Painted Bookshelves & Cabinet

A few photographs to illustrate one of my favourite projects of 2023. With painted furniture the customers choice of colour can often bring life and vibrancy to the project as it has here. The alcove fitted cabinets with a bookcase above has become one of our signature pieces. Together with our fitted wardrobes, kitchen larders and sideboards these designs have become a regular of what has become our in-house style.

6 Door Wardrobe with Drawers

This large, 6 door wardrobe comprises 2 cabinets each with a clothes rail, set of 3 drawers and a storage compartment at the top. The central cabinet has a clothes rail with a longer drop for dresses and coats etc. plus a section of shelving. The piece is finished in ‘Bone China Blue Mid’ from Little Greene paints and has cabinet handles made of solid walnut.

Sideboard with Cabinets & Shelving

A sideboard with cabinets and shelving; and an alcove unit to match. This piece comprises a large, 8 door sideboard  with shelving above and a matching alcove corner unit. This corner designed for a television with additional storage and shelving. This set of furniture is spray finished in Dulux ‘Sea Blue’.

Set of fitted wardrobes

We built this set of 4 wardrobes & cabinets for a family in Brighton BN1. Each piece is built from birch-plywood. The exterior components; doors, drawer fronts and panels are spray finished in satin paint (the colour is ‘Lot’s road’ from Myland paints). Each of the cabinets is configured differently; with a combination of drawers, shelving and clothes rails.

Pair of Alcove Cabinets with Shelving

Our first project built in our new workshop. We designed and constructed this pair of alcove units for a property in central Brighton. Each cabinet comprises a 2 door cabinet at the base with deep shelving above. The cabinets are spray finished in F&B eggshell paint.

Living Room Cabinets with Sliding Doors

We produced this set of cabinets for a newly refurbished room in the Seven Dials area of Brighton. The family had created a large living room by knocking through to join the original 2 smaller rooms resulting in a big bright space with 4 alcoves along one side. Each piece comprises a birch plywood cupboard with a pair of sliding doors and bookcase style shelving above. As you can see the cabinets are painted in an attractive shade of green and are completed with brass handles. Power sockets have been fitted above each cabinet top. 

Large Fitted Wardrobes

The three large fitted wardrobes shown above are each of a similar style. Our customers each have different preferences, so we configure the wardrobes individually to suit their needs. We built the cabinet carcasses and drawers from birch plywood at our workshop in Hove. As you can see the birch wood has a bright finish which we achieve by oiling the boards several times. We construct shaker style doors and drawer fronts and in each example here the exterior components are painted with a satin finish.

A Larder and Kitchen Cabinets

For this project we created a fitted larder, a utility room cabinet and a kitchen wall cabinet. Each piece has been constructed from birch-plywood which we have then oiled. The shaker style doors are painted with a satin finish. If you would like a quote for a bespoke larder or kitchen cabinetry, please get in touch. Our contact details are listed at the foot of the page.

Large bookcase with cabinets and drawers

Our customer chose ‘Blue Spruce’, a bold choice of paint colour for this large fitted bookcase. The piece comprises 4 cabinets, 4 drawers and adjustable shelving above. The cabinet is a full four metres wide and stands as the focal point in this Sussex living room. We are very pleased with the striking result.

Birch Plywood Fitted Wardrobes

Over the last twelve months we have been working more often with birch plywood. It’s a great material for constructing cabinets. The photos above show a couple of the wardrobe projects we completed in 2021. In each case we have used birch with an oiled finish for the interior, and painted, shaker style doors for the exterior.

Fitted Bookcases

I was asked to build a couple of fitted bookcases for a flat in the Clifton Hill / Montpelier neighbourhood of Brighton. The first piece is set into an alcove in the living room. Comprising of simple shelving above a 3 door cabinet. The interior of the cabinets is constructed from birch-plywood. The exterior components are spray-finished in white satinwood paint. A second, large bookcase stands in the entrance hall to the apartment.

Birch-ply bookcase with cabinets

We created a bookcase with cabinets at the base for a property at Queen’s Park, Brighton. The piece is constructed from birch-plywood. Each component is finished with several coats of oil to give a satin sheen. We built this piece to the customers own design, making great use of the space in a small room. The push-to-open catches allow for simple, flush, handleless doors.

Sideboard with Sliding Doors

We completed our latest project this week. A fitted sideboard with sliding doors. The interior of the cabinet is constructed from birch-ply and finished with oil. The exterior includes 3 pairs of sliding doors with a shaker style panel design. The cabinet is spray-finished in Farrow & Ball ‘Green Blue #84’ and has brass inset handles. We are very pleased with this sideboard as a focal piece of furniture for the dining room of a family home in Hove.

