What the design world is coming to realise more than ever recently, is that what defines a home, is you. The people living in it. The modern home is focusing in on expressing the personalities within it through decoration and design. This could be by displaying meaningful, memory-filled objects, by planning a room around a treasured work of art or by more actively placing the needs and preferences of a house’s occupants at the core of how it looks and functions. Houses are becoming as unique as the people within them, telling their stories and revealing their personalities.

That’s where fitted furniture comes in, pieces of practical storage created precisely for the space you need them in.

Think of fitted furniture and what first comes to mind may not be hugely inspiring. We’re here to prove you wrong. It’s an art form, not only designed to fit specifically into the space you need it in, but – yes – beautiful, creative, expressive as well as the very definition of useful.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about something bespoke that slides perfectly into place. Perhaps there’s an element of ASMR to it: look how it lines up so perfectly with the ceiling. See how it fits so smoothly into that alcove. Watch how it skirts around the bumps in the wall. Feel to how smoothly those doors glide open. Oooo

Fitted furniture is about making the most of every centimetre. About stretching up high, adding an extra shelf, making room for more pairs of shoes and finally creating somewhere to house that LP collection. It makes life easier and rooms smarter.

Chaplins’ in-house fitted furniture expert Denis Barclay knows every trick in the fitted furniture book. Here he talks us through everything you need know to ready your room for a bespoke designer storage piece.

We offer a complete design and installation service. In the first instance, you are invited into our showroom to browse the options. During this initial meeting we discuss the space you are considering and how you want to use the area, as well as any ideas you have, designs you like so we can make suggestions to better meet your brief.

We then work from your plans or visit your home, depending on the stage of the buying process or project. It’s also important during this stage to establish the budget.

Over the 35 years I’ve been involved with the furniture business, there are not many spaces that I have not planned fitted furniture for, inside or outside, be it under the stairs, boot rooms, TV rooms, studies, Libraries, bedrooms, dressing rooms and craft workshops. Modular furniture is very adaptable. It is only limited by the imagination – and of course budget.

We work with premium Italian brands Lema, Molteni&C and Porro, and heritage German company Interlübke. They are modern and sleek, and finishes range from matt and high gloss lacquers to glass, metals, ceramics and veneers. There’s a lot to choose from.

Our Lema wardrobe studio showcases different styles of wardrobe in a range of finishes, as well as hinged doors and coplaner doors. We also have a door bar showing a wider selection of doors options in a smaller format.

The more information the you can bring, then the more meaningful the initial meeting will be. Generally, we ask customers to have photos of the space, or architect’s plans if it’s under construction. It’s also helpful to really consider your storage requirements so we can make best use of the space available.

After the first discussion we’ll produce an initial plan and costing, then the process develops from there. In some instances, it can be very quick, while larger projects can take months. Then of course it takes 10-12 weeks for the furniture to be made bespoke and delivered from the factory. Installation is quick – it usually takes a day on a conventional room, to a week or more on a larger project.

You can call us on 020 8421 1779 or fill out the form below and we’ll discuss the best way to get started.