An alcove is a recess that opens into a room or other space, often seen either side of a fire place and chimney breast. This space is perfect for a DIY Alcove Cabinet !
A base cabinet top (BCT) sits above the alcove cupboard doors. It is the feature that protrudes the furthest and determines the depth of the cabinet. We offer various BCT thickness and detail according to the style of the project. NOTE: The usable internal depth of the cabinet will be the BCT minus 8cm.
The upper part of the traditional alcove dresser often used to display books and ornaments.
A term to describe the alcove cupboard interior which supports the cabinet doors and shelves.
CNC (computer numerical control ) machining is a process we use in the manufacturing of our flat pack furniture. It involves the use of computers to control machine tools ensuring speed and more importantly, accuracy. Our alcove cabinet and wardrobe doors are manufactured only using CNC technology, Why? Because there are no joins in the frames to fail or create unsightly ‘ whisper lines’ in the doors after they have been painted.
Moulding commonly used around cabinet and bookcase frames. A small detail with a very traditional look.
This small cabinet detail softens the external corners of the base cabinet or bookcase columns.
Cornice is the trim used to top off the alcove bookcase. Depending on the alcove cabinet style different cornices can be used and can be decorative or plain.
By using CNC technology we are able to create perfect curves that cannot be replicated on site or by hand without huge expense. The curves are subtle and create a very unique detail that sets the alcove cabinets apart from a more general design.
1. Shaker doors. A popular style due to its simple design true to the Shaker principles. 2. Panel mould doors. Our most popular door also known as a Victorian Moulded door. A mitred detailed moulding is applied to a Shaker style door. This style replicates the internal doors of period properties. 3. Raised panel door. Similar to the Panel Mould door in that it replicates internal doors of the house. An Edwardian style with a detailed centre panel. 4. Ovolo mould door. This door has a convex ‘ovolo’ detail and is used in classic architecture and seen in period window joinery. 5. Ogee mould door. Used throughout the housing industry for years, this moulding is ‘ S ‘ shaped in the way it joins two curves. 6. Tongue & groove door (T&G). These are more commonly seen in cottage style properties. Vertical lines within a Shaker style frame. 7. J Handle door. A popular contemporary door style that creates very clean lines. We use this style of door to create unique looks such as the ‘Accent Door’. Oak or walnut detail behind the ‘ J ‘ detail can be used to complement oak or walnut floors in the house. 8. Flat panel door. As the name suggests this is a flat door with no detail creating a contemporary and simple look. 9. Sailing door. A door that finishes 20mm off the floor to create a very slick contemporary look. Used on our contemporary alcove cabinet doors and alcove wardrobe doors.
The double bookcase can be used to create a different look and is often used for practical reasons: a) It enables the height adjustable shelves to be more flexible b) If the width of the alcove is wider than usual and the intent is for the bookcase is to house books, the load can be divided into two sections to avoid sagging.
The machine is used to apply preparation tape. Preparation tape is the only item we strongly recommend. It creates a perfect base on which to paint with far less dust and fuss.
All of these terms describe the type of cabinets we supply. All made to measure and to a customers specific design requirements.
If you have a wide shelf and will be housing heavy items such as books, consider having fixed position shelves to avoid sagging. Assess the optimum distance you would like the shelves to be apart and we will set the bookcase accordingly. This option is also recommended if using shelf lights.
These cabinets appear to float in the alcove space, they are very effective and can be used on any wall whether in an alcove space or not. We supply these cabinets with all the components required to hang them.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo on a wood or wood-based product certifies it is made with, or contains, wood from FSC certified forests or from post-consumer waste. By buying FSC approved products you won’t be harming the world’s forests. Our board materials are all FSC rated.
These are deep decorative lines used on the vertical columns of base cabinets or bookcase columns.
As the name suggests the floating shelves have no visible fixing such as right-angle brackets. We supply floating shelves in thicknesses from 25mm to 54mm. When choosing this option consider the thickness of the base cabinet top, it is advisable to have the same thickness to prevent the whole look appearing ’top heavy’.
