Bespoke Joinery in Rye
Solid English hardwoods. Hand-cut joints. No shortcuts.
What Our Clients Say
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Bespoke Joinery Services in Rye and East Sussex
Every piece is designed around your space, built from solid English hardwoods, and fitted by the same hands that made it. No subcontractors, no flat-pack, no MDF.
Bespoke Kitchens
Hartwell Joinery designs and builds kitchens entirely from solid hardwood — oak, walnut, ash, or cherry. Every cabinet, drawer, and worktop is made to the exact dimensions of your room, with hand-cut joints and traditional finishes. If you want a kitchen that fits your home rather than a catalogue, this is what we do.
Fitted Libraries
Floor-to-ceiling fitted libraries built to suit the proportions of your room — whether that's a Georgian townhouse, a cottage study, or a modern living space. Adjustable shelving, integrated ladders, and concealed lighting are all options. Hartwell Joinery built a fitted library for a Grade II listed property in Rye with hand-cut dovetails throughout.
Staircases
Bespoke staircases designed and built as structural furniture — not just a way between floors. We make straight flights, dogleg turns, and curved handrails in oak, ash, and walnut. Every baluster is turned or shaped in the workshop, and each staircase is fitted as a single, seamless piece of joinery.
Built-in Wardrobes
Fitted wardrobes that use every inch of your space — built into alcoves, under eaves, or across full walls. Internal layouts are designed around your storage needs, with solid hardwood carcasses, soft-close drawers, and doors that sit flush. No visible fixings, no filler strips, no compromise.
One-off Furniture
Dining tables, desks, console tables, benches — individual pieces designed and made for a specific space and purpose. Each commission starts with a conversation about how you'll use the piece, then moves through drawings and timber selection before a single shaving is cut. Hartwell Joinery makes one-off furniture in oak, walnut, ash, and cherry.
Restoration
Period joinery and antique furniture restored with the same methods and materials used to make them originally. Hartwell Joinery works on sash windows, panelled doors, staircases, and Georgian-era cabinetwork throughout Rye, Hastings, and the wider East Sussex area. If the original maker used hand-cut joints and shellac, so do we.
A Traditional Workshop on the Edge of Rye
Hartwell Joinery is a bespoke joinery and cabinetmaking workshop based in Rye, East Sussex. We design and build kitchens, fitted libraries, staircases, wardrobes, and one-off furniture in solid English hardwoods — oak, walnut, ash, and cherry. Every piece is made by hand in our workshop, using traditional joinery methods: mortise and tenon, dovetails, housing joints. No MDF, no chipboard, no shortcuts.
Each commission takes between six and twelve weeks from initial drawings to fitted installation. We work directly with homeowners across Rye, Hastings, Tenterden, Battle, and Ashford — measuring, designing, building, and fitting everything ourselves. There are no subcontractors involved at any stage.
Our most recent major commission was a floor-to-ceiling fitted library in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse in Rye, built entirely with hand-cut dovetails throughout. That project represents exactly what we do: patient, precise work in real wood, designed to last longer than we will.
From First Conversation to Fitted Installation
Initial Conversation
Design and Drawings
Timber Selection
Workshop Build
Fitting and Installation
Ready to Start a Commission?
Free home visit, no obligation quote, and honest timescales from the outset.
01797 555 614Bespoke Joinery Frequently Asked Questions
Most bespoke kitchens take eight to twelve weeks from approved drawings to completed installation. Simpler layouts can be quicker, and more complex commissions — particularly in listed buildings — may take longer. We give you an honest timeline at the design stage.
We work in solid English hardwoods: oak, walnut, ash, and cherry. We do not use MDF, chipboard, or veneered board. Every visible surface is real wood, and we're happy to discuss which species suits your project and budget.
Yes. Hartwell Joinery has experience working in Grade II listed properties in Rye and the surrounding area. We understand the requirements for sympathetic materials and traditional methods, and we can work alongside conservation officers where needed.
A fitted library in solid hardwood typically starts from around £4,000 for a single alcove and can reach £15,000 or more for a full room installation with integrated ladders and lighting. We provide a detailed quote after the initial home visit.
Yes. Every piece is delivered and fitted by the same hands that built it. We don't use subcontractors for any stage of the process. Fitted furniture is scribed to your walls and floors for a seamless finish.
Absolutely. You're welcome to visit our workshop on the edge of Rye at any stage of the process — whether that's to select timber boards, check progress, or just see how things are made. We'd rather you were involved than not.
We're based in Rye and work across East Sussex and Kent, including Hastings, Tenterden, Battle, and Ashford. We're happy to discuss commissions further afield depending on the scope of the project.
Joinery is workshop-based: making doors, windows, staircases, cabinets, and furniture using precise joints. Carpentry is site-based: fitting, framing, and structural work. Hartwell Joinery does both — we make everything in the workshop and fit it on site ourselves.
Get in Touch with Hartwell Joinery
Whether you have a specific project in mind or you're just exploring what's possible, we're happy to talk. Free home visits across Rye, Hastings, Tenterden, Battle, and Ashford.
