Example photo by Jelezniac Bianca on Unsplash, not our project
Merton · London
Wimbledon Chase Built-in Bookshelves
We make built-in bookshelves for homes in Wimbledon Chase, designed around the room you have. Your built-in bookcase is designed at a visit to your home and made in our workshop.
- Bowing shelves in an old bookcase
- Shelves that suit a period room
- Bare walls that could hold shelving
Built-in bookshelves for your home in Wimbledon Chase
How we make built-in bookshelves for Wimbledon Chase
We make built-in bookshelves from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood in our workshop. MDF gives smooth panels that paint well, and birch plywood gives strong shelves. You can have a spray-painted or hand-painted finish, in a colour agreed with you. We work across London, including Wimbledon Chase. Most enquiries start with shelving behind a desk for books and files and shelves packed two rows deep; the furniture is made from birch plywood and moisture-resistant MDF with a spray-painted or hand-painted finish.
With a large share of homes around Wimbledon Chase built before 1919, the living room is often two rooms knocked through, with a chimney breast in each half. That can mean one pair of alcoves for shelving and the other for low cupboards, with the screen on a chimney breast between. Older internal walls can be lath and plaster rather than brick, which changes how shelving is fixed.
The quote comes in writing, so there’s time to read it properly and talk it over at home. It records the design, the materials and the finish we discussed.
- Place
- Wimbledon Chase (SW19, SW20, SM4)
- Borough
- Merton
- Price
- Quoted for your room
- First step
- A design visit: we measure and talk it through
- Making
- Made in our workshop and fitted on site
- Boards and paint
- Painted MDF and birch ply
- When we fit
- Weekdays; Saturdays on request
- Enquiries
- Send us a message
- Page updated
- 27 October 2026
What built-in bookshelves can’t fix
Our work is the furniture itself: designing it, making it in our workshop and fitting it. In practice, that means:
- Repairing loose plaster or weak walls before fitting
- Redecorating, which is for your decorator
- Electrical work, such as new sockets or switches, which is for your electrician
If you are not sure what’s possible in your room, you can drop us a line using the contact form and we will give you a straight answer before you arrange a visit. How a job runs, step by step.
Materials and parts
- Hand-painted finish
- Birch plywood
- Spray-painted finish
- Fixed and adjustable shelves
- Moisture-resistant MDF
- Cupboards below
Common questions about built-in bookshelves
My home in Wimbledon Chase is a period house with walls that are not straight. Is that a problem?
Yes. Walls in older houses are rarely flat or square, and floors are often out of level, so each piece is scribed to follow the wall and set level on a plinth or adjustable feet. Skirting, picture rails and cornices are met neatly or cut around. Fixings are chosen for the wall, whether solid brick or lath and plaster.
Is Wimbledon Chase in the area you cover for built-in bookshelves?
Yes, Wimbledon Chase is within the area we cover, which takes in all of Merton and the rest of London. We start with a design visit to measure the room and talk through what you need, followed by a quote.
Can you fit furniture on an external wall?
An outside wall can be colder and damper than an inside one, so ventilation behind and inside the furniture helps, which helps avoid condensation and mould. If there’s damp, it should be sorted before anything is fitted.
Are heavy bookshelves safe on any wall?
We check how the wall is built at the measuring visit. Fixings are chosen to suit solid brick, lath and plaster or a stud wall, and heavy bookcases are fixed to sound parts of the wall. If the plaster is loose or the wall is weak, it should be put right first.
Can you build bookshelves over a radiator?
It’s possible with some thought. The heat has to rise and move into the room, so we plan an opening or gap and never box it in. Some people prefer to keep shelves clear of it or ask a plumber to move it.
Do photos help?
Yes. Pictures help us understand the room before the design visit, along with rough sizes. It’s useful to show radiators, sockets and anything else on the wall.
From workshop to your room
The last stage of the day is the finish. With a spray finish from the workshop, there’s usually only filling and touching up to do in the room; hand painting, if that is what you chose, can be done in place once everything is fitted. Either way, the finish is the one set out in your quote. On fitting day in an older house, the main job is scribing to walls and levelling on floors that slope, so there’s some trimming and adjusting on site. We protect the floors and keep dust to a minimum. It is useful to let us know about parking at the design visit, as terraced streets are often busy.
- You let us know about your books and the wall you have in mind.
- We come to measure and talk through depths, heights and cupboards, with the shelf spans in mind.
- We put the design, materials and finish into a quote in writing. Read it through and ask us anything.
