Kew Library House

The brief

A collector's house with nowhere left to put books. We measured the collection before drawing anything — art books, novels, oversize folios — and set three different shelf heights rather than one compromise. The wall was out of plumb by 18mm over its length, so the shelving runs on a concealed Häfele rail and each bay is set individually true.

The window seat is the only soft element in the room and the only place we allowed a curve. A ladder runs on a rail recessed into the shelf face, so it reads as part of the joinery rather than hardware bolted on afterwards.