Built-in wardrobe spec tiers
Three tiers in London 2026. Tier 1: customised modular (IKEA Pax with bespoke painted door fronts; Sliderobes; off-the-shelf carcass with custom doors). 3m run £1,800–£3,500. Carcass quality decent but joinery sits proud of skirting and ceiling; door alignment less precise than bespoke. Tier 2: bespoke painted MDF or veneered MDF — full-height carcass scribed to walls, floor and ceiling; bespoke door spacing; soft-close hinges (Blum, Hettich); painted in Farrow & Ball or Little Greene. 3m run £3,500–£6,500. Dominant spec for London mid-market renovations 2024–2026. Tier 3: bespoke oak, walnut or birch veneered MDF with integrated LED — premium veneer fronts; LED strip on motion sensor inside; pull-out shoe drawers, tie racks, lift-out belt hangers; full-extension drawers with Blum dampers; jewellery dividers. 3m run £6,500–£12,500. Tier 4: full dressing room with island and seating — 4–6m perimeter wardrobes plus central island; £15,000–£45,000.
Internal fitout — where the cost goes
The visible doors and frame are only 40–50% of bespoke wardrobe cost; the internal fitout determines usability. Standard internal: hanging rail (700–900mm short, 1500–1800mm long); single shelf above; bottom shelf or drawer for shoes. £400–£800 added per 1m of wardrobe width. Premium internal: full-extension Blum drawers (3–5 drawers per metre) with soft-close, fabric or felt liners; pull-out trouser rack; sliding tie or scarf hanger; concealed shoe rack with motion-activated LED; integrated jewellery and watch case £2,400–£4,500 per 1m. Lighting: LED strip on hanging rail and along shelf edges with motion sensor £150–£400 per 1m. Mirror integration: full-height mirror inside one door (lift-out hangers reveal mirror) or external mirror panel doors — adds £180–£600. Handles: integrated lipping (handle-less push-to-open) free of cost; brass or stainless surface handle (Joseph Giles, Allgood) £40–£250 per door.
Standard sizes and configurations
Standard London bedroom configurations: 3m wide × 2.4m tall × 600mm deep — full-height wall-to-wall single-line; works in most master and second bedrooms; £3,500–£6,500. 4m wide × 2.4m tall × 600mm deep — typical master bedroom wall — £4,500–£8,500. L-shape 3m + 1.5m × 2.4m tall — corner wardrobe in larger bedroom — £5,500–£11,500. Walk-in dressing room (4m × 3m room with perimeter and island) — £15,000–£35,000. Depth: 600mm is standard; 550mm is minimum where space is tight; 700mm allows for shoe-rack and slide-out trouser hanger. Height: full ceiling height (2.4–2.7m) is the modern standard — 720mm above the hanging rail gives 4–6 useful shelf positions for stored bedding, suitcases, seasonal clothing. Width: scribed to wall-to-wall; no gaps; brings the dust-line gap to zero.
Built-in vs freestanding — value and resale
Built-in wardrobes vs freestanding: built-in 2–3× higher cost (£3,500–£6,500 vs £1,200–£2,500 for IKEA freestanding) — value gain significant. Floor area: freestanding wardrobe + chest takes 1.8–2.2m² (footprint + clearance); built-in wall-to-wall takes only the wardrobe's own footprint (0.8–1.2m²) — recovers up to 1m². Storage volume: built-in scribed to ceiling adds 30–40% more storage than freestanding. Resale: Knight Frank and Foxtons prime London 2024–2026 — buyers value 'built-in wardrobes' in property descriptions; absence is a downgrade signal. Estimated resale uplift over freestanding: £8,500–£18,000 on a 3-bed London terrace, £18,000–£35,000 on a 4-bed townhouse, £35,000–£65,000 on a 5-bed prime London house. Built-in pays back the cost differential 2–4× over at sale.