The term to describe items such as hinges and draw runners. We only use premium brand hardware. All our doors are soft close and the draws are full extension soft close.
The alcove cupboard or bookcase above is set between the walls and does not protrude any further than the chimney breast.
A finish on board materials to create a flat uniform surface. Used mainly in our alcove wardrobe interiors and our range of floating alcove cabinets.
As used in our alcove wardrobes, the lights come on when the doors open. The light source is in a supplied track that runs from the top to the bottom of the wardrobe sides.
Light Emitting Diodes are flexible appealing lights that run on very low power and can be dimmed. We supply a full LED ‘plug and play’ package.
Medium density fibreboard is an engineered product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres. MDF is superior to natural wood as it is extremely stable and not subject to movement or shrinkage. It also paints extremely well.
A shelf that sits above the cupboard doors to house items such as DVD players and Sky or BT boxes.
We cut and measure everything we do in millimetres. When measuring up please do so in millimetres.
This type of alcove bookcase is mainly used where the actual alcove space is very shallow. This brings the bookcase out of the alcove space and wraps around the chimney breast allowing you to have an increased depth on the bookcase.
A decorative framework placed on top of the bookcase and under the cornice. Pelmets can be flat or arched depending on the design style of the alcove units.
Often used on our contemporary ‘floating cabinets’, these soft dimmable LED lights highlight the back perimeter of the cabinet.
The plinth is used to hide the adjustable feet under the base cabinet to create a seamless finish from cabinet to floor.
A laminate board that is super flat and prefinished meaning no painting of the interior is required. We often use this material in our alcove wardrobes.
We highly recommend preparation tape. It’s used to cover the edges of the cabinets to ensure a perfect paint finish without the hassle and fuss of rubbing down prior to final paint coverage.
Used before applying top coats of paint. We offer 3 different shades of primer; white, mid-tone and dark-tone dependent on the colour choice of your cabinets. The water based primer is sprayed on to ensure a very even application.
Cutting the supplied material over parts such as skirting boards and picture rails which gives the ‘fitted’ finish.
A simple but very appealing detail that runs across the front edge of the bookcase shelves.
Used with fixed position shelves, each bay created by the shelves is equally lit. If required you can specify to have only particular shelf bays lit to highlight specific items. These are supplied with a dimmer switch to create the ambient light mood required.
The LED lighting strip is positioned up the sides of the bookcase. This lighting option allows the shelves to be height adjustable.
Matched skirting wraps around the base of the cabinet. It does not always have to be as high as the house skirting but will depend on aesthetics and scale of the cabinet.
A spoil board sits behind our floating cabinets. It is fixed to the wall and holes can be drilled anywhere without being seen. The decorative floating cabinet board is then attached to this board to create the appearance of the cabinets floating. Markings created by the CNC machine are engraved into the spoil board to aid the installation process.
A template is supplied with alcove base cabinets only. It is the same size as the base cabinet top and enables the customer to scribe the template to the alcove space. When the customer is happy with the template fit it can be applied to the actual base cabinet top.
The alcove cabinet book shelves can be set according to the specific size of your TV.
Upstands provide a neat join between the base cabinet top and back wall.
A thin slice of real wood used to create a solid wood effect. Veneers can be used on base cabinet tops and bookcase back panels. Veneers are finished in Oak or Walnut and can be used to complement finished flooring in the house or add design detail.
Period properties and modern houses have ‘wonky’ walls. To overcome this, we have built 20mm of tolerance into our cabinets. This tolerance is more than enough to accommodate the “wonkiest” of walls !
Vertical columns are added to the sides of the alcove base cupboards and alcove bookcases. Removing the columns reveals a void. This is to account for ‘wonky walls’, plug sockets, skirting and alike. Fluted lines and corner chamfers are applied to these columns to create a decorative effect.