Made-to-measure joinery
We measure the room first, then design around it. Wardrobes, alcove units, media walls and bay-window seating for period homes and flats across East London, made in our E16 workshop.
Houzz Awards
Live Joinery is a small family workshop in E16. Most enquiries start with a familiar London-room problem: a wardrobe wall that is not square, alcoves either side of a chimney breast, a bay window nobody quite knows how to use. Alex usually measures the room, talks through the options, builds the piece with the workshop team, and comes back to fit it. You get a fixed quote after the first visit and a named material spec, not a sales package.
The best brief usually starts with a problem: a chimney breast, a narrow bedroom, cables to hide, a bay window that has become dead space, or storage that cannot be bought off the shelf.
Selected work
A full-height integrated media wall with hidden AV storage and routed cabling, designed and built for a client refurbishing a 1930s Wanstead semi.
A floor-to-ceiling shaker wardrobe run with mixed interior — hanging, drawers, shelves and dedicated shoe storage — fitted into the master bedroom of a Clapton Victorian terrace.
A painted shaker fitted wardrobe in a Greenwich Georgian terrace bedroom, configured around a couple sharing the space — distinct hanging zones, mixed drawer and shelf storage, and one bay dedicated to a hidden ironing station.
Process
One measured visit, a fixed written quote, signed-off drawings, then a workshop build and tidy install by the same team.
A 30-minute visit so we can measure, photograph the space and understand how you live in it. We bring sample boards for door styles and finishes. You do not need a clear brief; most people start with the room problem.
A written, itemised quote within seven days. Components are broken out so you can scale scope up or down — a single bay can become two, or a sliding-door wardrobe can become hinged, without surprises on invoice day.
Drawings or basic 3D renders for anything non-trivial. We don't cut a single sheet of MFC until you've signed off on layout, door style, handles and finish.
Carcasses and doors are built in our East London workshop. Hand-painted finishes (where you've chosen them) are sprayed there too, so less cutting and finishing has to happen in your home.
Typically two to four days on-site for a wardrobe or alcove run; up to seven for a media wall with electrics. Floors are protected, dust is contained, and the room is vacuumed each day.
What this looks like
The useful parts of fitted joinery are often small: the scribe, the cable route, the drawer layout, the way a cabinet meets an old wall.
Measured fit
Wardrobe doors stopped and scribed around period-room details rather than masking them.
Hidden services
Cable routes, inspection access and lighting planned before the cabinet face is built.
Interior layout
Hanging, drawers and narrow storage zones set around the way the room is actually used.
Designed for how you actually live
We talk about what you actually store, not what a catalogue imagines you store. A wardrobe for someone with twenty shirts and one suit is built differently from one for someone with no jackets and forty pairs of trainers.
Fixed pricing after a measured visit
A quote is built from the room, storage brief, hardware and finish, not a day-rate guess.
One fitting team
The people who measure the room are the people who install the work.
Materials we'll name on the quote
18mm Egger MFC carcasses, oak-veneered MDF doors, Blum soft-close hinges, Hettich runners — every line on the quote tells you the exact spec. Substitutions only happen with your sign-off.
Family-run, no subcontractors
The person who surveys is part of the team that installs. We avoid overlapping installs, so your room is not being fitted by whoever happened to be free that week.
Twelve-month workmanship guarantee
If something fails because of how it was built or fitted, we come back and put it right. Hardware carries the manufacturer's own warranty too.
Selected Houzz reviews
Houzz
"Alex and his lovely wife were both excellent, very professional, precise, tidy and such nice people"
Houzz
"We contracted Alex to build two fitted bedroom wardrobes for us in our new home. Alex was very tidy and quiet when working, and kept us up to date with the progress and any changes needed. We're very pleased with the end result and would definitely recommend him!"
Houzz
"First time we have worked with Alex. He was great from the design to the build phase. He had a clear vision from the start. We will be working with him again in the future."
Houzz
"Alex put in a new staircase railing for us (banister, spindles, posts). It was in an awkward spot in our flat, and he took the time to survey the space and build something that would match the style of the space while also being sturdy. He worked quickly and neatly. Wouldn't hesitate to hire him again."
Houzz
"This is the second time we've used Alex for bespoke joinery and we're really pleased with the work. He completely transformed our toilet space with 3/4 contrast panelling and built bespoke wardrobes into our new nursery. He's very accommodating and works with clients to achieve the end result they want."
Houzz
"Alex built and fitted a set of bespoke wardrobes from our design. Great service and really happy with end product. He worked with the other trades (painter) meaning the process was simple for us as well."
Our workshop is in Canning Town. Most of our work is in East and North-East London, but we regularly travel further for the right fitted furniture project. If you do not see your area, just ask.
If your area is not listed, get in touch. We can often make the journey work for a properly scoped fitted furniture project.
