Built-In Bookcases in Lichfield

Lichfield's older housing stock means alcove bookcases either side of a fireplace remain one of the most requested pieces we design for the area, and getting that fitting right depends on measuring each alcove individually rather than assuming the two sides of a chimney breast match. Skirting boards, picture rails and the fireplace surround itself all vary from wall to wall in a period house, and the cabinetry has to be scribed to meet each of these details as it actually sits rather than as a standard drawing would show it.

Traditional detailing on the bookcase itself is a separate decision from how well it fits the alcove. A moulded cornice along the top, a fielded panel on a lower cupboard door, or a simple bead along a shelf edge can all be included where they suit a period room, and we specify these details to match, or sit comfortably beside, existing joinery already in the house. Not every Lichfield property calls for heavy period detailing, and a plainer, more restrained profile can suit a lighter or more recently decorated room just as well.

Where a Lichfield household has extended their period house with a newer rear addition, the bookcase built for that new space often benefits from a simpler, more contemporary profile than the one suited to the original rooms, since matching heavy period moulding onto a plain modern extension can look applied rather than integral. We treat the two spaces as separate design decisions within the same house rather than forcing one detailing style across both.

Base cabinetry below open shelving is as useful in a Lichfield period sitting room as anywhere else, giving a place for files, media equipment and general clutter to disappear while the open shelving above continues to display books and objects. Where a television needs to sit within an alcove run, we plan the reinforcement and cable routing for it from the start, so the traditional detailing around it is not compromised by a hasty later addition.

Everything is manufactured in our Derbyshire workshop and fitted by the same team who carried out the original survey, so the specific alcove widths, existing moulding profiles and any change of style between original rooms and a newer extension are handled by people who measured them directly.