Larder in Birch-Ply

We are excited to announce a new project launching right now in spring 2021. We have begun producing beautiful kitchen larders, armoires & pantries, both free-standing and fully fitted. The photographs here show our very first piece, a larder constructed from birch-ply with painted doors and side panels.

Birch Ply Wardrobe

We built this fitted wardrobe for a child’s bedroom at a family home in Hove. The cabinet, shelving and drawers are constructed from birch-ply, and finished with oil. The wardrobe is completed with a pair of spray-finished doors in a striking blue colour, (Dulux Morning Jewel 1). The cabinet within a cabinet at the base of this wardrobe is a children’s hide-out, a den to read a book by torchlight, play a game or just peep through the handle-holes.

Oak desk with drawer

We built this lovely oak desk for a child’s bedroom in Hove. The solid oak desk fits neatly into an alcove. A small drawer is included. We cut slots at the rear of the desk to allow air to circulate from the radiator, plus a hole for the lamp cable.

Fitted cabinets in a Hove flat

For this recent project at a flat in Hove we built a pair of fitted cabinets. Each cabinet has simple shaker style doors and a separate shelving unit above. In the bedroom, a large fitted wardrobe in a similar style includes a set of drawers.

Oak wardrobe with sliding doors

We created this wardrobe for a family home in Hove. The piece covers the full length of the wall, across 2 alcoves and the chimney breast. We built large, deep cabinets at each end. As you can see in the photographs, the first cabinet includes a chest of drawers at the base, at the opposite end a similar size cabinet includes a long-drop clothing rail and a column of shelving. The central section of the wardrobe is shallower due to the chimney breast, the pair of cabinets here contain shelving from floor to ceiling. We’ve used a combination of veneered boards and solid oak for the sliding doors and frame on the face of this furniture.

Pair of Fitted Bookcases

We built and installed a pair of fitted bookcases in an apartment in the Cliftonville area, Hove. The Victorian era property underwent an extensive refurbishment. This included a new floor, heating and complete re-decoration. The client chose a matt paint in ‘Inchyra Blue’. This contrasts with the solid oak cabinet-tops. The bold choice of colour comes to life here lit by integrated LED lighting and the many lamps in the room. The piece is completed with brushed & bronzed cabinet handles.

Wardrobes & cupboards

The collection of photographs above show the work we produced for a family home in the Preston Park / Fiveways area of Brighton. A pair of wardrobes built into the alcoves of the master bedroom include a chest of drawers built into the base of each. In the living-room below, a similar pair of alcoves are utilised as storage space. Each design includes the clean lines of a pair of panelled doors, spray-finished with satin paint.

Beautiful Fitted Bookcase

My clients asked for a large fitted bookcase for their room in Brighton. They asked for a design to match another large bookcase on the adjacent wall. It stands a full 3 metres tall and 2.1m wide. Books and pictures are displayed across the shelving, CDs, DVDs and electrical cables are all tucked away out of sight. We spray finished the bookcase in ‘All White’ satin (F&B paint).

Two Children’s Bedrooms

A family moving into a modern home in Hove commissioned us to build this pair of rooms for their young children. Each room comprises a king sized bed surrounded by cabinets and shelving. Large open shelves along one side of the bed and bookcase style, adjustable shelving on the opposite wall. Some alterations were needed to stop bedcovers from ending up in the shelving. At the foot of the each bed is a wardrobe on one side, a bookcase on the other and some large storage drawers under the base. Each room was finished differently, with a combination of wallpaper, oiled oak and black-ash boards and spray finished white paint.

Two Bespoke Bookcases

The photographs here show a couple of bookcases we recently completed. The larger one, comprising of a pair of cabinets with shelving above is spray finished in ‘slipper satin’ coloured paint. The second piece, in a similar style includes a 2 door cabinet, the colour here is ‘all white’. If you would like a quote for a bookcase, wardrobe or other project, please get in touch. Contact details are found at the foot of the page.

Toy Cupboard & Bookcase

I recently completed the alcove fitted cabinet and shelving shown in the first photograph below. The piece was commissioned to match an earlier project, the bookcase in the second photograph. Each piece is spray finished in ‘kitchen green’ paint and incorporates an oak cabinet-top.


Three Wardrobe Projects

Over recent months we have built several wardrobes. The projects pictured here are: A pair of double wardrobes, one side of each containing a chest of drawers, A large triple cabinet wardrobe painted in “slipper satin” and finally a pair of alcove fitted wardrobes, again finished in matt white. For each project the doors are a panelled design and are spray finished in paint chosen by the customer. The internal layout differs with each individual project, common features are a storage cabinet at the top, and a set of drawers at the base. Get in touch and we will be happy to provide a quote to suit your requirements.

