Do you provide free quotes?

Yes, if you want we can give you an estimate or a quote if we have enough detail, just email us at info@empatika.uk some rough dimensions and a sketch and ideally some pictures of the area you have in mind and you will get a quote very quickly by email. If you are happy with the estimate then we can come and visit you when it suits you and talk in detail.

How reliable are your carpenters?

We are very reliable, stick to start times and days agreed, we do what we say we will do, we turn up on time every day in order not disrupt your schedule. And we are there throughout the job, not disappearing for one day to do something else.

Do you provide drawings?

Yes once we receive your deposit, we provide you with a hand drawn from scratch 3D computer scale drawing precise to the millimetre for you to check how it looks and to see if you are happy with the dimensions. If you like you can make any changes until the drawing is perfect.

How do I know you will do a good job?

Before I buy anything I read reviews so I suggest you do the same, we have over 100 independent testimonials on the internet. Please have a look at our testimonial page to see what our clients say about us

You call or email us, we asses your needs and give you an estimate or quote, then we arrange a time to come round and visit you, ask you more questions in detail to find out exactly what you would like, listen very carefully to your ideas and offer design ideas and solutions to best use your space and needs. We go away, email you a final quote. Once you decide to go ahead, we take a small deposit, then send you the drawings, once you have agreed the drawing we can book your place in the diary and we agree a start date. We then turn up with the materials and tools and build your units, then once built we paint them or oil them. Then once we are totally finished and you are delighted, only then do you pay us the balance, lastly if you feel testimonials have helped you choose us, please help us keep them fresh and leave us a testimonial here: https://plus.google.com/101927655300158702077/about?hl=en&review=1

Are you going to make a big mess in our house?

We understand that your home is precious and we do everything we can to make sure we leave it in the state we found it. All our materials are cut to size by a specialist cutting company before being delivered to your home, so minimal cutting is required onsite, even then we cover and protect the floors, cover your furniture with plastic sheets, use dust extractors connected directly to power tools, we even use a fine dust and chemical extractor for really sensitive areas, this is well over the top but we like to do the very best we can and offer the best service, and when the work is all finished we take all our rubbish away and give your place a clean.

What materials and finishes do you offer?

Our units are built of quality Medite FSC certified MDF wood then painted, or made of wood veneer we can oil or use matt water based clear varnish, and also melamine coated wood as typically found in kitchen units. We are also pioneering research in alternative healthier eco friendlier materials, we are the first UK fitted furniture company to use UK sourced strawboard which is totally natural and bound with no glues at all to make our bespoke furniture, we can build your units out of formaldehyde free MDF too, we also use recycled plastic sheeting for decorative purposes with lighting behind and recycled glass as well as many other sustainable materials and finishes to find out more please see our eco page.

Do you paint the units and what colours do you offer?

Yes, we use the best quality professional waterbased DULUX and Farrow and Ball eggshell semi matt white paint . If you would like the eco option using more natural paints please see our environment page. We mostly use white but can paint any colour you like (If you would like to paint your fitted furniture we can offer you free advice).

Do you spray the units and do high gloss?

We can arrange to spray the doors and outside visible parts and make the internal carcass of a white or other colour melamine coated laminate.

Are your charges transparent?

All charges are stated in advance in the final quote, you know what you will pay from the start, everything is listed in the quote. Only handles are optional and to be supplied by you or us, also parking is extra, so they are priced separately. All of which is clearly stated in your quote.

Does your service represent value?

For the quality of service we offer from beginning to end we offer outstanding value, we take great pride in producing only the best bespoke furniture that you will be proud to own for years to come, we offer a 2 year guarantee on our work, we are endorsed by various independent certification bodies, we take customer service very seriously, we understand that there is more to producing furniture than wood and screws, your total satisfaction is our number one priority, but don’t take our word for us see what our clients say.

How flexible are you once the work has started if something needs changing?

Our craftsmen all speak good English and have a great deal of skill and will do everything they can if you feel that something needs adapting, for example you change your mind about how many shelves you want, or the spacing between them, then if it is possible we will do what we can to please you, either free of charge or at extra cost depending on what it is.

Can you fix stuff in my home?

Yes if you need anything fixing in your home while we are there making your fitted furniture, if we can do it we will help you out. I like to offer a service that I would like to use myself so for such things as hanging pictures, fixing doors that don’t close and generally anything wood related tell us when we come to measure up for your fitted furniture.

Do you use real wood?

We use real wood veneers or plastic laminates that look like wood but not generally solid wood, we work with close associates who use solid wood, just ask us for contacts.

We don’t do bathrooms but if we are already working in your house doing other fitted furniture, we will consider any storage you would like for your bathroom.

