I drew up a plan of my design and passed it across to a few joiners and woodworking companies I knew, but they were quoting into four figures. So using the same principle as the radiators covered, I measured up the MDF I would need and had it cut at the DIY store.

I then screwed and glued the whole thing together and using simple cheap tongue and groove paneling to made a back. It was very strong as it used 25mm MDF and was very very heavy.

I had been putting a lot of thought to how it would open, using hinges or maybe a support wheel underneath as it did as by the time id added the cookery books id planned it was going to have to take a lot of weight – I think in the region of 200kgs, along with the weight of the shelf itself which was around 40 kgs.

Would hinges be strong enough? You can get top and bottom hinges that would need to be fixed part way into the bookcase, I couldn’t do that as the top support wouldn’t be strong enough and the bookcase wouldn’t be able to be fully opened.

I decided to add as many heavy duty hinges to one edge as I could fit and see what happens. I left it empty for a while and then added the books over a period of a week opening and closing it all the time to see if anything moved. Fortunately it didnt and looked like it would work.

Now a catch and how to open, close and lock it.

I wanted a book lever type catch that you moved and it activated a catch or lever allowing the bookcase to be pulled open.

I also wanted a book title that was relevant to what it did, so something appropriate on the spine of the book. I searched many old book store to find one of the right size that was a good fit and the best I could do was “ escape “ not ideal but ill keep my eye open for another book, which can always replace if I find it.

I had to cut out all of the pages and fill the space with a piece of MDF so that I could drill it through place the chosen opening method in it, or through it.

I would pop a bolt through the edge of the bookshelf and through the book allowing it to be pulled from the top.

At the rear I attached a wire to the book, through the back of the bookcase though a pulley and up to a spring catch at the top which locked the bookcase in place, when you pull the book out it releases the catch at the top and the bookcase pops open.

The really cool thing, which was unplanned is when the bookcase is fully open, it almost exactly fills the doorway so gives the impression of a bookcase in the wall and could actually work both ways. I just have to work out how to hold it in place should I want to.