Built and reviewed by David Richards

Summary Table

Irish Cliff Books from ETKVR is an attractive, enjoyable build with very good engineering and clear instructions. It creates its scene largely through layered printed pieces rather than a large number of three-dimensional accessories, and while that certainly does not detract from the finished build, at this more premium end of the market I would have liked to see a few more 3D elements included.

What’s in the kit?

The manual begins with instructions in at least eight languages before moving into the main build. The kit contains nine boards, tweezers, a sanding stick and glue. The lighting system is refreshingly simple: a copper-wire string with several LEDs, plus two additional LEDs, connected to a touch sensor and battery compartment.

There are also some nice little details. You get a carpet — a particularly nice touch — a teacup and spoon, rope, a flower pot, stickers and vines. I felt the flower pot was crying out for some actual flowers, and I wasn’t particularly impressed by the supplied vine, so I replaced some of the foliage and added a few flowers of my own.

The build

The build starts with wrapping some of the books and making a number of delicate valley-folded scrolls. From there you move into furniture construction, with pieces gradually being added to the base boards after each stage.

This is very much a predominantly 2D kit. There are some three-dimensional details, but considerably fewer than we are starting to see in some newer kits. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of the finished scene — the layering works well — but I do think a higher-priced kit should now be offering a little more physical depth and variety.

You build the base level first, followed by the window panes and wall sections. More furniture follows as the next level develops, including a telescope. One small warning: make sure you have the telescope facing the correct way. If you don’t, it simply won’t fit where it is supposed to go.

One tip before you get too far

Pay close attention to where the fairy-light wires eventually need to pass through the structure. In hindsight, I would feed them through at around step 60. I left this until considerably later and ended up doing far more manipulation than should have been necessary. It is perfectly manageable, but doing it earlier would make life much easier.

Engineering and instructions

The fit throughout is very good. Some pieces need a little persuasion simply because of where they have to be inserted, but the engineering itself is accurate. The instructions are also very clear and I never felt unsure about what I was supposed to be doing.

As the roof panels and back wall go on, everything starts to lock together very firmly. The rear wall, complete with its additional features, fitted particularly well and clicked securely into position. Balcony sections are then added, followed by a ladder and the finishing details.

Seagulls. And then more seagulls.

Being an Irish cliff scene, naturally there are seagulls. Three of them initially — although I decided that clearly wasn’t enough and added a few more. Combined with my replacement foliage and flowers, these small additions gave the finished scene a little more life and individuality.

Final thoughts

Irish Cliff Books is a well-engineered and enjoyable ETKVR build. The fittings are excellent, the instructions are easy to follow and the lighting is uncomplicated. It is not a technically difficult kit, although there are enough furniture builds and delicate details to keep it interesting.

My main reservation is simply the reliance on 2D elements. It still produces an attractive finished book nook, but as kits continue to evolve towards more miniature-dollhouse-style scenes with genuine 3D objects, I think premium kits increasingly need to offer more of that depth. Irish Cliff Books gets the fundamentals right; a few more tactile, three-dimensional details would have elevated it further.

Looking for more ETKVR builds? Explore our other reviews and Book Nook Workshop guides before choosing your next kit.