Russell alcove library in London: a pair of oak bookcases built into the alcoves either side of a fireplace, lit under every shelf, with cupboards below, in a living room with a stone chimney breast. Made to measure by Metro Home Interiors
Russell alcove library in London: a pair of oak bookcases built into the alcoves either side of a fireplace, lit under every shelf, with cupboards below, in a living room with a stone chimney breast. Made to measure by Metro Home InteriorsRussell alcove library in London, close up: one oak alcove bookcase with lit shelves of books and objects and a two-door cupboard below, beside the fireplace. Made to measure by Metro Home Interiors
Shelf Construction

Inside the Russell alcove

Oak sides scribed to the plaster · LED under every shelf · solid 18mm back · cupboard below on soft-close hinges

Inside the Russell alcove — construction diagram

Why this build matters

01
An Alcove Is Never Square
The bookcase brings its own oak sides and back, scribed to the plaster, so the shelves sit level whatever the wall does
02
Lit Under Every Shelf
An LED strip behind each shelf edge lights the spines and the objects below it, on one switch with the room
03
A Pair That Matches
Both alcoves are cut from the same boards and drilled to the same pitch, so the shelves line through across the chimney breast
04
Cupboard Below
A deeper cupboard at the base on soft-close hinges takes the files and the games, with the books on show above
✓
Made in London
Wembley factory, not imported
✓
10-Year Guarantee
Parts and labour covered
✓
Free Design Visit
Wall, ceiling and alcoves measured
✓
Soft-Close Hardware
Concealed hinges and drawer runners
Libraries/ Russell Alcove Library London

Russell Alcove Library London

A pair of oak bookcases built into the fireplace alcoves, lit under every shelf, with cupboards below.

PRICING
£4,600 — priced on survey
Every Metro piece is made to measure. Exact pricing confirmed after your free home design visit.
CONFIGURATIONS
Premium Materials
Made-to-Measure Storage
About This Style

The Russell Alcove Library puts a bookcase in each alcove either side of the fireplace. Oak sides and a solid back are scribed to the plaster, the shelves are lit from above so the spines and the objects read at night, and a cupboard below each takes the things that are not books. The pair is cut from the same boards so the shelves line through across the chimney breast.

Crafted from 18mm E1-grade board in an oak woodgrain on a solid 18mm back, with adjustable shelves on a drilled pitch, an LED strip under every shelf and concealed soft-close hinges on the cupboard doors, the bookcases are built to the alcoves, the skirting and the ceiling.

Every library is made to measure in our Wembley, North London workshop and fitted by our own team. Backed by a 10-Year Parts and Labour Guarantee.

Specifications
Product Russell Alcove Library
Reference Number LB1001
Category Libraries
Style Pair of Alcove Bookcases with Cupboards Below
Door Style Slab Door
Door Material 18mm MFC E1 Grade
External Finish Oak Woodgrain
Internal / Carcass Finish Oak Woodgrain
Handle Push-to-Open
Shelving Open Bays from Cupboard Top to Ceiling, Adjustable Shelves, LED Under Each
Base Run Two-Door Cupboard in Each Alcove, Deeper than the Shelves
Fit Sides and Back Scribed to the Alcove, Skirting and Ceiling
Example Width 900mm per Alcove
Example Height 2400mm
Carcass 18mm E1-Grade MFC
Back Construction Solid 18mm Back
Door Mechanism Concealed Soft-Close Hinges
Lighting Option Integrated LED Strip Lighting (Warm White, White and Yellow)
Construction Made-to-Measure
Manufacturing HA9 Wembley, North London
Installation Professional Installation Included
Guarantee 10-Year Guarantee, Parts and Labour
✓
Free Design Visit
No obligation
★
3D Design
Within two to three days
✓
Fitted in 21 Days
From order confirmation
★
10 Year Guarantee
Parts & labour
Fitted Libraries

Russell Alcove Library

The Russell Alcove Library takes the two spaces a fireplace leaves and makes them the bookcases the room wanted: oak shelves lit from above in each alcove, a cupboard below each, the pair cut from the same boards so the shelves line through across the chimney breast.

The finish is an oak woodgrain throughout, so the bays glow when the lighting is on and the cupboard doors below read as a plinth for the shelves. The doors are push-to-open with nothing on the face.

How it works: each bookcase is a solid-back carcass with oak sides scribed to the plaster, fixed to the chimney breast so it carries its own structure. The shelves are adjustable on a drilled pitch, an LED strip runs behind the edge of each, and the base cupboard is deeper than the shelves on concealed soft-close hinges.

Designed around the books

A library wall works when the shelves are planned by what goes on them. Paperbacks, hardbacks, art books and box files all want a different height, and a grid that ignores that wastes a third of the wall. The bay widths and the shelf heights are set at the design visit, to the wall and to the collection going on it.

  • Two oak bookcases, one per alcove
  • Sides and back scribed to the plaster
  • Adjustable shelves on a drilled pitch
  • LED strip under every shelf, on the room switch
  • Two-door cupboard below each, deeper than the shelves
  • Push-to-open doors, concealed soft-close hinges
  • Cut from the same boards so the pair lines through
  • Scribed to the skirting and the ceiling

Designed for the room: the shelving can stop short of the ceiling to leave a cornice, one alcove can take a media niche with the shelves above, and the oak can be any of our woodgrains or a painted colour with the bays lined in oak.

