Torino Large Bookcase: 80 x 32 x 180cm, and the wall it needs

The Torino Large Bookcase is the tall one: 80 x 32 x 180cm. Its listing is a size list and nothing else, so this post covers the two things the figures can tell you: whether it fits, and how it differs from the low version.

Which size is which

The listing shows both sizes in the Torino bookcase line, which is worth reading carefully before you order:

They are two separate products, not one product with a size option, so the page you are on is the size you get; the description simply lists both sizes in the line. If you are unsure which you have ordered, confirm it with the shop.

What 180cm asks of a room

The footprint is modest: 80cm of wall, 32cm into the room. All the capacity is in the height, which is the right trade in a small room where the floor is full but the walls are not. Two of them take 160cm of wall and just over half a square metre of floor between them.

Three things to check at 180cm, in order of how often they catch people out:

• Ceiling and the route in. A 180cm unit needs diagonal clearance to be stood up, more than its height. Measure the ceiling, the door openings and any turn on a stair.
• Coving and picture rails. Measure the wall at the top as well as the bottom. Coving that returns 100mm will stop a tall unit sitting flush.
• The top shelf. At this height the top shelf is above comfortable reach for many people. Plan it for the things you take down twice a year, not the ones you use weekly.

What the listing does not say

There is no sense pretending otherwise:

• No material, finish or colour is stated. The photographs are the only indication.
• The number of shelves is not given, and nor is whether they are fixed or adjustable.
• There is no weight figure for a shelf.
• It does not say whether the unit arrives assembled, or whether an anti-tip wall fixing is supplied. On a 180cm unit, particularly with children in the house, that is worth asking.

The shop can answer all of it, and that is also the moment to ask for the current lead time.

What it works with

A tall unit reads better with something low beside it than with a second tall unit, so the obvious pairing is the Torino Low Bookcase at 80 x 32 x 90cm under a window, with the large one on the solid wall. If you want the same low proportions in a different look, the Lucca Low Bookcase is listed at the same 80 x 32 x 90cm. For a wider wall, the Milan Bookcase at 110 x 33 x 155cm covers more width at less height.

The rest of the shelving is on the bookcases and shelving page, inside the wider living room range.

Ordering it

Measure the wall at floor level, at waist height and at the top, because skirting, radiators and coving rarely leave the same gap. Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store, with a £50 charge beyond that.

When the measurements work, the Torino Large Bookcase page carries the photographs and the current price. If any of the unstated details matter to you, ask before ordering.