Brooklyn, New York
Built-in bookcases in Brooklyn.
Designed online with a live 3D view and price, measured in your home, then built and installed by the Kloset Worx studio.
Brooklyn splits between rowhouses and new buildings. In Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed-Stuy, most homes are brownstones and brick rowhouses. They have parlor floors with high ceilings, original fireplaces, deep window casings and narrow stairs. Williamsburg, Greenpoint, DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn have mostly newer condos, with flat drywall, standard ceilings and doorman-building rules.
A rowhouse lets you build to the full height of a parlor floor. A condo means planning around elevators, management and tighter rooms. Both work well for built-ins once the site measure has settled the details.
Built-in bookcases in Brooklyn rooms
Brownstone parlor floors are made for libraries: ceilings of 11 feet and more, original mantels and tall windows. These rooms suit full-height bays, a ladder on a brass rail and shelving that returns to the original casings.
Top floors and garden levels have lower ceilings. Closed base cabinets with open shelves above, built around a window with a seat, suit them better.
Stairs and stoops
Rowhouse stairs are narrow and turn tightly, so tall pieces are built in sections that fit the stair and are joined on site. The site measure includes the delivery path, not just the wall.
Original details
Brownstone walls often carry original moldings, picture rails, pocket doors and mantels. Built-ins can return to existing casings, stop short of a picture rail or frame a mantel. Tell us what you want to keep.
Brick party walls
Many rowhouse walls are brick behind the plaster. That changes how cabinets are anchored, and it affects where power and low-voltage can run for media walls and lit shelving.
Condo rules
Williamsburg, DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn condos follow the same pattern as Manhattan buildings: insurance certificates, elevator bookings and set work hours. Send the requirements early.
- Wall of shelvesFrom $9,000
- Library around a windowFrom $23,500
- Library with a ladderFrom $46,500
Indicative installed prices, the same in every borough. See the full cost guide for ranges by size and finish, or price your own in the designer.
Looks for Brooklyn homes.
Four designs to start from, each priced and rendered in 3D from the designer. Load one, then make it yours.
Twelve feet of white oak around a window, with a cushioned seat, closed cabinets and LED under every shelf.
Open this look in the designer →
EveningEighteen feet of walnut around a fireplace, under ten-foot ceilings, with a ladder on a brass rail and picture lights.
Open this look in the designer →
A ten-foot painted study in navy with a built-in desk bay and LED under every shelf.
Open this look in the designer →
Sixteen feet of smoked oak around a doorway, bridging over the head, with picture lights on every bay.
Open this look in the designer →3D renderings from the Library Worx designer. Prices are indicative and installed.
Design it here
Set the size, layout and finish. See it in 3D and as a dimensioned drawing while the price updates.
You · a few minutesSend it to the studio
Your drawing, its reference number and your notes go to a designer, who replies within one business day.
Studio · 1 business daySite measure
We measure the wall, check power, plumbing and the ceiling, and confirm every dimension.
Our field team · on siteDrawings and a fixed price
You get a shop drawing set and a fixed price in writing. Fabrication starts when you sign.
StudioBuilt and installed
Fabricated, delivered and installed, then signed off with you on site.
Lead time on each line
- Park Slope
- Brooklyn Heights
- Cobble Hill
- Carroll Gardens
- Boerum Hill
- Fort Greene
- Clinton Hill
- Prospect Heights
- Crown Heights
- Bedford-Stuyvesant
- Williamsburg
- Greenpoint
- DUMBO
- Downtown Brooklyn
- Gowanus
- Red Hook
- Windsor Terrace
- Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- Ditmas Park
- Kensington
- Bay Ridge
- Dyker Heights
- Sunset Park
- Bushwick
And everywhere else in Brooklyn. We install across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
Can the shelving match original brownstone moldings?
The crown and casings can be drawn to suit the room. Tell us what you want to match and we'll check it at the measure.
Is a parlor floor tall enough for a ladder?
Usually, yes. Parlor-floor ceilings are often well above the 9 feet a rail ladder needs.
Is the design visit free?
Yes. Book a free design visit, or start in the online designer and send your design to the studio.
How long does it take?
About 4 — 5 weeks from signed drawings. Installation is usually one to three days.
Price your own in a few minutes.
Set the size and finish, see it in 3D and as a dimensioned drawing, and send it to the studio for a site measure.