Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project
Westminster · London
Soho Built-in Bookshelves
We make built-in bookshelves in moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood for homes in Soho. Each piece is finished by spray or by hand, in the colour you choose.
- Somewhere to keep toys and books tidy
- Shelves that suit a period room
- A home library or study
Built-in bookshelves designed for your room
What it costs
Several things affect the price:
- Whether you choose a spray or hand-painted finish
- How many doors and drawers there are
- How big the furniture is
- Parking and unloading on your street
In London, parking can affect the price. The boroughs run controlled parking zones across much of the city, so we may need a visitor permit, a paid bay or a suspended bay. Tell us about parking at the design visit, so we can plan for it.
Before the design visit
These details help when you get in touch:
- What you’d like to store or use the space for
- Rough sizes: width, height and depth
- A few photos of the space, taken from the doorway and from each corner
- Examples of the look you’re after
Prices are quoted for your room, once we’ve measured and talked through the design. Each room is different, so we quote after seeing it, when we’ve measured up and talked through the design. For a quote, use our contact form.
Built-in bookshelves in Soho: what you get
Shelving near a radiator needs some thought. The heat needs somewhere to go, so we don’t box a radiator in without leaving space or an opening for it. Often the simplest answer is to stop the shelves short of it. 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 books with nowhere left to go and shelving that frames a window.
With a large share of homes around Soho built before 1919, plenty of living rooms are two reception rooms knocked into one, each with its own chimney breast. One pair of alcoves might take shelves and the other cupboards, a TV or a desk. Older internal walls can be lath and plaster rather than brick, which changes how shelving is fixed.
After the design visit, we send you a written quote. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so it’s clear what’s included.
- Location
- Soho (W1F, W1T, W1D)
- Borough
- Westminster
- Cost
- Quoted for your room
- How it starts
- We visit, measure, then quote
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Our contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Built-in bookshelves for homes in Soho
The biggest shares of homes in the area around Soho were built before 1919 (about 49%) and since 2000 (about 21%), based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. That matters for built-in bookshelves, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. Soho is partly covered by the Soho Conservation Area, according to Historic England’s records. Planning controls in conservation areas are mainly concerned with the outside of buildings, so fitting furniture inside a house does not normally need permission. The council can confirm if you’re not sure. About 49% of homes in the neighbourhood around Soho were built before 1919, based on the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax data. Alcoves either side of a chimney breast and tall ceilings make older houses natural homes for built-in shelving.
If you live in a period home close to St Anne's Church, picture rails and cornices give built-in bookshelves a line to finish at. Near listed buildings like House of St Barnabas, less than half a mile north of the centre of Soho, older homes may keep original joinery that built-in bookshelves can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features can require listed building consent.
Soho is part of the City of Westminster, about 1 mile west of City of Westminster. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Soho included. Our work takes in places right across Westminster, large and small.
We work across W1F, W1T and W1D. You will find streets here such as Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bridle Lane, and we cover homes on all of them for built-in bookshelves. Soho sits close to the A4 and A301. Close by, we also work in West End (1 mile east), Chinatown (1 mile south), Seven Dials (1 mile east), St Giles (1 mile north-east) and St James's (1 mile south). We also make built-in bookshelves in nearby places like Paddington Green (2 miles west), Paddington (2 miles west), Connaught Village (2 miles west), Lisson Grove (2 miles north-west), Westbourne (3 miles west) and Little Venice (2 miles west). Being one of the larger places in Westminster, Soho is covered for built-in bookshelves and everything else we make.
Around Soho
In Soho, that includes homes near LITE Regal International School, London Library and Bar Soho. Soho has its own railway station: Tottenham Court Road station. Other landmarks nearby include St James Workhouse (within half a mile west) and Montfichet's Tower (1.3 miles east). For a walk, there is St. James's Park Lake and Ludgate Hill.
Honest limits
We design, make and fit the furniture. That means:
- Moving sockets or switches, which needs an electrician
- Structural changes, such as taking out a chimney breast
- Moving a radiator, which is a plumber’s job
Not sure whether your space suits built-in bookshelves? You can send us a few details through our contact form and we’ll tell you before you arrange a visit. Our process from visit to fitting.
What goes into it
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Cupboards below
- Spray-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Fixed and adjustable shelves
- Hand-painted finish
From workshop to your room
Getting everything level comes first. Where the floor slopes, we bring the furniture up to level on adjustable feet or a plinth. Only then is it fixed to the wall, with fixings chosen to suit brick, lath and plaster or plasterboard. Parking on terraced streets can be tight, particularly in a controlled parking zone, so it helps to tell us at the design visit what’s outside. Unloading is kept short, with sections taken straight inside. Saturdays are possible by arrangement.
- You get in touch with a few details about where the bookshelves will go.
- At the design visit we measure up and look at how the shelving meets the ceiling, the skirting and any door or window frame.
- A written quote follows, with the design, materials and finish.
- The sections are built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We fit the shelving in your home, scribing the edges to follow the walls and ceiling, so there are no gaps along the sides.
- Your chosen finish is sprayed before fitting or painted by hand in the room.
Before fitting day
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
- Take anything hanging off the wall we are fitting to
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
Starting with a design visit
A quote begins with a few details from you: the room, rough measurements and some pictures if you have them. To send them, send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a written quote.
Related advice
What it is made from
Plinths and scribe strips
A plinth lifts the bookcase and takes up an uneven floor. Its height can match the skirting board.
Shelves
Long spans need a thicker shelf, a stiffening lip or a support. Shorter bays are another answer.
Questions from Soho
Can you make built-in bookshelves for a home in Soho?
Yes, Soho is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Westminster and the rest of London. The first step is a design visit, where we measure and go through the design, followed by a quote.
Do you cover homes near Tottenham Court Road station?
Yes, homes across Westminster and the rest of London are within the area we cover. You can use our contact form to arrange a design visit.
How deep should bookshelves be?
We set the depth to suit what you own. Deeper cupboards or shelves at the bottom and shallower shelves above is a common layout.
How do I get a quote?
The first step is to use our contact form with some details about the room. We then arrange a design visit, measure up and send a quote in writing.
Will built-in bookshelves sag?
Sag comes down to span, depth and load. We choose the shelf thickness and material to suit. Spreading heavy books helps too.
Does my lease affect fitted furniture?
Possibly. Some leases need the building owner’s consent before you make alterations, including fixing furniture to the walls. We can’t advise on leases, so please check yours.
Is it time for built-in bookshelves?
Children’s books, toys and games often need a home too. We can plan low shelves they can reach and higher shelves for later, with adjustable shelves for changing sizes.
Typical reasons people contact us include:
- Bowing shelves in an old bookcase
- Books piled on the floor
- Bare walls that could hold shelving
- Shelving that frames a window
For families living near Soho Parish CofE Primary School, shelving with deep cupboards below keeps books, games and school things in one place.
Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- Can you see real work of theirs?
- Will the quote be in writing?
- How the doors are hung and adjusted
- Are the boards named, like MDF or plywood?