Example photo by Decima Athens on Unsplash, not our project
City of London · London
Temple Bar Bespoke Kitchens
Walls in older London homes are rarely straight, so we scribe the furniture to follow them. Our work on bespoke kitchens in Temple Bar starts with a design visit, and everything is made at our workshop.
- A layout for a small or awkward room
- A central island in a larger kitchen
- A painted kitchen in a colour you choose
Bespoke kitchens for your home in Temple Bar
About our bespoke kitchens in Temple Bar
We make kitchens to fit the room, not a catalogue of set sizes. Every unit is sized from careful measurements taken at the design visit, so there are no filler panels covering awkward gaps. The layout, storage and finish are planned with you before anything is made in our workshop. We make kitchens from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, spray-painted or hand-painted, and people most often get in touch about open shelves with cupboards below and an island where space allows.
An older kitchen often has a sash window and a back door, which fix where things can go. Around Temple Bar, where a large share of homes date from before 1919, the cabinets are planned around the windows and doors you have. The sink position is agreed with your plumber. The worktop, sink and appliances are your choice.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we will tell you. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Where
- Temple Bar (WC2B, WC2E, EC1N)
- Borough
- City of London
- Prices
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Contact
- The contact form
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
How fitting day works
Period rooms often have skirting boards, picture rails, cornices or coving for the furniture to meet. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details. The time the fitting takes depends on the size of the kitchen and the design, and the fitting days are agreed in your quote. On fitting day, edges are trimmed on site to follow the walls, so a clear area to work in near the room helps. Dust is kept down and cleared up as we go. Where the finish is hand-painted, it can be done after the pieces are in.
- You get in touch with some details about the kitchen. Say a little about the way you cook.
- We visit, measure and go through the layout, larder, dresser or island.
- A written quote is sent to you.
- Everything is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit the kitchen in your home, while your plumber, a Gas Safe registered engineer and your electrician do the plumbing, gas and electrics.
Before we arrive
- Clear the area where the furniture is going
- Let us know if your street is in a controlled parking zone
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
Getting a quote
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we have measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, send us a few details through our contact form.
Related advice
Boards, parts and paint
Larder and dresser units
Larders and dressers can fill an alcove or end a run in a way standard units cannot.
Hand-painted finish
A hand-painted finish can be done on site, once the kitchen is fitted. Chips are simple to touch in.
Temple Bar homes and bespoke kitchens
In the neighbourhood around Temple Bar, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 48%) and the years since 2000 (about 22%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how kitchens are fixed and fitted. Entries on the National Heritage List near the centre of Temple Bar include Chambers on West Side of New Court (Grade I), less than half a mile south, and Temple Church (st Mary's) (Grade I), less than half a mile east. For a listed home, internal works that affect its character may need listed building consent from the council, for example removing or fixing into original panelling. The council’s conservation officer is the person to ask before work starts. About 48% of homes in the neighbourhood around Temple Bar were built before 1919, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. Older houses often have narrow kitchens at the back, with floors that slope, so each cabinet is levelled and scribed on site.
For families living near St Clement Danes CofE Primary School, a tall cupboard by the door can take school bags and coats as part of the kitchen. If you live in a period home close to Temple Church, a narrow back addition or an old chimney breast may shape the kitchen layout. If you live near Lincoln's Inn Fields, a tall cupboard for outdoor things can be part of the kitchen design.
Temple Bar is within the City of London, about 1 mile east of City of London. Temple Bar is part of the area we cover. Temple Bar is one of 8 places on our list for the City of London.
Postcode districts we cover here for bespoke kitchens: WC2B, WC2E and EC1N. If your home is on a street such as Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square, or close by, we can visit to measure up for bespoke kitchens. Temple Bar is near the A4 and A40; on busy main roads, unloading kitchens takes a little planning. Neighbouring places we cover for bespoke kitchens include Temple (1 mile south), Clare Market (1 mile west), Aldwych (1 mile west), Blackfriars (1 mile east) and Covent Garden (1 mile west).
Near you in Temple Bar
The streets we cover here include those near British Library of Political and Economic Science, London Nautical School and Mercers' School. There’s a railway station in Temple Bar itself: City Thameslink station. A little further out are St Philip's Hospital (a few minutes’ walk west) and Gabriel's Wharf (close by, under half a mile south-east). Green spaces nearby include Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
Nearby places to Temple Bar
What else we make in Temple Bar
Why bespoke in Temple Bar?
There is a place for both. If the room is square and the budget is tight, a ready-made kitchen may do the job. For period homes, tricky rooms or a painted look, bespoke tends to earn its place. Alcoves and recesses in period houses are rarely a standard width or depth, so off-the-shelf pieces either don’t fit or leave a gap either side. Made for the space, the furniture uses the full width and height.
Access to the room makes a difference too. Several flights of stairs, a small lift or a narrow hall can mean smaller sections and more carrying. The price comes in a written quote, worked out from the measurements and the design you choose.
Why choose Bespoke Carpentry in Temple Bar
- Every quote follows a design visit
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Finished by spray or by hand
- Made for your room, not a standard size
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf and what to look for in a quote.
Common questions about bespoke kitchens
Does a conservation area in or near Temple Bar affect fitted furniture?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
Do you cover homes near City Thameslink station?
Yes, homes across the City of London and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can tell us about the room on our contact form to arrange a design visit, and tell us about parking and access at the same time.
What finishes do you offer?
You can choose between two finishes: by spray or by hand. Spray painting gives a smooth, even finish, and hand painting is easy to touch up.
Will a bespoke kitchen suit my uneven floor?
Yes, it’s something we deal with all the time. Walls in older homes are rarely flat and floors often slope, so we scribe and level every cabinet.
Can you build an island in my kitchen?
If there is enough room, yes. There has to be comfortable space on every side, and we check this at the measuring visit. In a narrow kitchen, a longer run or a peninsula may suit better.
Which worktops and appliances can I have?
The worktop, sink and appliances are the ones you choose, and we design the cabinets around them. Your quote sets out what’s included.
Pricing bespoke kitchens in Temple Bar
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- Hanging rails, shelves, drawers and other fittings inside
- Walls and floors that are out of level or out of square
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- Doors and drawers, and how many
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Bigger pieces use more board and take longer to make and fit, so size is the starting point. After that, the number of doors and drawers, the internal fittings and the finish all play a part.
Helping us understand the room
There is no need for exact sizes or plans. Just send what you can:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Examples of the look you’re after
- The type of home and how the room is reached
- Pictures showing the full wall, from floor to ceiling
Every quote follows a design visit. At the visit, we measure, look at the walls and floors and talk through the design with you, then send a written quote. We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.
Flats, leases and landlords
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations, which is worth sorting early. We cannot give advice on leases.
A lot of London’s terraced houses are now converted flats, and that often means a shared hallway and a tight turn on the stairs. Each section is sized with that in mind.