A Kitchen Library Ladder and Bespoke Drinks Cabinet: Hadley Wood
In an existing part of our client's home in
, we designed and built something genuinely unusual. Our clients had found a bespoke library ladder on Pinterest, designed to reach the high cupboards you do not need every day, and it went straight to the top of their wish list for the new kitchen extension. When they arrived at the showroom they were keen to tell us about it. We found the right wall for the unit and the ladder, and built it: the first time we had been asked for one, and a piece we have been pleased with ever since.
The Library Ladder and Drinks Cabinet at a Glance
A kitchen library ladder is a timber ladder that runs along a rail fixed above the cabinetry, so the top cupboards can be reached without a stepladder. This one is solid walnut, running on an antique rail, and it hooks into position wherever it is needed. A second, higher rail to the left stores it clear of the floor when it is not in use. It serves a full-height dresser and drinks cabinet in classic shaker, hand-painted in Paint & Paper Library Slate V (165), with glass-fronted cabinets for glassware, a walnut wine rack for 25 bottles and Armac Martin Queslett hardware.
The dresser and drinks cabinet
The unit is a dresser and drinks cabinet combined, built in our classic shaker style and hand-painted in Paint & Paper Library Slate V (165), the darkest of the five graduated Slate shades. The same colour appears on the
bookcase we built for the same house
, which keeps the two pieces reading as one scheme across the room. Solid cupboards are broken up by glass-fronted cabinets holding the client's glassware, with a walnut wine rack below that takes up to 25 bottles. It is finished with Armac Martin Queslett knobs and handles, a collection with a classic New England look that suits the in-frame doors. We integrated strip lighting inside the cabinet, which backlights the glassware and turns the unit into a feature after dark rather than a dark block at the end of the room.
How the ladder works
The handmade walnut ladder runs along an antique rail to reach the upper cabinetry, and simply hooks into whichever position it is needed in. When it is not in use it lifts off and mounts on a second rail to the left, set slightly higher so the ladder sits clear of the floor rather than leaning in the way. That second rail is the detail that makes it practical. A ladder with nowhere to go becomes an obstacle in a working kitchen, and the whole point of building the storage this high was to use space that would otherwise be wasted.
Getting the proportions right
The furniture is in-frame with a Georgian bead surrounding the doors and drawers, and the plinth is inset. In contrast to the rest of the kitchen, the units were built taller than standard so they meet the traditional coving at ceiling level. That decision is what makes the ladder necessary and the unit look deliberate. Cabinetry stopped short of the ceiling leaves a dust shelf and a visual gap; taking it all the way up reads as joinery that belongs to the room.
Kitchen Library Ladder FAQs
What is a kitchen library ladder?
A timber ladder that runs on a rail fixed above the cabinetry, borrowed from library and bookshop joinery. It slides or hooks along the rail so you can reach high cupboards at any point along the run, without carrying a stepladder in and out of the room.
Do you need high ceilings for one?
You need cabinetry tall enough to justify it, which usually means running the units to the ceiling rather than stopping at standard wall-unit height. In a room with ordinary ceilings a ladder is unnecessary. In a room with generous ceilings it turns the top metre from wasted space into usable storage.
Where does the ladder go when it is not being used?
On a second rail, ideally set higher than the working rail so the ladder hangs clear of the floor. Without somewhere to park it, a ladder ends up leaning against a wall and getting in the way, which is why the storage rail matters as much as the working one.
Is a wine rack worth building into a dresser?
It is if you keep bottles at hand for drinking rather than for laying down. A rack built into the base of a dresser keeps them stable, out of the light and off the worktop. For a serious collection you want a temperature-controlled solution instead.
Where does Handmade Kitchen Company build bespoke dressers?
We design, hand-build and hand-paint bespoke kitchens and furniture, including
, from our workshop in Essex, for clients across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London. If you would like to know more about our bespoke designs,
today. We look forward to hearing from you.
