Bespoke kitchens & wardrobes in Hackney.

Hackney is not one kind of housing but several, often within a few minutes’ walk of each other. Georgian and Victorian terraces, large council estates, converted industrial buildings and new blocks of flats all sit side by side, and each brings a different set of rooms to plan a kitchen or wardrobe around.

Georgian and Victorian terraces

Much of the borough is built from Georgian and Victorian terraces, and many of them are protected by conservation areas — around Clapton Square, De Beauvoir, Stoke Newington, Graham Road and Mapledene, Victoria Park, Mare Street and elsewhere. Some are still whole family houses; many have been divided into flats over the years. Either way, expect chimney breasts with alcoves either side, tall ceilings on the lower floors, sash windows, and walls and floors that have moved over a century and a half.

De Beauvoir Town

De Beauvoir Town was laid out in the mid-nineteenth century around De Beauvoir Square, and much of it was built in a Jacobethan style. Most of it is now a conservation area, while parts of the old street pattern were replaced after the war by council estates such as the Kingsgate and De Beauvoir estates. It is a good example of how Hackney mixes period houses and post-war flats on neighbouring streets.

Council and ex-council estates

The council’s own housing stock runs to around 20,000 tenanted homes and more than 10,000 leasehold properties, so a large share of the borough’s flats sit on estates. Leasehold flats in these blocks are owned by individuals, who can renovate their own kitchens with the right consents. Inter-war blocks such as the Kingsmead and Morningside estates, and post-war blocks from the 1950s and 1960s, tend to have compact kitchens, fixed service positions and rooms that are fairly regular — which makes them well suited to a carefully planned fitted kitchen.

Converted warehouses and industrial buildings

In the south of the borough, around Hoxton and Shoreditch, homes are largely a mix of converted warehouses and new-build apartments. Further east, Hackney Wick grew up as an industrial area of works and yards along the water, and its old industrial buildings became home to hundreds of artists’ studios, with new homes built nearby as the area around the Olympic Park has changed. These interiors bring exposed brick, concrete columns, very high ceilings and big open rooms.

New-build flats and regeneration

New flats are being built across Hackney, from Shoreditch and Hackney Wick to Woodberry Down in the north, where the former estate is being redeveloped over twenty years into more than 5,500 new homes. New-build flats usually come with a developer kitchen already in place — often the first thing owners want to change.

Period houses in Hackney were built with fireplaces, not built-in cupboards, and many flats were carved out of rooms never meant to be bedrooms. Fitted storage makes the most of what is there.

Alcoves and chimney breasts

The recesses either side of a chimney breast are the natural place for alcove wardrobes — hanging space and shelves built to the exact width and height of each recess, which are rarely the same on both sides. In a living room, the same alcoves can take shelving and a cabinet for a TV or books.

Small bedrooms and sloping ceilings

Where a room is too tight for hinged doors to open, sliding wardrobes save floor space; doors can be mirror, tinted glass, wood décors or colour, framed in silver, black, champagne or white aluminium. In loft conversions on terraced houses, loft and eaves wardrobes follow the slope of the roof and use the low space for drawers.

Hallways, understairs and walk-ins

Narrow Victorian hallways can take a slim run of coat and shoe storage; the space under the stairs can become pull-out drawers or a cupboard for the vacuum cleaner. In a larger warehouse flat or a new-build with a spare corner, a walk-in wardrobe may be possible.

See our full range of fitted wardrobes. We do not publish a guide price for wardrobes, because sizes, interiors and door types vary so much — the price comes with your free 3D design.

A good fit depends as much on the logistics as on the cabinets. A few things are worth checking before installation day in Hackney.

Parking and loading

Hackney has controlled parking zones in which parking is restricted to permit holders, usually local residents and businesses. Rules differ from zone to zone, so check the current arrangements with the council for your street before delivery and installation days. It is also worth noting that most Hackney households do not own a car, so space outside the door is not always something residents already have.

Stairs, lifts and access

Upper-floor flats in converted houses often have narrow, turning staircases. Older estate blocks may have small lifts or none at all. We take access into account at the measure, so long worktops and tall units can be planned in sections that will actually reach the room.

Leasehold flats and managed blocks

If you own a leasehold flat — including many former council flats — you may need consent from the freeholder or managing agent before replacing a kitchen, and many blocks have rules on working hours and on using lifts and communal areas. Check your lease and ask for any permissions early.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

Hackney has 35 conservation areas. Conservation area status mainly affects external changes, and replacing a kitchen or fitting wardrobes inside a home normally does not need planning permission. Listed buildings are different: many internal alterations need listed building consent, so check with the council first if your home is listed.

Timing

Measure and design usually take 1–2 weeks. Once you approve the design and price, installation is typically complete within 4–6 weeks. If your builder is working on an extension or a renovation, we can plan the measure around their programme.

The process is the same wherever you live in Hackney, and you are not committed to anything until you have seen and approved the design and the price.

1. Send an enquiry. Fill in the online form with a few details about your room and what you have in mind. We reply within one working day.
2. Free measure. Our London fitter visits your home to measure the room, look at access and talk through how you want to use the space.
3. Free first 3D design. We prepare a 3D design with materials, finishes and an itemised price. The measure-and-design stage usually takes 1–2 weeks.
4. Approve design and price. No deposit and no obligation until you are happy with both. The price is fixed and covers manufacture, delivery to London and fitting.
5. Made in our workshop. Your furniture is made in our own workshop in Bulgaria and travels to London by dedicated transport.
6. Installation. The same fitter who measured the room installs it — typically 4–6 weeks from approved design to finished installation.

As a guide for budgeting, bespoke kitchens usually come to around £1,000–£1,200 per linear metre; this is a guide, not a quote, and your itemised price comes with your design. See our kitchen prices page and the full process for more detail.