For private clients
Bespoke bookcases built by a joiner in Paris
A bespoke bookcase is designed and built to the real measurements of your wall, not assembled from catalogue carcasses. We draw, build in our 550 m² workshop in Cachan (94) and install bookcases, shelving and full-height storage across Paris and the Île-de-France. The same workshop draws it, builds it and fits it.
Discuss your project
Why measurements decide everything in a bookcase
A catalogue bookcase comes in a few fixed heights. The moment the ceiling sits higher, a dusty gap is left on top; the moment a skirting board, a radiator or a returning corner gets in the way, the unit no longer meets the wall. Built to the measurements taken in your home, the bookcase runs to the ceiling, steps around the skirting and sits flush with the wall, and the storage you gain is exactly what the room had to give.
The real question in a bookcase: shelf span
A linear metre of hardback books is heavy, and that weight is what makes cheap bookcase shelves bow after a few years. Deflection comes down to three things: the span between two uprights, the thickness of the board and what the board is made of. Built to measure, those three are decided at the drawing stage instead of endured: we tighten the uprights, thicken the shelf or add a front edge where the load calls for it, and the shelf stays straight.
What we build
The bookcase takes the shape the room allows: a full wall, a niche framing a doorway, a corner return, or a carcass cut to the pitch of the roof under the eaves.
- Full-height bookcases, floor to ceiling
- Fixed or adjustable shelves, span calculated for the load
- Integrated LED lighting, in a recess or under the shelf
- Desk or worktop built into the bookcase
- TV unit, open niches and closed doors combined
- Storage under eaves, under stairs and around corner returns
How the price is decided
We do not publish a price per linear metre, because three metres of open melamine shelving and the same three metres in oak with doors and integrated lighting do not cost the same. Four items make up the quote: the run and the height, the material and finish, the internal fit-out (doors, drawers, lighting, soft-close hardware) and how difficult the installation is. The quote follows a site visit and a measurement survey, itemised line by line.
From survey to installation
We measure on site, including out-of-square walls and any variation in ceiling height, then our design office models the bookcase in 3D. You sign off the volumes, materials and finishes before the workshop starts anything. It is built in Cachan, fitted by the same team, and the workshop stays open to you if you want to see a material before deciding.
Bookcases installed across the Île-de-France
Designed, built in Cachan and installed in private homes. Photographs of completed work.
Frequently asked questions
What does a bespoke bookcase cost?
It depends on the run and the height, the material and finish, the internal fit-out (doors, drawers, lighting) and how difficult the installation is. Open melamine shelving and an oak bookcase with doors and integrated lighting do not cost the same at identical dimensions. We itemise the quote line by line after a site visit and a measurement survey, rather than quoting a figure blind.
Will a bespoke shelf really hold the weight of books?
Yes, because the span is calculated rather than endured. Three things decide deflection: the distance between two uprights, the thickness of the shelf and what the board is made of. On a bookcase meant for hardbacks we tighten the uprights, thicken the shelf or add a front edge so it stays straight over time.
How is this different from a flat-pack bookcase?
A flat-pack bookcase comes in a few fixed heights and widths: it leaves a gap above, a line of daylight against the wall, and its shelves have a span you cannot change. We build each carcass to the measurements taken in your home, in our own workshop, choosing the span and thickness for what you actually intend to put on it.
Can a desk or a TV unit be built into the bookcase?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons to build to measure: the desktop, the TV niche and the cable runs are drawn into the same piece, at the right seat height, with no add-on unit standing proud of it. Niches can be left open, lit, or closed with doors depending on what you want on show.
Do you build bookcases under eaves or under stairs?
Yes. Those are the spaces where building to measure changes the most, because no catalogue unit fits them: the carcass is cut to the pitch of the roof or the line of the stringer, and the low zone everyone gives up on is handled as deep drawers rather than shelves nobody can reach.
Can you work in an occupied flat?
Yes. Everything is built at the Cachan workshop, which keeps the work in your home down to installation and finishing. We protect floors and circulation routes, and fitting a bookcase is usually measured in days rather than weeks.
