Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project

Bespoke Carpentry · across London

Built-in bookshelves in London

Bookcases and shelving walls built in around alcoves, doors and windows, with shelf spans and depths planned so books don’t make them sag.

Shelves that don’t sag under books
A wall of shelving around a door or window
Alcove shelving beside a chimney breast

Arrange a design visit

Thinking about built-in bookshelves? Arrange a design visit.

Arrange a design visit

About our built-in bookshelves

Books are heavy, and shelves that look fine on the day can bow within a few months if the span, depth and thickness are wrong. Built-in bookshelves are planned around the load as well as the look. We make bookcases for alcoves, whole shelving walls, shelves that frame a door or a window, and home libraries in spare rooms and on landings. Long spans get a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or an upright to support them, and birch plywood is often used for shelves because it is strong and holds screws well. Cupboards below can hide what you don’t want on show. At the design visit we measure the wall, ask what you plan to keep on the shelves and agree the layout and finish.

Why made for your room

Flat-pack bookcases are made in a few standard sizes and rarely suit the height of a London room or the width of an alcove. Shelves that span too far bow under the weight of books. Built-in bookshelves use the whole wall, and every shelf is sized for what it will carry.

What we make

Shelves that don’t sag under books
A wall of shelving around a door or window
Alcove shelving beside a chimney breast
Cupboards below for things you don’t want on show
A home library in a spare room or landing

Illustration of a painted built-in bookcase filling a wall, with cupboards below.

Materials and finishes

Birch plywood
Moisture-resistant MDF
Spray-painted finish
Hand-painted finish
Fixed and adjustable shelves
Cupboards below

We work in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood. MDF is stable and takes paint well; birch plywood is strong and holds screws well, so it suits long shelves, carcasses and drawer boxes. Finishes are spray painted in our workshop for a smooth, even surface, or hand painted, which is easy to touch up later. The colour is agreed with you.

How it works

You get in touch and tell us about the wall and what the shelves will hold.
At the design visit we measure, check the wall and talk through spans, depths and cupboards.
We send a written quote with the design, materials and finish.
The bookcases are made in our workshop, in sections that fit through your doors.
We fit them, scribe them to the walls and fix them securely to suit the wall type.

Before the design visit

Before the design visit, think about what will go on the shelves: paperbacks, large books, records, display pieces. A rough count helps us size the shelving. Note any sockets, light switches or radiators on the wall, and whether you’d like cupboards below.

Things to know

Spans, depths and sag

Span, depth and load all matter. A paperback shelf can be shallower than one for art books or records, and a long shelf needs extra thickness, a lip on the front edge or a support in the middle. We size every shelf for what it will carry.

Fixing to the wall

A full bookcase is heavy, so it has to be fixed securely. Solid brick, lath and plaster and stud walls all need different fixings, and we check which you have at the design visit.

Fixed or adjustable shelves

Fixed shelves add stiffness to the whole bookcase; adjustable ones let you change the layout later. Many bookcases use a mix of both.

Bespoke or off-the-shelf built-in bookshelves?

Off-the-shelf furniture suits some rooms well. Where the room has awkward sizes, uneven walls or a lot to store, furniture made for the space usually works better. Here’s how the two compare.

	Made for your room	Off-the-shelf
Size	Made for your room, to the ceiling and wall to wall	Set widths and heights, with gaps or fillers
Uneven walls	Scribed to follow the wall and set level	Gaps where the wall bows or the floor slopes
Awkward spaces	Alcoves, slopes, bays and stairs used fully	Standard boxes that leave space unused
Inside layout	Planned around what you store	A set choice of rails and shelves
Finish	Spray or hand painted in a colour agreed with you	The colours in the range
Getting it in	Made in sections sized for your stairs and doors	Flat-pack boxes you or a fitter assemble

What affects your quote

Every job is quoted for your room after the design visit, so we don’t publish prices. These are the things that shape the quote:

The size of the piece and how much of the wall or room it fills
How many doors and drawers there are, and what goes inside
The materials: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both
The finish: spray painted in our workshop or hand painted
The room itself: uneven walls, sloping ceilings, cornices, skirting and picture rails
Access: stairs, lifts, parking and getting the sections into the room

Read how it works for the whole process.

What your quote includes

After the design visit we send a written quote. It sets out:

What we’ll make, with the layout and sizes agreed at the design visit
The materials and the finish, including the paint colour
What goes inside: shelves, hanging, drawers and any special fittings
Fitting in your home
What isn’t included, such as electrics, plumbing, gas or decorating, which are for other trades
How and when the work will be done, and the payment terms

See what a fitted furniture quote should include.

Looking after your built-in bookshelves

Paint needs time to cure fully after it’s applied, so treat new paintwork gently at first: avoid knocks, wipe spills promptly and don’t stand heavy or damp things on new surfaces. Clean with a soft, damp cloth and a mild cleaner rather than anything abrasive. Hand-painted finishes are easy to touch up if they get marked, and hinged doors can be adjusted at the hinge if they drift out of line as a house moves with the seasons.

Read looking after painted fitted furniture.

300+ projectsCompleted in London homes

Design visit firstWe measure, then quote

Workshop-madeThen fitted in your home

MDF and birch plywoodMoisture-resistant MDF

Painted finishesSpray or hand-painted

All of London32 boroughs and the City

Built-in bookshelves: common questions

Will the shelves sag?

Not if they’re designed for the load. We plan the span, depth and thickness of each shelf for what it will hold, and add a lip or support on long runs.

Can you build shelves around a door or window?

Yes. Shelving that frames a door or window uses wall space that’s otherwise wasted, and the units are scribed to follow the frame and the walls.

How deep should bookshelves be?

It depends on your books. Most paperbacks and hardbacks need less depth than large art books or records. We’ll ask what you plan to keep.

Can bookshelves have cupboards below?

Yes. Cupboards below the shelves are useful for papers, games and things you don’t want on display.

Do you paint the bookshelves?

Yes, by spray painting in our workshop or hand painting, in a colour agreed with you. A birch plywood edge can also be shown or painted.

Can you build a home library?

Yes. Shelving walls in a spare room, study or wide landing can be planned as one piece, with cupboards and a desk if you want them.

Which parts of London do you cover?

We work across all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. See areas we cover.

Do you work on Saturdays?

Saturdays are available by arrangement. Let us know at the design visit if a Saturday suits you better.

Advice

Other things we make

We fit built-in bookshelves across London

We work in homes in all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Choose your borough:

All areas we cover

Page updated 27 October 2026