Fitted furniture cost in South West London & Surrey: 7 things that move the price
- Ryan Sullivan
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 13
Most people ask this first: “Why is fitted furniture more expensive than something from IKEA or Sharps’ sale?” Short answer: you’re not paying for timber — you’re paying for something built to your walls, your ceiling, your pipes and the way you store things. Below is the exact stuff that makes the number go up or down.
1. Room shape and scribing
Fitted furniture that goes wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling always costs more than something that just “stands there”.
Why: London walls and ceilings are rarely straight. To get a dead-flush finish, the furniture needs to be built in-situ and scribed to the plaster, skirting, cornice, sometimes even around window reveals and boxing. That takes time.
Cost goes up when:
The ceiling is wavy or out of level
There are lots of nibs, alcoves, or pipes to work around
You want it to look “built with the house”
Cost goes down when:
It’s a simple, straight run
Standard ceiling height
No boxing, no pipes, no radiators in the way
▶️ This is one of the biggest differences between Swyft Services and flat-pack units: we build on site so your doors line up and your shadow gaps stay tight.
2. Doors and fronts (the big price mover)
Your doors and drawer fronts are where a lot of the labour is.
Shaker doors (your common request): more work, more material, more painting
Slab / plain doors: quicker, slightly cheaper
Moulded / detailed doors: more time, more paint, more sanding
Painted MR MDF stays popular because it gives a high-end, smooth finish and can be colour-matched to Farrow & Ball / Little Greene — but that also means more finishing time and more coats.
Cost goes up when:
You want lots of doors and small panels
You add beading, v-grooves or face frames
You want a factory-smooth paint finish
Cost goes down when:
Wider doors, simpler lines
Open shelving instead of doors
Fewer colour changes
3. What’s happening inside the unit
The outside is what you see, but the inside is what moves the price.
Cheaper inside:
1 hanging rail + 1 shelf
Open shelves
Simple shoe shelf
More expensive inside:
Internal drawers (always more materials and labour)
Pull-outs / trays
Dividers, slanted shoe racks
Split hanging (short + long)
Lighting inside
Every extra internal feature adds steps: measuring, building, fitting, adjusting. Clients like it because it makes the furniture work harder, but it does add to the quote.
4. Electrics, lighting and “hidden” work
When you add LED strips, puck lights, sockets in cupboards, cable management for TVs, Sonos, Sky, soundbars — that’s extra joinery + extra electrical work.
Cost goes up when:
You want cables hidden (chasing, voids, access hatches)
You want LED strips recessed and not just “stuck on”
You want lighting on a switch or dimmer
You want it controlled with the rest of the room
None of that is “just carpentry” anymore — it’s integrated furniture.
5. Materials and finish level
Most of our builds are MR MDF because it paints nicer, stays more stable, and is better for fitted furniture than standard MDF.
But:
MR MDF, primed and painted → mid to premium
MDF with routed detail, sprayed to match F&B → premium
Hardwood / oak tops / veneered ply → premium-plus
If you want oak worktops, oiled shelving, or a coloured interior, that pushes the cost up. If it’s all hidden and painted, it’s simpler.
6. Access, parking and site conditions
This is an often overlooked detail that affects the fitted furniture cost in South West and central London particularly.
If the job is in London, Wimbledon, Richmond, Surbiton, Kingston, Twickenham, SW / KT postcodes and parking is awkward, access is tight, or everything has to be carried up to a loft room, the labour time goes up. If we have to protect floors, cover furniture, and work tidily in lived-in homes (which we do), that’s also time.
7. Who’s doing the work
There’s a difference between:
Buying a wardrobe
Getting it installed
Having it designed, built and fitted on site by the same person who quoted you
When choosing a premium, in-situ service — not a volume, “stack ‘em high” service, you’re dealing with the same person from first visit to final finish. That’s what fitted furniture clients want, and that’s why it comes at a premium.
So… what does fitted furniture cost in South West London & Surrey?
Alcove cabinets & shelves: from £1,200–£2,500 per side (design-dependent).
Full-height fitted wardrobes: often £2,500–£5,500+ per room, depending on doors, internals and paint.
Media walls / built-ins with lighting: £4000+ usually more because of electrics and plastering-level detailing.
When not to go bespoke
If the room is standard sized
If you just want “storage and it doesn’t need to be perfect"
If budget is under £1,000
If the property is a rental and you just need something to hold your belongings
In those cases: buy something off the shelf and we can help you make it look better (panels, scribing, painting).
Why people still choose bespoke
Because:
It fits the room properly
It matches the other joinery in the house
Cables disappear
You can paint it the same as existing woodwork
It adds value, not clutter
And, in our case, because it's backed by our Gold Standard Guarantee.
Thinking about fitted wardrobes or alcove cabinets?
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What really drives cost (with typical ranges)
Layout ideas for alcoves, wardrobes, and home offices
Finishes & hardware that last — and how to choose
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