- Once you’re happy, the shelving is built in our workshop from moisture-resistant MDF and birch plywood.
- The bookshelves are fitted in your home, ready for your books.
How to prepare
- Move furniture and belongings away from the wall
- Arrange any electrical changes with your electrician beforehand
- Move anything in the hall or on the stairs out of the way
Ask for a quote
You do not need exact measurements to get started. Everything is measured properly when we visit. To get started, fill in our short enquiry form with a few details about the room. You receive a written quote after the visit.
Related advice
Built-in bookshelves in Wimbledon Chase: local notes
About 47% of the homes in the area around Wimbledon Chase went up before 1919, and about 29% between 1919 and 1939, on the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures for 2025. We take that into account at the design visit, since older and newer walls take different fixings. There are 9 entries on the National Heritage List within half a mile of the centre of Wimbledon Chase. Being near listed buildings does not make a home listed, and you can check any address on Historic England’s list. TfL’s red routes have strict stopping rules. If your home in Wimbledon Chase is on or near a main road, tell us at the design visit. We can then plan where the van will stop.
If you live in a flat close to Wimbledon Chase station, built-in bookshelves are made in sections sized for the stairs, landings and lift, so measuring the route matters as much as measuring the room. The wider area includes historic houses such as Southside House, about 1 mile north-west. For a period home anywhere nearby, the alcoves beside a chimney breast are the natural place for built-in bookshelves. Near listed buildings like Church of St Mary, under half a mile east of the centre of Wimbledon Chase, older homes may keep original joinery that built-in bookshelves can be designed around. For a listed home, fixing into original features may need listed building consent.
Wimbledon Chase is about 1 mile north of Wimbledon, within the London Borough of Merton. Our work covers every London borough and the City of London, Wimbledon Chase included. Across Merton, we cover Wimbledon Chase.
In SW19, SW20 and SM4, the process is the same as anywhere else in London. You’ll find streets here such as Edna Road, Manor Road and Dorien Road, and we cover homes on all of them for built-in bookshelves. Neighbouring places we cover for built-in bookshelves include Merton Park (1 mile east), Bushey Mead (1 mile west), Cannon Hill (1 mile south), Wimbledon (1 mile north) and Raynes Park (1 mile south-west). Other parts of Merton we cover include Colliers Wood (2 miles east), Eastfields (2 miles east), Mitcham (3 miles east), Hackbridge (3 miles east), Wimbledon Park (2 miles north) and Lower Morden (2 miles south).
What’s near Wimbledon Chase
Our area takes in the homes around The Edward Rayne pub, Rutlish School and Wimbledon School of Art, among other places. Wimbledon Chase has its own railway station: Wimbledon Chase station. Well-known places in the area include Atkinson Morley Hospital (1.2 miles north-west) and Wimbledon Museum (1 mile north). Not far away are Merton Park Green Walks.
Before and after fitting day
Looking after painted furniture is simple. These habits help most:
- Decide whether you want fixed shelves, adjustable shelves or both
- Mention anything very heavy, like records or large art books
- Mention parking and stairs when we visit
- Ask your electrician about sockets early
Painted shelves feel dry quickly but take longer to cure fully. At first, lift books onto the shelves rather than pushing them across, to avoid marking the new finish.
Put coasters under anything that holds water to avoid water marks. Wipe up spills straight away.
Neighbourhoods near Wimbledon Chase
What else we make in Wimbledon Chase
When is bespoke worth it?
The real difference is in the fit: edges scribed to the wall, a level base on a sloping floor and a neat line where the furniture meets the ceiling. In an older room, standard units rarely manage that.
Off-the-shelf furniture can be a sensible choice. If the walls are straight and the space suits standard sizes, it often does the job, and it’s quick to buy.
What it costs
Every room is different, so every job is quoted on its own. These are the things that affect it:
- Parking and unloading on your street
- The finish: spray painted or hand painted
- What goes inside: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers
- How square the room is
The inside of the furniture affects the price as well: rails, shelves, drawers and dividers all add work. At the design visit, we work out what you need inside, then set it out in the quote.
Helping us understand the room
Here’s what helps us most when you get in touch:
- Your postcode and the borough
- Rough sizes, even if they’re only to the nearest few centimetres
- Anything in the way, such as radiators, sockets, switches, a boiler or meters
- Examples of the look you’re after
Getting a quote starts with some details: which room it is, rough measurements and a couple of photos if you can take them. To send them, message us from the contact page. After that, we arrange a visit to measure and go through the design, then send a quote in writing.