Built for everyday use: the uprights and shelves are 18mm board banded on every edge, the back is a solid 18mm panel fixed to the wall so the bookcase carries its own structure, and the bay widths are kept to what a loaded shelf carries without bowing.

Manufactured in our Wembley workshop

The Russell is cut in our HA9 Wembley factory to the wall it will stand on. The beam saw cuts each upright and shelf to its own size, the CNC drills the shelf and hinge positions, and the industrial edge-bander finishes every visible edge, so the run leaves the workshop as one matched set.

The wall, the ceiling, the skirting, the cornice, the chimney breast or the doorway, and the position of the sockets are all measured at your design visit, and the run is scribed to the room on installation.

Quality you can rely on: your Metro fitted furniture comes with a 10-year guarantee covering parts and labour.

Why Metro Home Interiors

Designed, Manufactured & Installed by Experts

01

Made in London

Designed and built in our Wembley factory — not imported flat-pack.

02

Free Home Design Visit

Your personal designer comes to you with full sample books. Zero obligation.

03

Fitted in 21 Days

From order confirmation to completed installation, typically 3 weeks.

04

10-Year Guarantee

Every component and every hour of labour is covered for a full decade.

Where We Work

Serving London & Surrounding Areas

Metro Home Interiors designs, manufactures and installs bespoke fitted libraries and alcove bookcases across London and the surrounding counties. Every Russell is cut in our Wembley workshop to the alcoves it will stand in, built on a solid 18mm back with soft-close hinges, and fitted by our own team. From your free home design visit to installation, one team plans the shelves, the lighting and the cupboards around the books you own.

North LondonSouth LondonEast LondonWest LondonCentral LondonSurreyKentEssexHertfordshireBuckinghamshire
What our customers say

Trusted by London homeowners

Verified Google reviews · 4.5 from 237 reviews · Read them on Google

“Great experience from design through to installation!”

P HenleyGoogle review

“I was very pleased with my wardrobe fitted by Metro. By having a custom design I could have exactly the spacing and layout I wanted. They came out to me so we could match the colour to my existing inbuilt wardrobe. Any changes I wanted in the design Mike was quick to do and send me updated previews. It also came in considerably cheaper than a well known wardrobes brand. A couple of snagging issues as you'd expect, and other than some mild chasing I had to do they put it right and all was good. I'd happily recommend them.”

Sebastian HaffGoogle review

“Good price, great team and good quality work. I liked to work with the whole Metro team for my sliding wardrobe. They provided full support from fitted design, pricing and until assembly with no hassle. They also provided shorter lead time compare to others. Highly recommended.”

Gurkan SacikaraGoogle review
Frequently Asked Questions

Russell Alcove Library FAQs

What is the Russell Alcove Library?
A pair of made-to-measure oak bookcases built into the alcoves either side of a fireplace: open shelves lit from above, a cupboard below each, sides and back scribed to the plaster. It is built in our Wembley workshop and fitted by our own team.
Do the two alcoves have to match?
They are cut from the same boards and drilled to the same shelf pitch, so they line through across the chimney breast. Where one alcove is narrower, the bay is narrower but the shelf heights stay the same, so the pair still reads as one.
Can I have one alcove only?
Yes. The Russell is priced as a pair because most fireplaces have two, but a single bookcase is made the same way for a room with one alcove or a chimney breast against a wall.
Will the shelves take the weight of books?
Yes. The uprights are 18mm board on a solid 18mm back fixed to the wall, and the bay widths are kept to what a full shelf carries without bowing. A wider bay for a display piece is built with a thicker shelf.
Can I choose a different finish?
Yes. The same run can be made in any of our woodgrains or painted colours, with the inside of the bays in the same finish or a contrasting one. Samples are brought to your home so the finish is chosen in the room.
How long does it take?
Fitted within 21 days of your order being confirmed, usually in one to two days on site. Our own fitters fix the run to the wall, scribe it to the skirting, the ceiling and the alcove, then fit the shelves, the doors and the lighting.

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Edge Detail

The Three Library Edge Details

In a library the edges are where the hands go: the shelf fronts, the upright edges, the drawer and cupboard fronts at the base. These are the details we work to. Your designer specifies them at the survey, once the wall and the books are known.
01
1mm ABS Square Edge RUSSELL ALCOVE LIBRARY
The standard edge on an MFC slab: a 1mm ABS band in the same decor as the face, applied by machine and trimmed square, for the crispest line at the door edge. It is the edge on cupboard doors and tall units in an office, where a run of doors wants to read as one flat surface.
1mm ABS Square Edge — edge profile diagram
02
2mm ABS Softened Edge
A thicker 2mm band with the corner softened to a small radius. It takes knocks better than a square edge, which matters on drawer fronts and pedestal doors at desk height — the ones a chair arm and a knee meet every day. Specified per front, so the tall units stay square while the desk run goes softened.
2mm ABS Softened Edge — edge profile diagram
03
Worktop Front Edge
The edge you rest your forearms on. The desk top is banded on its front edge in the same decor as the face with the corner softened, so there is no hard lip against the wrist and no light line where the top meets the room. Cable grommets are cut into the top before it is edged, so the cut-outs are finished too.
Worktop Front Edge — edge profile diagram
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