Victorian Detail

The homeowner browsed our previous projects and picked out the mouldings and details she wanted to combine in her own way — the real advantage of going bespoke over off-the-shelf. The result is a design that won't be found in any other home:

• Ogee panel moulding — a classic Victorian profile around each door panel, softening the geometry and echoing the period character of the house.
• Round-over around the door frame — a subtle detail typical of Victorian joinery that catches light and sits naturally alongside the existing architraves.
• Column moulding on the outer corners — running top-to-bottom on each cabinet, framing the alcoves with a sense of architectural weight.
• Two-door, low-level configuration — practical storage concealed below, with open display space above.

Every profile was milled in our Leytonstone workshop using traditional joinery techniques, so the new alcove cabinets sit flush with the existing skirtings and architraves as if they were always there.