Bespoke Joinery Cost in London 2026: Fitted Wardrobes, Kitchens and Built-ins

Bespoke joinery transforms a room. A set of floor-to-ceiling fitted wardrobes, an alcove library, a media wall with integrated storage, or a fully bespoke kitchen — each one is made precisely for the room, in the materials you choose, in any colour.

This guide sets out what bespoke joinery costs in London in 2026.

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Bespoke Joinery Costs at a Glance (London 2026)

| Joinery Type | Typical Cost | Notes | |---|---|---| | Alcove shelving (open, per alcove) | £1,200 – £2,200 | MDF painted, fixed shelves | | Alcove unit (shelves + cupboards below, per alcove) | £2,800 – £5,500 | With doors, painted | | Fitted wardrobe (per 1m width, floor–ceiling) | £1,800 – £3,500/lm | Includes hanging rail, shelves, doors | | Walk-in wardrobe (dressing room) | £6,500 – £18,000 | Depends on size and internal spec | | Media wall with integrated storage | £4,500 – £12,000 | Cable management, shelving, TV recess | | Staircase refurb (handrail + balustrade) | £3,500 – £8,500 | For a standard 3-bed terrace staircase | | New staircase | £8,000 – £18,000 | Straight or L-shaped; hardwood or painted | | Bespoke kitchen carcasses (per linear metre) | £2,200 – £4,500/lm | Made-to-measure; excludes appliances |

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What Drives Bespoke Joinery Costs?

Material specification

MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is the standard substrate for painted joinery — it takes paint beautifully, is dimensionally stable and is lower cost than solid timber. Most London fitted wardrobes and alcove units are built from MDF.

Solid hardwood (oak, ash, walnut) is used for furniture faces, visible drawer fronts and exposed shelf edges. It adds 20–40% to the cost of a joinery piece.

Engineered timber (finger-jointed, multi-ply) sits between MDF and solid hardwood — more dimensionally stable than solid timber in heated London homes, typically used for bespoke kitchen carcasses.

Door and hardware specification

The door specification is often the biggest variable:

• Simple slab doors (no detailing): low cost, typically £120–£220 per door
• Shaker/frame-and-panel doors: £200–£380 per door
• Fluted or reeded fronts: £280–£520 per door
• Integrated push-to-open (handle-free): add £45–£90 per door

Hardware (hinges, soft-close drawers, pull-out organisers) from Blum, Häfele or Hettich adds £80–£180 per unit.

Complexity of the room

Victorian London homes are never square. Sloping ceilings, alcoves that aren’t parallel, chimney breast returns, and walls that are out of plumb all add to the making and fitting time. Every 2VP joinery piece is scribed on site to fit the room precisely.

Paint finish

All 2VP joinery is painted in our workshop (primer + undercoat) and finished with a final coat on site after installation. Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colours are standard. A premium high-build gloss finish adds £200–£500 to a typical wardrobe.

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Fitted Wardrobes: What You Get

A standard 2VP fitted wardrobe (2.4m wide, floor-to-ceiling, painted white) includes:

• MDF carcass, scribed to ceiling and side walls
• Hanging rail (double-hang or single with shelf above)
• 4 internal shelves, adjustable
• 4 painted MDF doors (slab or shaker — your choice)
• Soft-close Blum hinges
• Finished in Farrow & Ball or equivalent (colour of your choice)

Typical cost: £6,500–£9,000 installed (includes making, delivery and 1-day installation).

What it does not include: internal drawer units (add £180–£320 each), mirror-fronted doors (add £120–£250 per door), built-in lighting.

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Alcove Units: The Most Common Request

Almost every Victorian terrace in London has two alcoves flanking the chimney breast in the front reception room. An alcove unit — shelves above, cupboards below — fills the space beautifully and makes the room look considered.

Per alcove (standard, painted):

• Open shelves only: £1,200–£2,200
• Shelves + cupboards with doors: £2,800–£4,500
• With integrated lighting and feature moulding: £3,500–£6,000

Both alcoves together — the most common specification — typically cost £5,500–£9,000.

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Can Bespoke Joinery Be Added During a Renovation?

Yes — and it’s often better value to have joinery made and installed as part of a wider renovation, because:

1. The walls are plastered and painted to a fresh standard before installation
2. Electrical first fix can route cables to alcove units before boarding
3. The joinery maker can work to the finished-plaster dimensions rather than the raw structural dimensions

2VP coordinates joinery as part of our full renovation and extension projects. If you want joinery only (no building works), we can take that on as a standalone commission.

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Get a Joinery Estimate

Contact us with your room dimensions and a rough brief — we’ll give you a ballpark cost within 48 hours. For a detailed fixed price, we’ll arrange a site visit to measure and discuss the specification.