Hartley Low Bookshelf

The Hartley Low Bookshelf is 160cm wide, 45cm deep and 80cm high, framed in solid oak with a satin oak finish. Three fixed open shelves sit behind an open back. It arrives fully assembled.

A low bookshelf is a different piece of furniture from a tall one, and the height here is the point. At 80cm it stops at about the level of a kitchen bench, so it can divide a room without closing it, and the top becomes a usable surface for lamps or pictures rather than something out of reach.

The open back is what makes that work. A closed back turns a low shelf into a wall when it is used as a divider, whereas an open one lets light through from both sides and keeps the piece reading as furniture standing in the room.

Solid oak framing with veneered shelves is the sensible construction rather than a compromise. The frame takes the knocks and can be refinished; the shelves take the load and stay flat, which is what a run of books actually demands. Fixed shelves also mean nothing to sag or slip once they are full.