Torino Low Bookcase: 80 x 32 x 90cm under a window

The Torino Low Bookcase is the short one in the Torino bookcase line: 80 x 32 x 90cm. The listing is a size list and no more, so this post sticks to what the figures can genuinely tell you, and is straight about the rest.

Which size this page is

Both Torino bookcase sizes appear in the description, so check you are on the right listing:

They are two products rather than one with a size choice, so the page is the size. Both figures appear on each listing because the description lists the sizes available in the line.

What a 90cm unit does that a tall one cannot

Height is the point of the low version, and it buys you three things:

• A window wall. At 90cm it finishes below most sills, so it can sit on the window wall without taking light or cutting across the frame.
• A usable top. 90cm is roughly kitchen worktop height, so the top is a surface for a lamp or a row of pictures, not dead space above your head.
• A sightline. In an open-plan room a low unit lets you see across the space. A pair either side of a chimney breast reads almost as joinery.

Two side by side need 160cm of clear wall plus any gap between them, so measure the full run first.

The 32cm depth is the figure to watch

Width and height are easy to picture; depth is what people get wrong. 32cm is how far the unit stands into the room and how deep each shelf is front to back. In a hallway or on a landing, measure the space, take 32cm off, and look hard at the walkway that is left. If it is tight with the tape measure down, it will be tight with a coat on.

Measure the deepest thing you plan to shelve, too. Boxed games, ring binders and record sleeves are the usual casualties of a shallow shelf.

What the listing does not state

• No material, finish or colour. The product photographs are the only guide, and a photograph is not a specification.
• No shelf count, and no word on whether shelves are fixed or adjustable.
• No weight figure per shelf.
• No statement about assembly, or about whether a wall fixing comes with it.

That is all a short phone call, and the right time to ask for the current lead time.

What it works with

The natural partner is the Torino Large Bookcase at 80 x 32 x 180cm: the tall one on the solid wall, this one under the window. If you want the same 80 x 32 x 90cm proportions in a different look, the Lucca Low Bookcase is listed at exactly that size. For something wider, and the one listing here that states what it is made of, the Marble Bookshelf is 120 x 35 x 150cm with grey marble shelves on a polished chrome frame.

Everything else sits on the bookcases and shelving page, part of the wider living room range.

Before you order

Measure the wall at floor level and again at 90cm, and note any radiator, socket or pipe boxing that would stop the back sitting flat. Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store, with a £50 charge beyond that.

When the figures work, the Torino Low Bookcase page has the photographs and the current price. Settle the unstated details with the shop first and nothing will surprise you on the day.