Have you considered the Encore Bookcase System sold via Scandinavian Designs?

The panels and shelves are 1" thick - so they're going to be rather sturdy - and there are options for handling corners, drawers, doors, lighting, etc:

http://www.scandinaviandesigns.com/files/product/N07_ENCOREv4_b.pdf

You could always replace the shelves of a Billy with actual wood cut to size.

we used the billy bookcases for a "built-in" wall at our old house and they did great with all of our heavy medical books and photo albums etc. No problems at all and the people who bought the house liked them so much they made a special clause in the contract that we had to include them in the sale.

Have you checked out the BESTA shelving units at IKEA? They're geared towards media/entertainment centers, but you can definitely put together a built-in style bookcase system with the frames they have available.

I recently saw some nice bookcases from Ethan Allen, called Tango. They look very sturdy and when several are placed side by side, they can look similar to built-ins. They're not the cheapest...about $875 or $895 or so, I think.

You should check out the Rakks system -- lovely, simple, completely modular. I have them in several rooms and love them.

I second the ?? about Billy shelves bowing. We've had two Billy's for 3 years now, bought in AsIs no less, and no bowing despite my husband's hardback history collection!

The Ethan Alen Tango shelves look like wood, but are not. They are some kind of composite stuff, just like the IKEA shelves--but a whole lot more expensive. When the surface chips they look really awful and cannot be repaired. They are made in some foreign country like Malaysia. Ethan Allen does not monitor their factories. You could be buyng things made by 5 year olds under horrible conditions.

I've had 6 billy book cases with lots of books on them. I don't have any bowing problem at all.

In our study, we used the brown-black Billy bookshelves with the optional piece that takes them to the ceiling. They've been just fine, loaded down with several hundred books. I'm a writer and bookaholic, and have been known to make double rows of books on a single shelf--yet after 3 years, no bowing whatsoever. Not sure if this makes a difference in terms of the sturdiness of the shelving, but since we're in earthquake country, we bolted the shelves to the wall--which seems like a good idea for LA folks too.

question to the people without bowing problems - are you using the more narrow bookcases, or the wider ones? i'm thinking about lining my hallway with them, but definitely don't want to end up with bowed shelves. thanks!

We have both the narrow and the standard 30" version to the 10' ceiling in our upstairs library. Full of medical and law books in a humid environment (New Orleans) and we've never had a moment's trouble with any of the shelves. We even moved these particular cases from our FQ apartment to our home Uptown, so they've been through it.

I always though BILLY was one of the best IKEA products in terms of quality - and their offgassing standards are German if I recall correctly.

But if the OP doesn't want BILLY...

Where does that image come from? Is that an IKEA system in the picture?

Hey grlwprls, where do you go for Ikea? I'm in Baton Rouge, and the last time I tried to order online they wouldn't even recognize my zip code.

I've very successfully used Ikea Lack shelves to create floor to ceiling seamless shelving. With some careful measuring, planning, shimming, and patience, one can create giant walls of shelving from 42" and 78" length Lack shelves.

Otherwise if you wish to shelve very heavy objects or need flexibility, I can only suggest going the commercial shelving route. The best example of great commercial shelving design I've seen so far can be seen at most Ann Taylor stores whose design I stumbled upon after being dragged there while accompanying my mom shopping. Their display cabinetry incorporates very flexible and robust structural systems while hiding them beneath handsome maple veneered paneling and shelves. Though the shelving is likely custom, most of the hardware used can be found at a local home center.

A German company, Paschen, (www.Paschen.de) makes incredible wall shelving systems for books. Ligne Roset and Poliform also make book shelving/entertainment center systems though they can be pricey.

Honestly I really like the itso products from Target

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5h9n2v

jakelegs, I got most of my IKEA stuff prior to my move to NOLA; however while living in the French Quarter I ordered directly via phone and had my items shipped. It's spendy, so I'd only do it with something "tried and true" that you've put your hands (or butt ;-) ) on in a store rather than something you've only seen in a catalog.

Now that gas is dirt cheap, rent a UHaul and drive on over to Houston, maybe?

