Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project
City of London · London
Built-in Bookshelves in Temple Bar
Built-in bookshelves for your home in Temple Bar: bookcases and shelving walls built into your home. Each piece is designed at a visit to your home, made at our workshop and fitted by us.
- Space for art books and records
- Shelving that works with picture rails and cornices
- Books with nowhere left to go
Built-in bookshelves in Temple Bar
Built-in bookshelves in Temple Bar: what you get
Built-in bookcases are made from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood in our workshop. MDF suits the panels and faces, while birch plywood is used where strength matters. The finish is spray painted in the workshop or hand painted, in the colour you choose. We fit across the City of London and the rest of London. Typical reasons to get in touch are a home library or study and low shelves children can reach, and the answer is built in our workshop from MDF made to resist moisture and birch plywood, then spray-painted or hand-painted.
Picture rails, deep skirting boards and plaster cornices are part of the character of older houses, and they set the lines that built-in bookshelves have to meet. Homes built before 1919 make up a large share of the housing around Temple Bar, so mouldings are something we expect to talk about during the design visit. The top line can stop at the rail or run on to the cornice, depending on the room.
A written quote follows the design visit. It describes the design we discussed, the materials and the finish, so it’s clear what’s included.
- Location
- Temple Bar (WC2B, WC2E, EC1N)
- Borough
- City of London
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- To begin
- Design visit, then a quote in writing
- Made
- In our workshop, then fitted in your home
- Boards and paint
- MDF and birch plywood, painted
- When we fit
- Monday to Friday; Saturdays by prior arrangement
- Contact
- The contact form
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
Fitting day, step by step
When the fitting is done, we tidy the room and lift the floor protection. Before we go, we look over the finished furniture with you and answer any questions. How long the fitting takes depends on the size of the bookcase and the walls it’s fitted to, and we confirm the fitting days in your quote. Parking on terraced streets can be tight, particularly in a controlled parking zone, so it’s useful to tell us during the design visit what’s outside. The van is unloaded quickly, with the sections carried straight in. Saturdays are possible by prior arrangement.
- You tell us about your books and the wall you have in mind.
- A design visit follows, where we measure and agree the layout.
- A quote in writing follows. Read it through and ask us anything.
- Once you’re happy, the shelving is made in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- We bring it to your home and fit it in place.
Getting ready for fitting day
- Clear the walls of pictures and shelves
- Clear the hallway and stairs so the sections can come through
- Point out meters, boilers and fuse boards near the furniture
Arranging a design visit
A quote begins with a few details from you: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of pictures if you can take them. To send them, send us a few details through our contact form. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and talk through the design, then send a quote in writing.
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Bespoke or off-the-shelf?
Bought bookcases come in the maker’s colours. Ours are painted in a colour agreed with you, by spray or by hand, so they can match the walls or stand out. The two recesses beside a chimney breast are seldom an identical size, which means a matching pair of ready-made units seldom fits both. Fitted furniture is made to each one separately.
There is no price list, because every piece is designed for one room. We measure up, discuss the design and send a written quote. To start, tell us about the room on our contact form.
Why choose us
- Workshop-made and fitted by us
- Over 300 projects completed
- Scribed to uneven walls
- A design visit, then a quote in writing
Read our comparison of bespoke and off-the-shelf or how to compare quotes.
Is it time for built-in bookshelves?
Families often need shelves for children’s books and games. We can plan low shelves they can reach and higher shelves for later, with adjustable shelves for changing sizes.
People usually get in touch with us about things like these:
- A bare wall above a doorway
- Somewhere to keep toys and books tidy
- A home library or study
- Empty alcoves that could hold books
For a family home near St Clement Danes CofE Primary School, built-in bookshelves can be planned with low cupboards for toys and higher shelves for everything else.
What to check before you book
- How they’ll get the furniture into the room
- Whether the finish is set out in the quote
- A written quote that sets out the job
- Do they scribe the furniture to the walls?
Built-in bookshelves for homes in Temple Bar
Homes built before 1919 make up about 48% of the housing in the neighbourhood around Temple Bar, with about 22% built since 2000, going by the Valuation Office Agency’s 2025 council tax figures. That matters for built-in bookshelves, as the build era decides whether a wall is solid brick, lath and plaster, block or plasterboard. There are 489 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Temple Bar. Original fireplaces, shutters and panelling are worth keeping where they survive, and built-in bookshelves can be designed to work around them. Since the zone was extended to the outer boroughs in August 2023, the whole of London has been inside the ULEZ. So any van that delivers or fits furniture in Temple Bar is covered by it. Access and parking are talked through during the design visit.
If you live in a period home close to Temple Church, picture rails and cornices give built-in bookshelves a line to finish at. If you live near Lincoln's Inn Fields, built-in bookshelves can be arranged to keep the window and the light clear.
Temple Bar is in the City of London, about 1 mile east of City of London. Anywhere in Temple Bar, the process is the same: a design visit, a quote in writing, furniture made at our workshop and fitting in your home. In the City of London, Temple Bar is one of the places we cover.
Every address in WC2B, WC2E and EC1N is within our area for built-in bookshelves. Our area takes in homes on streets like Shoe Lane, Drury Lane and New Square, for built-in bookshelves and any of our other fitted furniture. Main roads around Temple Bar include the A4 and A40. Other places close to Temple Bar include Temple (1 mile south), Clare Market (1 mile west), Aldwych (1 mile west), Blackfriars (1 mile east) and Covent Garden (1 mile west).
Local landmarks in Temple Bar
We fit furniture in homes around British Library of Political and Economic Science, London Nautical School and Mercers' School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Temple Bar itself: City Thameslink station. Nearby you will also find St Philip's Hospital (under half a mile west) and Gabriel's Wharf (close by, under half a mile south-east). Open spaces near Temple Bar include Ludgate Hill and St. James's Park Lake.
Common questions about built-in bookshelves
Does a conservation area in or near Temple Bar affect fitted furniture?
Normally not: conservation area rules mainly cover the outside of buildings, and fitted furniture inside a house does not normally need planning permission. If your home is listed, changes inside that alter its character can require listed building consent, so check with the council first. If you’re unsure, the council can confirm.
I live in a flat in Temple Bar. How will the furniture get up the stairs?
At the design visit, we measure the way in not just the room. The furniture is made in sections that fit the stairs and lift, and put together in the room. If your building has rules on lift booking or working hours, or your lease needs consent for alterations, it’s worth checking those early.
Can bookshelves go around a door?
Yes. Shelves can run either side of a door or window and bridge across the top. It uses wall space that is often left bare.
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 quote in writing follows.
How do I get started?
Just get in touch through our contact form. Rough measurements and a few pictures help, and then we arrange a visit to measure and discuss the design.
Can shelves go around a radiator?
It needs planning. We leave space so heat is not trapped. Moving a radiator is a plumber’s job.
Practical tips
Looking after painted furniture is simple. These habits help most:
- Ask your electrician about sockets early
- Allow room for the collection to grow
- Mention any radiator on the wall
- Check the heights of art books, files and records
Load the shelves gradually and evenly. Keep the heaviest books low and close to the supports, which helps the shelves stay straight.
Keep any gap or opening above a radiator clear of books and objects. Trapped heat is not good for the room or the books.
Flats, leases and landlords
Leaseholders should check the lease before anything is fixed to the walls. A lease can require consent from the building owner for alterations. We cannot advise on your lease, so check it yourself or ask your managing agent.
In a flat, the route in matters as much as the room. We measure the stairs, landings, lift and doorways as well as the room, so the furniture can be made in sections that fit through without a struggle.