Example photo by Aleksandra Dementeva on Unsplash, not our project
Richmond upon Thames · London
Barnes Fitted Wardrobes
For homes in Barnes, we make fitted wardrobes from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- A sloping ceiling that’s hard to use
- Too little room for clothes
- Mismatched bedroom furniture
Need fitted wardrobes in Barnes?
Fitted wardrobes in Barnes
In older bedrooms, the chimney breast alcoves are often the obvious place for clothes. A pair of alcove wardrobes keeps the chimney breast as a feature, and each one is scribed to walls that are rarely straight. We meet the picture rail and cornice neatly, or cut around them. If your home has dusty space on top of the wardrobe and wasted space beside the chimney breast, that’s what fitted wardrobes are for, made from birch ply and moisture-resistant MDF, painted by hand or sprayed.
Sash windows are common in Victorian and Edwardian houses, and the window position and deep reveals affect where furniture can go. If your home is one of the many around Barnes built before 1919, we plan the layout so the window opens fully and the light still comes in. Doors are chosen and hung so they clear the bed, the radiator and the door to the room.
If the job needs another trade, like an electrician or a plumber, we will tell you, so it can be arranged before fitting day. The quote itself covers our work, from the design to the materials and finish.
- Place
- Barnes (SW13, SW15, SW14)
- Area
- Richmond upon Thames
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Made
- Workshop-made, then fitted
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Working days
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Fitted wardrobes for homes in Barnes
In the streets around Barnes, the largest groups of homes date from before 1919 (about 52%) and between 1919 and 1939 (about 17%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. It is a good starting point, though every room is still measured, as two homes of the same age rarely match. There are 27 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Barnes. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and the furniture can be designed around them rather than over them. The ULEZ, run by TfL, takes in all of London, so Richmond upon Thames is inside it. It applies to the vans that deliver and fit furniture in Barnes, as it does anywhere else in London. We go through parking and access at the design visit.
Near listed buildings like Church of St Mary, less than half a mile north-east of the centre of Barnes, older homes may keep original joinery that fitted wardrobes can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent. For families living near St Osmund's Catholic Primary School, the inside of fitted wardrobes can be laid out with adjustable shelves, so the space keeps up as children grow. For an older house near Barnes Methodist Church, solid external walls can be cold, so ventilation behind fitted wardrobes is part of the design.
Barnes is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, about 4 miles south-west of Twickenham. We cover Barnes as part of our work across Richmond upon Thames, and the process is the same everywhere we work. Barnes is one of 19 places on our list for Richmond upon Thames.
Postcode districts we cover here for fitted wardrobes: SW13, SW15 and SW14. Whether you live on a street like Church Road, Station Road and Barnes High Street or on one nearby, we can visit to measure up for fitted wardrobes. The A306 and B349 run close to Barnes, so if your home is on a main road, mention it when you get in touch. We also cover the places around Barnes: Old Chiswick (1 mile north), Turnham Green (1 mile north-west), Mortlake (1 mile south-west), East Sheen (1 mile south-west) and Putney (1 mile south-east). Elsewhere in Richmond upon Thames, we also cover Twickenham (4 miles south-west), Richmond (3 miles south-west), Richmond upon Thames (2 miles west), Teddington (5 miles south-west), Hampton (7 miles south-west) and Kew (2 miles north-west).
What’s near Barnes
Our area takes in the homes around Polish Library POSK in London, The Harrodian School and Chiswick School and the streets around them. Barnes has its own railway station: Barnes Bridge station. Other landmarks nearby include Putney Exchange (1.4 miles south-east) and Antique Breadboard Museum (1.2 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Duke's Hollow.
Questions we are often asked
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are largely about how buildings look from outside, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, internal works that affect its character may need listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
Will parking be an issue for fitting furniture in Barnes?
It depends on the street, as many London boroughs run controlled parking zones. A van may need a visitor’s permit, a paid parking bay or a bay suspension, which the council arranges, often with notice. Let us know what parking is near you during the design visit.
