I build custom built-ins, bookcases, and cabinetry for New York apartments. Good work, done carefully, in spaces where it matters.
Walnut library wall · Manhattan
Every project starts with a wall that isn't doing anything. It ends with a room that actually works.
Before
After
Floor-to-Ceiling Walnut Library
In Progress
Installed
White Oak Built-In Shelving
Left: the credenza base being set during install — floors protected throughout. Right: Annie's white oak walk-in closet, a separate project, mid-install.
Jim had just moved into a high-floor Manhattan apartment and needed a proper place to work. The living room had a long wall that wasn't doing anything — good light, decent size, completely unresolved.
We built a floor-to-ceiling walnut wall: three bays wide, with a low credenza base running the full length. The upper shelving handles books and display. The lower section closes up for everything else — files, cables, the stuff that piles up on a desk.
The walnut was chosen for warmth — it sits well against white walls and pale floors without fighting them. Shelf heights were set to Jim's actual collection, not to standard increments. The credenza top lines up with the window sill, so the two horizontal lines read as one across the room.
Install took four days. Floors were protected throughout. Jim worked from home the whole time.
Owen McCormick
I build custom built-ins, bookcases, and cabinetry for apartments and homes in New York. Everything is fabricated at my shop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and installed to exact dimensions — nothing off a shelf, nothing adapted to fit.
My shop is at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Every piece is built there, to your exact dimensions, before it comes to your home. Nothing is adapted from a catalog or assembled from parts that almost fit.
I keep my client load small so I can actually be present on every project. If you reach out, you're talking to me the whole way through.
If you've got a space you're trying to figure out, I'm happy to take a look.
Every project is architectural — designed to feel like it belongs to the building, not like furniture placed against a wall.
Floor-to-Ceiling Built-Ins
Bookcases, display shelving, and storage walls that run the full height of the room. Trim matched to existing molding. Looks original to the building.
Media Walls
Custom entertainment centers where the TV, components, and cables disappear into a single considered design. No visible brackets. No wire runs along the baseboard.
Home Office Cabinetry
A workspace built around how you actually work — desk, shelving, and storage as one unit, to your exact dimensions. Closes cleanly at the end of the day.
Storage Walls & Mudrooms
Purpose-built for the space and how the household actually runs. Nothing approximate. Nothing that'll need to be replaced in five years.
Most clients have never done a project like this. The process is designed to keep it simple, clear, and low-friction from start to finish.
We talk through your space.
You share photos. I come see it in person. We discuss what you want, what's possible, and what it'll actually cost — before anything goes on paper.
You see it before we build it.
Detailed drawings, material samples, finish options. Nothing moves to the shop until you've approved every detail and feel confident.
Made for your room, not to spec.
Every piece is built in my Brooklyn Navy Yard shop. Custom dimensions, custom details. Not adapted from a standard — made from scratch for your space.
Clean, fast, respectful of your home.
Most installs wrap in 3–5 days. Floors are protected, dust is contained, and the space is cleaner when I leave than when I arrived.
"We'd gotten quotes from three other people. Owen was the only one who actually listened to what we were trying to do. The result looks like it was part of the original architecture. We get comments on it every time someone visits."
"The whole process was incredibly smooth. He showed up when he said he would, communicated clearly throughout, and the finished product exceeded what I had in my head. I've already recommended him to two people in my building."
"I was nervous about the disruption — we have a toddler and I work from home. The install took four days and the mess was completely contained each evening. The built-in is the best thing we've done to this apartment."
By Request
Most residential projects fall in this range, depending on size, material, and design complexity.
I don't do low-bid work. The price reflects real materials, careful craftsmanship, and a finish that holds up for 20 years in a New York apartment.
If you've gotten quotes from big-box installers and wondered why the number is lower — it's because the materials, the process, and the outcome are different.
How long does a project take start to finish?
Once we've agreed on the design, plan for 4–6 weeks to build and 3–5 days for install. More complex projects may run a bit longer. I'll give you a clear timeline before anything is confirmed.
I have an idea but I'm not sure exactly what I want. Can you help with design?
That's the most common way people come to me. You don't need a plan — just a general sense of what you want the space to do. We'll work through the details from there.
How disruptive is the installation?
Less than most people expect. The work is contained to a defined area. Floors are protected, dust is managed at the end of each day, and the space is liveable throughout. Most clients are home for the whole install.
How does payment work?
A deposit holds your spot and kicks off the design phase. The balance is split into milestones — at design approval, start of production, and installation completion. Nothing due before you've signed off on it.
Do you work in buildings with co-op boards and noise restrictions?
Yes, the majority of my NYC work is in co-ops and condos. I'm comfortable with the documentation, alteration agreements, and building requirements that come with that. Happy to coordinate with your super or management office directly.
No pressure. Just a conversation about your room and what it could become.