Alcove shelving - cupboards beneath or not

[BikeGeek]

Our lounge is our project for the new year. We have a separate kitchen/diner/lounge so this room is going to be more of a snug.

The room is rectangular, with the fireplace on the longer wall. We want to fit alcove shelves either side of the fireplace and extending round the corner onto the shorter wall

So if you're still with me! I'd really like some storage below the shelves like this

www.flickr.com/photos/56730152@N03/8043223972/

So do i have that below all the shelves, or just the shelves on the short wall, or just the shelves on the alcove or something else? I can't decide what will look best and pinterest/houzz has failed me on finding any similar layouts.

Any help, ideas, sharing of things that you think look vaguely similar would be much appreciated

Oh that's nice. I've been struggling with the same though we won't be embarking on that project for quite some time. I've saved some to my ideabook but i haven't found many. if you want a quick look to see if anything you've missed I'm sbkali2015 on Houzz

This is the only vaguely similar arrangement i've seen but looks a bit odd i think

www.applecarpentry.co.uk/photos/alcove%20cupbaords/AlcoveCupboardsandShelving/images/DSC01014.jpg

yep not sure why but it doesn't work for me. Is this what you're looking for?
www.lahartcarpentry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DSC_0009.jpg

I think if you run both shelving and cupboard round the corner it will look better. The fact that there are no shelves above the TV in that photo makes it look unbalanced. I'm not sure how much you gain with the corner - there will be some awkward, potentially dead space?

have a look at the corner fittings used for kitchen base units. Magic corners are expensive, but turntables are not.

Things will disappear at the back of cupboards unless you use drawers. Look at pan drawer mechanisms.

Any cupboards we put in will not be anywhere near the depth of kitchen cupboards so the corner 'dead space' is unlikely to be significant or inaccessible.

Not directly related to the OP, but the asymmetry of the shelves in the first link is very pleasing.

I wouldn't run it around the corner. I think it would look odd as you'll have one side which is just alcove shelving and one side that will be alcove and corner. Think the first link is nice although think the cupboards should with flush with the depth of the chimney breast.

this? www.houzz.co.uk/photos/18982761/kingston-upon-thames-surrey-traditional-home-office-and-library-london