How is the furniture painted?
There are two choices: a spray finish from the workshop, which is smooth and even, or hand painting, which can be done in your home. Your quote sets out which you have chosen.
Do you do the electrics?
No. Sockets, switches and lighting are for your electrician. We’ll design around them.
What happens when you come to measure?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. We’ll also ask about access and parking, and afterwards we send a written quote.
What materials do you use?
Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF gives a smooth, stable surface for paint; birch plywood is strong and good for shelves and drawer boxes.
Honest limits
We’d rather be clear about where our work stops:
- The loft conversion itself, which is building work under Building Regulations
- Removing walls, chimney breasts or any structural work
- Treating damp or mould on the walls
Not sure whether your space suits fitted wardrobes? You can send us a few details through our contact form and we’ll tell you before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
What it’s made from
- Hand-painted finish
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Hinged or sliding doors
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Hanging rails, shelves and drawers
Bespoke fitted wardrobes or ready-made?
Walls and floors in older homes are seldom straight or level. Standalone wardrobes may lean or leave uneven gaps against the wall. Ours are levelled on a plinth or adjustable feet and scribed to the walls. Ready-made pieces are proportioned for newer homes and can look lost in an older one, while fitted furniture can follow the room’s own lines, with panels and details to suit the house.
Parking is part of the price picture in London. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. It helps to talk about parking at the measuring visit, so it can be planned.
What you get with us
- Over 300 projects completed
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- A spray or hand-painted finish
- Saturday visits and fitting by arrangement
Take a look at how bespoke compares with ready-made or what a quote should include.
What affects the price in Barnes
The price reflects the time and materials the job needs. That depends on:
- Spray painting or hand painting
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- The number of doors and drawers
- How square the room is
How it is painted is part of the price: spray painting is done in the workshop, while hand painting can be done on site. Your choice, along with the size and the fittings, is reflected in the written quote.
What we need to know
What helps most when you first contact us:
- Rough measurements: width, height and depth
- Photos of the whole wall or room, including the floor and ceiling
- Where you live, with the postcode
- Pictures of styles you like, if you have any
Getting a quote starts with some details: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of pictures if you can take them. When you are ready, get in touch through our contact form. We’ll then arrange a design visit and follow it with a written quote.
Caring for painted furniture
Painted fitted furniture is easy to look after. These habits help most:
- For a flat, measure the stairs, landings and lift
- Ask your electrician about moving sockets early
- Let us know which walls face outside
- Look at whether your lease needs consent for alterations
Once clothes go in and the wardrobes are in daily use, doors may settle slightly. Most hinges can be adjusted to bring a door back in line.
Make sure vents at the top or bottom of the wardrobe are not blocked, particularly on an external wall. Look out for a musty smell or spots on clothes.
Neighbourhoods near Barnes
Also in Barnes
Fitting day, step by step
You’re welcome to ask questions while we work. The design, materials and finish were settled before anything was made, so the day itself is about careful fitting. How long the fitting takes depends on the length of the run, the doors and what goes inside, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. If your hall still has its original tiles or boards, they’re covered before any carrying starts. Drilling into lath and plaster is done with care, so the plaster around stays sound. Decorating around the furniture afterwards is for your decorator.
- You get in touch and tell us about the room.
- We come to measure and talk through the design, including the doors and the finish.
- Your written quote follows, setting out the design, materials and finish.
- We build the wardrobes in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The wardrobes are fitted and scribed, with any hand painting done in the room.
- Before we leave, we go through the doors and drawers with you. New paint takes time to cure, so treat it gently at first.
Before we arrive
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
- Take down pictures, mirrors and shelves from the wall
- Book any lift and let the concierge or building manager know
How to get a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. At the design visit, we measure up and talk the design through with you, and the written quote then sets it out. To arrange a visit, get in touch through our contact form.