Instead of a thin layer of wood veneer, BILLY now has a hard surface of durable paper foil. ”The foil has different printed patterns that look like natural wood and means that less wood is needed to make each BILLY,” says Umut. Using materials only where they are needed is resource-efficient. “And it has meant another positive thing – an even more affordable BILLY.”
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Brown walnut effect
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BILLY
505.086.52BILLY bookcase is a beloved icon that never goes out of style. Thanks to its versatility you can use it in many different ways at home – regardless of whether you store books or everyday items in it.
DesignerGillis Lundgren
More information
BILLY Bookcase, brown walnut effect, 31 1/2x11x79 1/2 "
BILLY is a versatile bookcase that works just as good as a storage unit and is suitable to use in many different ways at home.
The shallow and adjustable shelves help you customize your BILLY and allow you to use it as you like – for storing everyday items, memorabilia or other things you collect.
BILLY has a simple and timeless design that is easy to personalize by adding boxes, lighting and your favorite items.
Make it even more personal by adding doors, allowing you to both hide and display things. In this way your BILLY can get new functions and a new look as your style and living situation changes.
Reviews
Really goodJoshuaIt looks sturdy It feels sturdy and it was very easy to put together and it fits way more Manga than my other bookshelf.
Billy BookcasesBobWe purchased two bookcases to fill an area in our room. The bookcases were very easy to assemble, sturdy and well made. The color is nice and they look good in the room. We filled both of them with books and are pleased with how much they hold.
Utilitarian BookcaseMikeWe wanted a bookcase to store books in our family room. Books are not uniform in height. Billy bookcase worked perfectly for us. We bought two. Placed them on a wall and fastened them down. Shelves can be adjusted to fit height of books. Looks great and a reasonable price.
Great bookshelf but don’t try to expand your library a year after buying itKevinPurchased this about a year ago and recently decided to expand my fiancée’s library. Bought the corner units in the same finish just to get home and realize they were 2-3 shades lighter.
Spoke to customer service and I was told that their suppliers occasionally change and the shades may not match. Essentially, there’s nothing I can do about it other than buy another bookshelf to match the newer finish they’re using.
So long story short, if you purchased these in the past, or intend on buying more later on to expand your library, know that the shades may not match and if you’re not within the return window, you’re out of luck.
Perfect FitMaryWe purchased two of these bookcases to go on either side of the “Corner Combination with Extended Units” bookcase. All of them fit perfectly together and we couldn’t be happier! The building of each one was fairly simple. Once we put one together, the rest of them was a simple repeat of assembly. Thank you IKEA for having these available as I looked EVERYWHERE for bookcases before purchasing!!!
Falls apartAmythestThis is a POS. It falls apart even when following the instructions exactly. Cheaply made.
Separating back pieceSamaraBought 2 about a month ago and both the back pieces are coming apart at one of the seams.
Great bookcaseElysiaBought this bookcase and 2 others. Were very easy to put together. The backing makes it very sturdy. It has many connection points. Screwed them all together and used as a room divider.
nice bookcaseKentI have purchased 10 of these book shelves. Easy to assemble - go slow with the first one and the rest went really quick. Exactly what I was looking for without breaking the bank.
Billy is the best!!!PatriciaBilly fits the bill!!! Looks perfect on either side of the den fireplace, easy to put together and seamless in its quality. Thanks, IKEA.
bookshelf reviewAngelsuper easy instructions so it was easy to assemble by myself
Love itGraceVery happy with my bookshelves
Don’t buy, sagging and falls apartRichardThe Billy bookcase is an incredible product. Incredibly terrible. It is a bookcase that can’t hold any books. Think about that for a moment. Would you want a car that can’t drive? Or a knife that can’t cut? Of course not. But IKEA keeps thinking that medium density fiberboard of little wood chips fused together can hold books. They keep selling these and they know their bookcase can’t hold any books. I wish someone would stop IKEA. But they won’t. And the shelves will sag and break. And IKEA won’t take any responsibility and say “Hej, you know that bookcase we said could hold books? Well, it doesn’t work. We knew it wouldn’t work. But nobody stopped us.” That day is never going to come. The only thing we can do is tell everyone to not buy the bookcase that sags, bends, and breaks down into the little wood chip pieces it is made out of. Please, for the love of the Scandinavian gods old and new, do not buy this terrible and defective product.
Fragile hard to put together MuntakimThe back tore and the stand completely cracked and broke. It's an unstable product
Nice update and great Shelf for the money MarkI bought these shelves some years ago and remember having to nail small nails into the backside. But now they use kind of an anchor and a pin system to hold the backside in, and it worked great! These are wonderful shelves for the money!
Quick assembly and install IvaQuality is very good. Nice to mix and match with lighting, glass shelves, rolling bottom drawer, glass full length doors and half composite doors. Transformed spare room into an amazing office/studio.
Billy bookcasesPeterBought 5 Billy bookcases to make built in bookcase wall. Worked great. Bookcases are well made although I replaced the fairly flimsy back with mdf backing.
AmazingKelseyGreat bookshelves! Easy to build, tall and very secure.
Perfect showcase for my purses and shoesRobinI have purchased 2 of these in the past 9 months and I am completely satified. They were easy for me a 63yr old mother to assemble by myself. I will be ordering 1 more to place my collection of shoes on. It makes my walk in closet look very classy and organized.
All 3 times I bought it it was damagedCharbelThere was damage of dent all over it each time I bought and we are paying full price not fair.
Customer reviews
4.6Average rating
3118Reviews
4.6Average rating
3118Reviews
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Story
An updated storage hero
BILLY bookcase has been a steady customer favorite for more than 40 years – but old faithful favorites also need to be updated to keep up with the times. We took a closer look at BILLY and came up with some ideas. One of them means more efficient use of materials, and another makes the bookcase easier to assemble and take apart.
“BILLY was introduced in 1979 and has helped millions of people to organize books and other things in the home. But the world has changed a lot since then, and even popular big-sellers need to adapt to new demands and ways of living,” says Umut Ates, one of our co-workers.
Paper means smarter use of raw materials
Easier to assemble and take apart
BILLY fits just as well in the living room as in other areas of the home – the office, dining room or library. It’s easy to expand and combine with other furniture. But one thing that has had potential for improvement is how the bookcase is assembled and taken apart. “Previously, you had to use about 50 small nails to get the back panel in place, but that’s history now. Instead, you snap on the back panel without any tools,” explains Umut. It also makes it easier to disassemble BILLY without damaging it if you move or want to resell your bookcase. “The improvements have made BILLY more adaptable – it can keep up changing life situations – and it wouldn’t surprise me if this storage hero is as popular in 40 years as it is today.”
