Advice
Fitted furniture advice
Practical guides to planning fitted furniture in London homes: materials, finishes, awkward spaces, flats, period houses and what to ask before you hire anyone.
Main guides
What Affects the Cost of Fitted Wardrobes?
What drives the cost of fitted wardrobes in a London home: size, the inside layout, doors, finish, wall condition and access, plus how to compare quotes.
Read the guide →Alcove Units: A Guide for London Homes
Cupboards, shelves and desks for the alcoves beside a chimney breast in London homes: layouts, measuring, period details and fixing to old walls.
Read the guide →Bespoke vs Off-the-Shelf Fitted Furniture
How bespoke fitted furniture compares with off-the-shelf units in London homes: fit, awkward spaces, build, finish, access and when each makes sense.
Read the guide →MDF vs Plywood for Fitted Furniture
Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood compared for fitted furniture: strength, stability, painting, shelves and where each one works best.
Read the guide →Spray-Painted vs Hand-Painted Furniture
Spray painting and hand painting compared for fitted furniture and kitchens: how each is done, how they look, touching up and which suits your room.
Read the guide →Storage Ideas for Victorian and Edwardian Terraces
Fitted storage ideas for London’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces: alcoves, bays, hallways, under the stairs, bedrooms and converted lofts.
Read the guide →Under-Stairs Storage: Ideas and What to Check
Pull-out drawers, cupboards, coat and shoe storage or a small desk under the stairs, and the meters, fuse boards and access you need to keep clear.
Read the guide →Built-in Bookshelves: Depths, Spans and Sag
How to plan built-in bookshelves that don’t sag: shelf depth, span, thickness, supports, fixing to London walls and building around doors and windows.
Read the guide →Storage in a Loft Conversion: Eaves and Slopes
Eaves cupboards, knee-wall drawers, wardrobes under the slope and dormer shelves for a converted London loft, and what to check before fitting.
Read the guide →Planning a Bespoke Kitchen in a London Home
Planning a bespoke kitchen in a London terrace, flat or semi: layout, larders and dressers, islands, the other trades involved, access and finish.
Read the guide →More advice
Built-in TV Units: Cables, Heat and Sizes
How to plan a built-in TV unit: screen size, space for boxes and speakers, cable routes, ventilation and when you need your electrician.
Read the guide →Designing a Built-in Home Office
Designing a built-in home office in a London spare room, alcove, landing or under the eaves: desk height, storage, cables and shelving.
Read the guide →Window Seats: Bays, Sashes and Radiators
Planning a window seat in a bay or under a sash window: seat depth, lift-up lids or drawers, and keeping a radiator’s heat moving with a grille.
Read the guide →Wall Beds Explained: Are They Right for You?
How fold-down wall beds work in London spare rooms and studios, the space they need in front, secure fixing and the storage built around them.
Read the guide →Planning a Walk-in Wardrobe or Dressing Room
How to plan a walk-in wardrobe or dressing room in a spare room, box room or part of a bedroom: hanging, shelves, drawers, shoes and a dressing table.
Read the guide →Fitted Wardrobes Under a Sloping Ceiling
How fitted wardrobes are built under a sloping ceiling in a loft room or top-floor flat: hanging heights, door shapes, ventilation and measuring.
Read the guide →Fitting Furniture to Uneven Walls and Floors
Why period London walls and floors are rarely flat or level, and how fitted furniture is scribed, levelled and fixed to suit the wall.
Read the guide →Fitted Furniture in Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
What to check before fitting furniture in a listed building or a London conservation area, and when listed building consent may be needed.
Read the guide →Fitted Furniture in a Leasehold Flat: Check Your Lease
Why London leaseholders should check their lease before fixing furniture to walls, what consent can mean, and the practical points for flats.
Read the guide →Parking for Tradespeople in London: CPZs Explained
How controlled parking zones, visitor permits, bay suspensions, red routes, the ULEZ and the Congestion Charge affect a fitting day in London.
Read the guide →How to Measure a Room for Fitted Furniture
How to take rough measurements of a London room before a design visit: widths, heights, depths, skirting, sockets, radiators and the route in.
Read the guide →What Happens at a Design Visit
What happens when we visit your London home to measure and talk through the design, what to have ready and what happens after the visit.
Read the guide →What a Fitted Furniture Quote Should Include
What a written quote for fitted furniture should set out, from sizes, layout and materials to finish, fitting and what other trades will do.
Read the guide →Choosing a Carpenter in London: A Checklist
A practical checklist for choosing a carpenter for fitted furniture in London: the visit, the written quote, the workshop and the questions to ask.
Read the guide →Building Around a Chimney Breast: What to Know
What to check before building around a chimney breast in a London home: damp, ventilation of blocked flues, uneven walls and old fireplaces.
Read the guide →Storage Ideas for Small Bedrooms
Fitted storage ideas for small London bedrooms and box rooms: wardrobes around the bed, alcoves, high cupboards, drawers and wall beds.
Read the guide →Fitted Furniture in Mansion Block Flats
Fitted furniture in a London mansion block flat: high ceilings, period details, lifts, stairs, porters, booking rules and checking your lease.
Read the guide →Adding Storage to a New-Build Flat
How to add fitted storage to a new-build London flat: stud walls, fixings, open-plan rooms, hallway cupboards and the building’s rules.
Read the guide →Choosing a Paint Finish for Fitted Furniture
How to choose a colour and paint finish for fitted furniture: light, the room, sheen, matching walls and how spray and hand painting differ.
Read the guide →Looking After Painted Fitted Furniture
How to look after new painted fitted furniture and kitchens: letting paint cure, cleaning gently, avoiding knocks and touching up marks.
Read the guide →Wardrobe Doors: Hinged, Sliding or Open?
Hinged, sliding or open wardrobes compared for London bedrooms: space in front, access to the inside, alcoves, slopes and how each looks.
Read the guide →Cupboards for Boilers, Meters and Fuse Boards
How to build cupboards around a boiler, gas or electricity meter or fuse board while keeping the access and ventilation they need.
Read the guide →Fitted Storage for Children’s Rooms
Fitted storage for children’s rooms in London homes: adjustable shelves, low drawers, desks for later and furniture that changes as they grow.
Read the guide →Getting Your Room Ready for Fitting Day
How to get your London home ready for fitting day: clearing the room, the route in, parking, building rules and what other trades need to finish.
Read the guide →Fitted Furniture on External Walls: Damp and Ventilation
Why external walls can be colder and damper, and how ventilation behind and inside fitted wardrobes helps avoid condensation and mould.
Read the guide →Ready to plan your furniture? Arrange a design visit.