What Is the Real Cost of Bespoke Joinery in a Luxury Renovation?
Bespoke joinery is often seen as the detail that transforms a property from nicely decorated into truly designed.
If you have ever walked into a home that simply feels expensive before you even notice the finishes, it is usually because of the joinery. Doors that close with a soft click instead of a bang. Wardrobes that hide everything except the feeling of order. Kitchens that look carved into the architecture rather than parked against a wall.
That is bespoke joinery in action. It is invisible engineering that makes everyday living feel effortless.
But what does bespoke joinery cost in real terms, and why can the numbers vary so much from one project to another, especially in London? Let us look at the figures, the logic behind them, and a little design psychology. and new interiors so your modern design period house in London feels effortless, calm, and quietly confident.
What Exactly Is Bespoke Joinery?
“Bespoke joinery” sounds complex, but at its core it simply means furniture that is designed for your space, not just placed in it. Every angle, ceiling height and awkward corner is taken into account so the result looks as if it has always belonged there.
Typical examples include:
- Built in wardrobes and dressing rooms
- Media walls and integrated storage units
- Bespoke kitchen joinery and pantries
- Bathroom vanities and mirrored storage
- Wall panelling, stair details and window seats
Unlike off the shelf fitted furniture, bespoke joinery is measured, drawn and made to order by specialists who think like engineers and finish like artists. For a luxury renovation, it is the element that quietly links your interior architecture, lighting and furniture into one calm, coherent story.
How Much Does Besoke Joinery Cost?
You can find something called “joinery” for £300 a metre and you can find bespoke joinery London based studios delivering work at £3,000 a metre. The spread comes down to craft, material choice and the level of precision.
Typical price ranges per square metre
As a simple guide, you might see:
- Standard fitted furniture: £400 – £800/m²
Flat pack or modular systems, limited sizes and finishes, mostly off the shelf. - Mid range custom joinery: £900 – £1,500/m²
Semi bespoke cabinetry, veneer finishes, MDF or similar cores, some made to measure elements. - High end bespoke joinery: £1,800 – £3,000+/m²
Fully custom, made to measure cabinetry, solid timber where appropriate, integrated lighting, carefully planned detailing and site specific installation.
How joinery fits into a luxury renovation budget
On a full luxury renovation, bespoke joinery will typically account for around 15 – 25% of your total construction and fit out budget. It is a significant line item, but it is also what makes the home feel unified and considered.
Well designed joinery links rooms visually, hides the everyday clutter and gives the architecture a calm rhythm. In the context of a London property, that sense of continuity and order is exactly what buyers and valuers associate with high quality, high value interiors.
Why Bespoke Joinery Adds More Than Storage
Good joinery is not just about hiding things. It is about shaping how the architecture feels.
When joinery is considered as part of the design, it:
- Replaces visual noise with calm, ordered surfaces.
- Turns forgotten corners into useful, beautiful moments.
- Makes walls work harder without feeling heavy.
- Allows light, sight lines and circulation to stay clear.
A simple built in wardrobe adds convenience. A carefully detailed, made to measure wardrobe adds character and a sense of permanence. In high end interior design, that character translates directly into perceived value.
Why Custom Joinery Costs More But Returns More
A bespoke joinery piece is designed and made by people, not machines. Each hinge position, grain direction and shadow gap is a decision. There are drawings to produce, materials to select, samples to review and details to test.
The investment often pays itself back in several ways:
- Better resale value
Buyers associate fitted furniture London specialists install with quality construction and long term thinking. - Longer lifespan
Well built, custom joinery can last 20 years or more, ageing gracefully rather than feeling tired after a few seasons. - Fewer replacements
You are not buying pieces that almost fit and then replacing them every few years. The space is resolved once, properly.
The result is simple: you pay once for joinery that genuinely belongs to your home, instead of paying multiple times for items that never quite work.
Where To Spend And Where To Save
You do not need every wall in your home covered in cabinetry. Smart luxury renovation budget planning means investing where joinery will change how you live and how your home feels.
Areas to invest more:
- Kitchens
The most used, most seen rooms. Bespoke kitchen joinery sets the tone for the whole home. - Wardrobes and dressing rooms
Daily touch points where good design feels like quiet luxury. - Entrance storage and hallways
First impressions, and the front line in controlling visual clutter.
Areas where you can simplify:
- Guest bedrooms
- Secondary storage rooms
- Utility and plant spaces, where clean, durable finishes are enough
Design is not about covering every surface. It is about focusing detail where it will be noticed and enjoyed.
The Details That Make Joinery Feel Truly Luxury
If you want your joinery to read as high end, certain details make a noticeable difference:
- Handleless or integrated pulls
Clean lines that age well and photograph beautifully. - Shadow gaps
Slim, consistent gaps that make pieces look as if they are lightly floating rather than heavy. - Matching grain patterns
When timber or veneer grain flows across doors and panels, it gives an immediate sense of calm and continuity. - Soft close hinges and runners
Quality you experience in sound and movement, even when you are not looking. - Concealed LED lighting
Soft lighting inside cabinets and drawers that adds a quiet, cinematic glow.
These are the kinds of details that distinguish “nice joinery” from joinery that feels at home in a fully resolved, high end interior design scheme.
Case Study: Marylebone Apartment
In a 130 m² Marylebone apartment, Accanto Interiors designed full height joinery in oak and linen laminate throughout the main living spaces and bedrooms. The scheme included wardrobes, a media wall and a concealed bar.
- Joinery investment: £68,000
- Estimated added property value (estate agent): +£120,000
In this context, the joinery is not just storage. It is strategy. It made the apartment feel tailored, consistent and move in ready, which is exactly what buyers at this level prioritise.
The Takeaway: Paying Once For A Space That Lasts
Bespoke joinery is not about showing off the most complicated piece of furniture you can commission. It is about making your home fit the way you live, now and in the future.
Done well, it makes rooms feel calmer, cleaner and more valuable. It turns awkward spaces into quiet moments of design. It helps a renovation feel like a long term investment rather than a temporary update.
Good joinery does not date. It patinas, the way good architecture and art do.
Working With Accanto Interiors
Accanto Interiors is a London based design build studio for heritage and luxury homes. We blend architecture, interiors, and construction into one seamless process, so your project feels curated rather than chaotic.
If you are planning a renovation of a Victorian, Georgian, or Edwardian property and want to combine old and new interiors without losing the character you first fell in love with, we would be delighted to help.
Book a consultation via our website and start shaping the next chapter of your home’s story.