/personal conversation

Just now finishing my Billy installation, a total of 16 shelves (some wide, some narrow, some with height extensions, some with doors...) I'm a librarian and have used similar shelving in the past within only minimal bowing, so I am not concerned.

Some tips for using particle board shelving. Put your heaviest books on the bottom shelf which is supported with the kick plate. In my life, these are usually the tallest coffee-table sized books, and leaving one shelf specially sized for them serves several purposes, including keeping the weight near the bottom to minimize tipping. (I also use shims from the hardware store to tip the shelves back a tiny bit, since I put books at the front edge of the shelves -- helps to compensate, at least on carpeted floors.) (I only use the support braces attached to the walls if there are doors on the units which could cause tipping when opened.)

If you have heavy books on higher shelves, the smaller the width of the shelf, the less likely to bow. So you could use the narrower Billys for lots of heavy stuff, or you could use some scrap wood cut to fit the height of the shelf below(near the back) (then hidden by books) to reinforce the weight of the shelf in question.

Trim with stained or painted-to-match crown molding and trim molding for a custom, built-in, traditional look.

I forgot to mention, three of the units are in corners. The Billy corner brackets make doing this easy and fail-safe!

If you don't want Billys, you don't, but *I* think they are great!

I've had minor problems with bowing with my six Billy units. They were with me for six years in Philadelphia - which is humid during the summer and not during the winter. That said, I think that Billy is the low cost, high functionality answer to the affordable bookcase question.

The bowing, in my experience, was a slow process. You aren't going to see it all that quickly unless you're using the bookcases to store your bowling ball and liquid mercury collection and spraying the shelves with soda water on Wednesdays.

The question to ask yourself is: do you want to replace these in five years?

I've had my Billy cases for about 8 months and already the shelves are drooping/bowing. My books are heavy (art & photog -- not only bigger but heavier weight paper than regular books) but it is disappointing. I feel like someday they are going to give....

Thanks to everyone for all these helpful comments! I will let you know what we decide.

Same as most post here, have Billy, heavier books on bottom -- no problems. (of course I have to remind my nine year old to stop leaning on them, but that's about it...)

I don't have any Billys, so I don't know whether the shelves are laminated on both sides. But if they are laminated on both sides and you're experiencing bowing, flip 'em. I've done it before with cheap shelving from Target.

Also, if you really want a built-in look, attach moulding to the front of each shelf, plus the uprights as well. If you use stiff moulding (not the flexible pvc stuff), that will help strengthen your shelves a lot more than you'd expect.

Another idea is to buy a couple of extra shelves and cut them to match the height from one shelf to the next. Insert them like a book, and they'll help support the shelves. You could even stagger them, such as dividing one shelf in half, the next in thirds, and so on.

Also, like others have said, put the heavier books at the bottom. If you have heavier ones that you really want on higher shelves, try to put the heavier books at the sides with lighter books in the middle.

Thanks for the reply, grlwprls! I'll try the phone or Houston. That could be an excuse for a weekend trip...

On Topic: Nice bookshelves. I'm always fond of a ladder.

If you want a built in look, the measurements have to be pretty exact - within a couple of inches top and bottom and side to side. Your best bet is to use Ikea kitchen cabinets which are designed to configure to all sorts of spaces. Use the tall standing cabinets on the bottom, and mount wall cabinets above. Because they come in a variety of widths, heights, and 2 depths, its much easier to create a custom look. I used doors on my project (I like my storage hidden) but you can use the cabinets bare. They come in white and oak, I think.

Also, Los Angeles is earthquake country. Whatever your solution, brace those tall shelves to the wall. When the shaking starts, it will reduce the damage, help keep exits clear and your pets (and you) safe from falling storage.

I would like to get the Billy bookshelves, but am having trouble working them to fit my space. I have the back wall of my living room with a window in the middle...come to find out it's not exactly in the middle. One side is 56 1/2 inches and the other is 51 1/2. With the wide shelf and skinnier it comes to about 47 1/4 inches. I'm afraid this will make it look very uneven and not at all built in. Other suggestions?