Choosing a bookcase
Old or reclaimed
A vintage or antique bookcase is an old piece, usually restored so it keeps the patina and wear of its age, with the age given on the product page wherever we know it. A reclaimed bookcase is newly built from old timber, often with the deeper colour and saw marks of wood that has already had a long life.
Open shelves or closed
Open shelving is light and easy to style, and suits a kitchen, a study or a wall that needs some interest. A bookcase with doors, or with a cupboard below, keeps the dust off and hides the less beautiful things. Freestanding shelves can move with you from room to room and from house to house.
Size and fitting
For books, shelves around 25 to 30cm deep take most hardbacks; deeper shelves suit pottery, baskets and larger objects. Check the height against your ceiling and any sloping or beamed ceilings in a cottage, and measure doorways and stairs before you buy. Fix tall bookcases to the wall, especially in a home with children.
Styling
Mix books with a few objects and leave some space, so the shelves don't look crammed. Books laid flat in a pile give a run of upright spines a break, and a lamp or a plant softens a tall bookcase.
Looking after it
Dust with a dry cloth, and keep water and household cleaners away from old timber. Allow for a little movement in a very dry room.
See them in person
There are always bookcases and shelving on show in our shop on the High Street in Moreton-in-Marsh. If you've seen one on the website, tell us before you visit and we'll have it there for you.
