Southwark · London
Fitted furniture in SE5
Fitted wardrobes, alcove units, window seats and more for homes across SE5, covering East Dulwich, Camberwell and Denmark Hill. Spray-painted or hand-painted, and fitted in your home.
Fitted furniture in SE5
Where we work in SE5
What we make in SE5
- Wall beds
- Bespoke kitchens
- Fitted cupboards
- Fitted wardrobes
- Loft storage
- Built-in bookshelves
- Walk-in wardrobes
- TV and media units
- Alcove units
- Fitted home offices
- Window seats
- Under-stairs storage
- Everything we make
Tell us the room and roughly what you have in mind so we can plan a design visit: Drop us a line using the contact form.
About fitted wardrobes in SE5
You can choose hinged or sliding doors. Hinged doors open a whole section at once, though they need room in front to open. Sliding doors suit tighter rooms, although only part of the wardrobe is open at a time. We weigh them up with you during the design visit. Most enquiries start with storage boxes stacked under the bed and mismatched bedroom furniture; the furniture is made from moisture-resistant MDF and strong birch plywood, with a painted finish.
Every fitting follows the same order: floors are protected, the sections come in, everything is levelled, scribed to the walls, fixed and finished. At the end, we tidy up and go over the work with you. How long fitting takes depends on the size of the wardrobes and the number of doors, and your quote sets out the fitting days.
- You get in touch and let us know what you keep in your wardrobes now.
- At the design visit we measure the room and plan the inside: long hanging, double hanging, shelves and drawers.
- A quote in writing follows, listing the layout inside, the doors and the finish.
- Everything is made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, which holds screws well for rails and runners.
- We fit the wardrobes in your home, then put in the rails, shelves and drawers at the heights we agreed.
Quotes in SE5
Awkward rooms take more time: walls that lean, floors that slope and sloping ceilings all mean more scribing and cutting. That’s reflected in the quote, written once we’ve measured up.
What you get with us
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Made in our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Saturday visits and fitting by prior arrangement
- Built around your room
How to get a quote
Because every job is different, the cost is set out in a written quote after the visit. Because every room is different, the quote comes after the design visit. For a quote, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Local landmarks in East Dulwich
Our area takes in the homes around Dog Kennel Hill School, The Charter School and Brunswick Park and the streets around them. Also close by are The Latter Rain Outpouring Revival Church (a few minutes’ walk north-east), The Charter School East Dulwich (within half a mile south-east) and The Fox on the Hill pub (under half a mile north-west). East Dulwich has its own railway station: East Dulwich station. A little further out are Dulwich Community Hospital (under half a mile south-east) and House of Dreams Museum (less than half a mile south-east). Open spaces near East Dulwich include Centre for Wildlife Gardening and Knight's Hill.
Fitted wardrobes for homes across SE5
In SE5, a spare room often doubles as a study or a guest room. Fitted wardrobes can be planned so the room switches between them, keeping clothes, bedding and everything else out of sight.
The biggest shares of homes in the SE5 postcode district were built before 1919 (about 37%) and between 1945 and 1972 (about 20%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). For carpentry, the era of a house is a useful clue to how square its rooms are and what its walls are made of. Purpose-built flats are home to about 57% of households in SE5, based on Census 2021. For a flat, fitted wardrobes are made in sections sized for the stairs, the lift and the doors. Building management rules on lifts, deliveries and working hours are worth checking early. 1 of the 8 places in SE5 with their own pages here has its centre inside a conservation area, going by Historic England’s records. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission.
SE5 is part of the area we cover, which takes in all 32 boroughs and the City. Let us know about access and parking when you first get in touch.
East Dulwich: Kingswood House, about 2.2 miles south, is one of the historic houses in the wider area. For a period home anywhere nearby, a bedroom chimney breast and its alcoves often shape where fitted wardrobes go. If your home is as old as some of the listed buildings nearby, such as Champion Lodge, original features like shutters, panelling and fireplaces are worth designing around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features.
Caring for painted furniture
The finish lasts best with a little care, whether it was spray painted or hand painted. These practical tips help:
- Check the route into your flat, not just the room
- Look at whether your lease needs consent for alterations
- List the things that will not hang, like jumpers and shoes
- Count how much long hanging and short hanging you need
Leave a little space between clothes and the back of the wardrobe, especially on an external wall. A little airflow helps keep damp at bay.
Spread heavy items rather than piling them in one place. Shelves and rails are sized for everyday loads, so mention anything unusually heavy when we plan.
What we do not do
As carpenters, we leave some work to other trades. These are worth knowing before you plan:
- Moving switches or sockets, which needs an electrician
- Fixing the cause of condensation or damp
- Taking out a chimney breast to make space
Flat-pack or bespoke?
It is worth being honest about cost: off-the-shelf furniture usually costs less up front. Bespoke makes more sense where the room is awkward, the space is valuable or you want the furniture to look built in.
A confident DIYer can manage simple shelves or a standard wardrobe in a square room. It gets harder with sloping ceilings, out-of-level floors and lath-and-plaster walls.
What prompts fitted wardrobes
A move is a common trigger. Standalone wardrobes from a previous home may not fit the new bedroom. Built-in wardrobes are planned for the room you live in now.
If you recognise any of these, it’s worth talking to us:
- Empty alcoves in the bedroom
- A room too narrow for hinged doors
- Gaps above and around standalone wardrobes
- Wardrobes that are full to bursting
Boards, parts and paint
Plinths and scribe strips
A plinth raises the wardrobe off the floor and takes up any slope. It can line up with the skirting.
Moisture-resistant MDF
Tall doors need a stable material. MDF stays flat and gives a smooth surface for painting, whether the doors are plain or panelled.
Common questions about fitted wardrobes
Do I need planning permission for fitted furniture?
Not normally. Conservation areas mostly control changes to the outside, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. In a listed building, check with the council’s conservation officer before any work.
Do I get to choose the colour?
You choose it. Spray and hand-painted finishes both use the colour you’ve chosen.
Which boards do you build with?
We build with moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, depending on the part and the design. Your quote sets out the materials.
Do you work outside London?
No. Our work is in London only: all 32 boroughs and the City of London.
Do I need to be at home on fitting day?
We need someone to let us in. It also helps to have someone around at the end, so we can go over the finished furniture together.
Do you work on Saturdays?
Yes, by arrangement. If a Saturday works better for you, say so when you contact us.
How long are you in the house for fitting?
The time on site depends on how many wardrobes there are and how the room is shaped, and the fitting days are set out in your quote. We’ll explain what fitting day involves before we start.