I have sockets where I want my fitted furniture how will you deal with this?

If you have an electrical, phone or TV areal socket that is ok as we can cut a hole in the back so you can still access them, we can move electrical sockets around if they haven’t got far to go. Phone sockets we can more if there is enough spare wire.

Do you make kitchens?

No we don’t make kitchens but sometimes can make units that go in your kitchen such as a bookcase.

Great contemporary fitted shelving ideas

Home » Blog » Great contemporary fitted shelving ideas

If you want some great fitted shelving ideas, you have come to the right place! I have designed loads of shelving units over the years and have lots of great ideas so that when you decide to have your shelving designed you will have a good idea of what modern bookcase designs you can have.

Having fitted shelves made is a big undertaking, you only get one go at it and you need to get it right. Since you won’t see exactly what it looks like until it is built you need to ensure you see lots of examples that a carpenter has built so that you can see the style your shelves will be but also you want to insist in getting a drawing too so you can check proportions and all dimensions, you don’t want to rely on word alone here as when it’s built it’s built for life! If is it well built that is!

Fitted shelves are generally made for books but can also be made for ornaments or a combination of both. Some people also want shelves for CD’s, DVD’s and records too.

When you have finished looking at the pictures on this page, if you want to see more ideas, follow this link here to see more examples that are designed and built by Empatika.

In the slideshow below in the first picture you will see a great idea to show off records if you only have a shallow bookcase. The records are put face on so you can see the front cover, I love this shelving idea because you get to see the beautiful covers that you only ever get to see when you put the record on. The other thing is you can rotate the covers when you feel like it, or if you have a particular party with certain friends coming around you can tailor your bookcase to interest them! It is like a living art slideshow in your home.

There is no reason why you can’t do this with your beautiful coffee table books either, just pull out a different one every week and you will keep your shelving looking interesting to you and your guests.

Front facing record covers can be alternated to turn this bookcase into a forever evolving piece of art!

Here is a slideshow of a variety of fitted shelves to get you started nice and easy with some bespoke shelving ideas.

Another great idea for shelving is to add lights, they really bring the shelving to life, I love lights in shelves and always suggest adding them as they just transform a nice bookcase into an amazing bookcase! Here are are some examples what do you think? This modern white corner bookcase has nice lights that shine down on the bowls which really brings them to life. You can see how the lights in the top left hand side make the books glow and alive. This corner bookcase has 25mm thick shelves and 36mm thick uprights, the bookcase on the left is deeper and spacings between the shelves higher than the one on the right so that it can take larger books.

This white storage unit is also full of lights, with lights placed in randomly lights squares which give the bookcase a more dynamic feel to it. Those lights squares are perfect for ornaments that you want to show off. The top of this bookcase also has lights shinning towards the ceiling which keeps that space above it nice and open and bright and shows off the rooms cornice which goes nicely with the clean lines of the contemporary shelves.

The lights bring this unit to life.

This was the first bookcase I designed with randomly light squares and it has been very popular with people always commenting on it. This one is on 3 walls, the central section sits on the base and the left and right side are floating in the air and connected directly to the wall. The left side is over a low level radiator and the left side over where a chair will go. The bottoms of the bookcases are lights with down-lights and so is the whole of the top again highlighting the cornice and keeping that space light.

White shelves with random lights.

This set of shelving is made of 38mm MDF wood that give it a look as if the shelves where carved out of the wall, it is made with no back because of where the customer wanted the uprights so each shelves is fitted individually to follow the contours of the wall. This allows us to create really randomly spaced shelving like this. We then paint the shelves white by hand with water based Eggshell matt paint which looks really stylish.

Thick white modern shelves.

This large white set of shelves was designed to fit around the radiator and door and fill every bit of space floor to ceiling. This and every bookcase we design is always made with the customer in mind, we measure all your belongings to ensure everything fits perfectly inside.

White Modern bookcase built around radiator and door.

I love these white shelves they look spaceship like, or robot like, they have a mixture of shapes for various books and objects. The shelves are 25mm thick.

Modern white spaceship like shelves.

If you want to see more shelving ideas have a look at our shelving gallery home page on our main site.

Please feel free to connect with Tristan, director of Empatika here:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Empatika

You Tube Channel: click here: https://www.youtube.com/c/TristanTiteux

Twitter, search for “@TristanTiteux” here: https://twitter.com/

LinkedIn, search for “Tristan Titeux”

Great contemporary fitted shelving ideas

If you want to see more shelving ideas have a look at our shelving gallery home page on our main site.

Why Bespoke Furniture Is Getting More Popular

Top Tips for Reducing Background Noise at Home

Autumnal Interiors: How To Refresh Your Home on a Budget