Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project
City of London · London
Built-in Bookshelves in Blackfriars
Few London rooms are perfectly square, and we scribe the furniture to follow the walls. We make built-in bookshelves for homes in Blackfriars, each designed at a visit to your home.
- Shelves that sag under books
- Shelving that works with picture rails and cornices
- Bare walls that could hold shelving
Need built-in bookshelves in Blackfriars?
Living-room storage in Blackfriars
The biggest shares of homes in the neighbourhood around Blackfriars were built between 1945 and 1972 (about 40%) and since 2000 (about 27%), according to Valuation Office Agency council tax figures (2025). The age of a home tells us a lot about its walls, floors and ceilings, and so about how built-in bookshelves are fixed and fitted. There are 395 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Blackfriars. Older homes nearby may have original joinery, shutters or panelling worth keeping, and built-in bookshelves can be designed to work around them. London’s red routes are run by TfL, and stopping on them is tightly controlled. If your home in Blackfriars is on or near a main road, tell us at the design visit. We can then plan where the van will stop.
For an older house near St Ann Blackfriars, picture rails and cornices give built-in bookshelves a line to finish at. Near listed buildings like Apothecaries Hall, under half a mile north-east of the centre of Blackfriars, older homes may keep original joinery that built-in bookshelves can be designed around. If your own home is listed, check with the council before fixing into original features. Close to Bernie Spain Gardens? Built-in bookshelves can be planned to frame a window with a view rather than block it.
Blackfriars is about 1 mile east of City of London, part of the City of London. Anywhere in Blackfriars, it works the same way: a design visit, a written quote, furniture made at our workshop and fitting in your home. We cover places right across the City of London, large and small.
Design visits and fitting in SE1, EC1M and EC1N work the same way as everywhere else we cover. If your home is on a street like Oat Lane, Bear Lane and Shoe Lane, or close by, we can visit to measure up for built-in bookshelves. The A4 and A40 runs close to Blackfriars; on busy main roads, unloading built-in bookshelves takes a little planning. If you are just outside Blackfriars, we also cover Temple (1 mile west), Temple Bar (1 mile west), Bankside (1 mile south-east), Smithfield (1 mile north) and Clare Market (1 mile west).
Around Blackfriars
Our area takes in the homes around London Nautical School, St Mary-at-Hill and St Alban's Church of England Primary School. Other local landmarks include Barts Health Archives (close by, under half a mile north-east) and The Black Friar pub (less than half a mile south-east). There’s a railway station in Blackfriars itself: London Blackfriars station. A little further out are Montfichet's Tower (within half a mile north-east) and St Brides Crypt Museum (less than half a mile north-west). Green spaces nearby include St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
How we make built-in bookshelves for Blackfriars
Shelf depth depends on what you keep. Paperbacks need much less depth than hardbacks, art books or records. Too deep, and paperbacks get lost at the back; too shallow, and big books hang over the edge. A common answer is deeper cupboards or shelves at the bottom and shallower ones above. We make built-in bookshelves from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, and the usual reasons to get in touch are space for art books and records and a room lined with books.
A good share of the homes around Blackfriars were built in the post-war years, between 1945 and the early 1970s. Rooms from that era are often squarer than in older houses, and many have no chimney breast at all. So built-in bookshelves often run along a whole wall, or create their own recesses around the screen or a window. Walls may be concrete, block or brick, so fixings are chosen for the wall.
Materials are named in the quote: moisture-resistant MDF, birch plywood or both, depending on the design. It also says how the furniture will be finished: spray painted or hand painted.
- Location
- Blackfriars (SE1, EC1M, EC1N)
- Area
- City of London
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Where it’s made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- Fitting days
- Weekdays (Saturdays if arranged)
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Why bespoke in Blackfriars?
A row of standard bookcases rarely fills a wall, and against an uneven wall the gaps are obvious. Built-in shelves are scribed to the walls and run to the ceiling if you want. Post-war rooms are often compact, and standard furniture sizes waste space at the ends and the top, which fitted furniture uses. The pieces are made to the room’s own widths.
We quote each job for the room it’s going into, after the design visit. Size, the number of doors and drawers and the internal fittings make the biggest difference to the price.
What you get with us
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Finished by spray or by hand
- Moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood
- Saturday work by prior arrangement
See how bespoke compares with ready-made and how to compare quotes.
Also near Blackfriars
Also in Blackfriars
When is bespoke worth it?
Long shelves are where off-the-shelf often struggles. Span, depth and the weight on it decide whether a shelf sags, so a long run needs a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. We design shelves with that in mind.
Where bespoke earns its keep is in rooms that are not square. Older London rooms tend to have leaning walls, sloping floors and alcoves of different widths, and standard units leave gaps.
Flats, blocks and rented homes
For flats on red routes or busy main roads, unloading takes some planning. Red routes are run by TfL and have strict stopping rules, so tell us about it at the measuring visit.
If the property is let, we’ll need access agreed with the tenants. A letting agent can arrange this on a landlord’s behalf, and the written quote can go to whoever needs it.
How fitting day works
In older rooms, the furniture typically has to meet skirting, picture rails, cornice or coving. On fitting day, we cut and scribe the furniture around these details. How long fitting takes depends on how much shelving there is and how many cupboards sit below it, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. In a post-war block of flats, the route in may include communal stairs, landings and a lift, so built-in bookshelves are made in sections sized for each. If the building has rules on lift use or working hours, it’s useful to tell us at the design visit.
- To begin, get in touch through our contact form; a brief note on the books and objects you want on show is plenty.
- At the design visit we measure the wall and talk through shelf spans, depths and spacing so the shelves will not sag.
- You get a written quote for the design, materials and finish.
- The bookcase is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood, with shelves stiffened where they span furthest.
- The bookshelves are fitted and fixed securely, with the finish sprayed in the workshop or painted by hand on site.
Preparing the room
- Mention any parking restrictions on your street
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Getting a quote
If you already have something in mind, tell us; if not, we can work it out together at the visit. The design is talked through at the visit, once we’ve measured, and the written quote that follows sets it out. To arrange a visit, drop us a line using the contact form.
Advice
Your questions about built-in bookshelves in Blackfriars
Can you make built-in bookshelves for a home in Blackfriars?
Yes, we work across the City of London, Blackfriars included, and across the rest of London. To get started, you can tell us about the room on our contact form with a few details.
Do I need permission for fitted furniture in a conservation area?
Not normally. Conservation area controls are mostly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, works inside that affect its character can need listed building consent, so check with the council first. The council’s planning or conservation team can tell you if in doubt.
What if the stairs or lift are small?
We plan the route in at the measuring visit. The stairs, landings, any lift and the doorways are measured, and each section is made to a size that will get through.
What happens when you come to measure?
We take full measurements, look at the walls and floors and work through the design together. Access and parking are worth talking about too, and a written quote follows.
Do I need to be in when you fit?
We need someone to let us in at the start of the day. It is good to have someone there at the end to look over the work with us.
Can built-in shelves be adjustable?
They can be, and many people choose a mix. A few fixed shelves keep the bookcase rigid.
Looking after your furniture
None of this takes much effort. What we’d suggest:
- Mention anything very heavy, like records or large art books
- Book your electrician first if sockets need moving
- Let us know if a radiator sits where you’d like shelves
- Consider deeper cupboards at the bottom
Keep a record of the colour so any touch-ups match. Small marks on a hand-painted finish are simple to touch up.
Put coasters under anything that holds water to avoid water marks. Dry any spills quickly.