Wall-to-wall fitted wardrobe

This beautiful property at the top of the town has a view that looks across parkland and beyond, over almost the whole of the city. But as is the case with much new-build property both in Brighton & Hove and elsewhere there is lack of storage facilities. The clients came to me first to build a study room (pictured elsewhere on this blog) and later for a bedroom wardrobe. Working with the clients I designed this wall-to-wall fitted wardrobe. It comprises of a six door unit, four tall cabinets with a fifth, double door cabinet in the centre. Above that we have a row of 3 smaller storage cupboards each with a pair of doors. The piece includes various configurations of drawers, rails and shelving and is finished with a grey-blue satin paint. (awaiting handles in this photo, more pictures soon)


Study Furniture

On many occasions over the years I have been commissioned to work for academics from the University of Sussex. Most often, as you might guess, to build bookcases. This slightly larger scale project includes a desk, shelving, a drawer unit and a storage cabinet. A solid oak kitchen worktop serves here as a desk. Built wall-to-wall the project makes great use of all the available space. The desk is finished in oil while the cabinets and shelves are spray-finished with a white paint.

Living Room Cabinet

This project, completed this December, is a piece of living-room furniture ~ In essence a sideboard with shelving above. The cabinet worktop here is a single board spanning the full length and is illuminated from the back with dimmable LED lights. Beneath this, the row of drawers and cabinets are built with an oak veneer on the interior while the exterior is finished with an off-white satin paint.

Bookcase with cabinets

This project I worked on over the summer is a piece of bedroom furniture. The shelving here is for books, with large spaces left for a television, audio equipment etc. The base unit comprises 3 storage cabinets. This piece is spray finished with a white satin paint.

Bookcase across an archway

Bookcases have become a focus of my work over the years, this example was a great project which I have recently completed. The large high-ceilinged room at the heart of the property features an archway where 2 rooms have been knocked through to create one big space. The bookcase makes a feature of this arch and is a great use of space. This bookcase has been spray-finished with a white satin paint.

Click photos to view larger images.

For all enquiries my contact details can be found at the foot of the page.

Illuminated Cabinets

Here I have designed and built a pair of illuminated display cabinets. They hang above some existing fitted furniture. The toughened glass shelving and  glazed doors allow the LED fittings to light the whole cabinet. Another project at the same property is pictured below, a corner bookcase, spray finished with white paint.

Television Cabinet / Sideboard

My clients for this project were looking to refresh their living room and get a new look cabinet for a new television. The combination of the solid oak worktop with white satin cabinets has created a fresh look. All cables are hidden away, and boxes housed in the shelves beneath the television. The cabinet doors have concealed hinges and magnetic push-fasteners. To finish off the piece we have added a shelving unit on the wall above the television.

Fitted Bookcase

I built this large fitted bookcase for an apartment in Brighton. Access was slightly tricky at this location, so it took some planning to make sure each piece could be taken in and assembled without any problems. For projects such as this one, all the cutting and construction work is done at my workshop. The component parts are then taken off to the paint-shop to be spray-finished and later re-assembled before fitting. Doing things this way helps to avoid any of the inconvenience and mess that comes when working in-situ. The bookcase has been spray-finished with a white satin paint and is designed to include a narrower section of shelving for storing CDs.

Alcove ‘Floating’ Shelves


Over the years I have built thousands of these simple ‘floating’ shelves, so called because they have no visible brackets or fixings.
The shelves pictured here are constructed from MDF and have been painted with a white satin finish.
They are a great way to use the space in an alcove and to transform the look of a room.

Fitted Bedroom Furniture

Again, this project was to create some elegant fitted bedroom furniture for a newly built loft extension.
A loft extension can add valuable space to a small property, but finding the best solutions for storage in unusual shaped spaces requires some careful consideration. I was very pleased with the results pictured here. As you can see, the work comprises a 6 drawer chest and a 3 door wardrobe. The furniture is all spray-finished at the paint-shop, with a great looking white satin finish. The final touch includes soft-close mechanisms on all doors and drawers.

Fitted Wardrobe, Loft Bedroom


(More photos to follow shortly)

The project shown here was to design and build a fitted wardrobe for a bedroom in a loft extension.
The limited space, and access via a narrow staircase meant that the piece had to be transported in small pieces and assembled in the room.
The integrated wardrobe, chest of drawers and shelving unit are constructed from oak veneered boards with solid oak for the doors and drawer fronts.
The piece is finished with oil.