Gentle Readers, while I’m on vacation, I’d like to direct your attention to one or two earlier posts – slightly revised and updated – that you may find interesting. Have a wonderful New Year!

When should you hire a carpenter for customized built-ins, and when is buying freestanding shelves the better option?

This question comes up a lot, and the safe answer, of course, is, “It depends.”

Since that’s not a very satisfying answer, though, here is a quick and dirty checklist.

Built-ins if:

- You plan to stay in the house or apartment at least a few years

- The wall is asymmetrical and/or you want to use the shelving to create visual order

- You want to build around a window or create a window seat (which no one will ever use, but it could look nice)

- You want to maximize your storage potential

Freestanding if:

- You plan to move within a few years – You want the flexibility of moving the shelves from one room to another

- You’d like to display books, pictures and objects without turning the room into a library

- You don’t have the funds to do high-quality built-ins

And here are answers to some oft-asked questions:

1. Will built-ins add value to my house or apartment?

If they’re attractive and well-constructed, I say yes. I once advised a client to rip down floor-to-ceiling shelves in his living room because they were so shoddily built – they looked horrible and cheapened the entire apartment.

2. How much do built-ins cost?

The answer is almost always, “More than you think.” Honestly, if you’re not prepared to devote a few thousand dollars to even a small project, I suggest holding off or buying decent freestanding shelves. Let me give you a few examples of price points, bearing in mind that these projects were in metropolitan Washington, D.C. Elsewhere it might be possible to have decent shelves built for less.

- I recently designed some paint-grade wall-to-wall shelves that were nearly 20’ wide, about 8’ high on each side and about 11’ high at the peak in the center (this was a huge wall!). The two estimates we received were for $10k and $13k.

- Another set of wall-to-wall, floor-to-slanted-ceiling shelves – 10’wide, 4.5’H on the right side and 8-1/2’H on the left side – were built and painted on-site for about $2,500.

- I designed two walls of shelving for an office: one wall was a breakfront about 11’W x 11’H, and the other wall – which included a built-in desk – was 8’W x 9’H. The contractor had these fabricated off-site, and they were built and installed for about $30k.

3. Who designs built-in shelves?

This REALLY depends on the people involved. Some carpenters – the true craftspeople – design the shelves as part of their service. Some contractors ask for design drawings, which some architects and designers are happy to produce. But you don’t necessarily have to get that fancy; even if you draw something yourself, it’s always better to have a visual to discuss with the carpenter.

4. Where can I get cool, well made freestanding shelves?

If you have the time, I think the best first step is visiting the funkier, antique-y stores in your area. Reasonably-priced stores I like in and around D.C. are GoodWood and Random Harvest. Nationwide, you know I like Cubitec from Design Within Reach, Room & Board‘s Linear Series, Crate & Barrel and CB2.

I hope this is helpful, Gentle Readers. Good luck!

Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s also the creator of the “bossy basic,” a one-time service that jump-starts the interior design process in your home.