The IKEA Product That’s a Closet Secret Weapon

Nancy Mitchell
Nancy Mitchell
As a former Senior Writer at Apartment Therapy, Nancy split her time among looking at beautiful pictures, writing about design, and photographing stylish apartments in and around NYC.
updated May 26, 2023
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We probably all dream of having a Carrie Bradshaw-style custom closet. But those things are expensive. Really, really expensive. As an alternative, there’s a trusty IKEA product that will give you the look of custom shelving, for a fraction of the price. You may have already guessed what it is. The product is called Billy: the world’s most versatile bookcase, and it turns out, makes for some pretty great storage closet as well.

It’s that versatility that makes Billy so great for storing clothes, and especially shoes. One problem with typical shoe organizers is that they’re designed as if all shoes are the same size, which, of course, they’re not. You can adjust the shelves on your Billys to make short shelves for flats and sandals, taller ones for heels, and really tall ones for boots.

Here’s a whole row of Billys in a closet, with a corner Billy too. Spotted on Fashion Hippie Loves.

Credit: Kim Lucian
Credit: Kim Lucian

Billys form part of a DIY-luxe closet setup in Bianca & Craig’s Moody Glam Apartment.

These are not Billys, but the closet from Style at Home is a good inspiration if your Billys doesn’t fit in your closet. You can add a few shelves in the extra space or add a short tension rod there for a little extra hanging storage.

Tatiana from Tatiana’s Delights added glass doors to her Billy to protect her shoes from dust. The glass shelves and in-cabinet lighting are a nice touch, too, and since the glass shelves are a little thinner than the typical Billy ones she’s able to squeeze in a few extra shoes.

For a wee small person and their wee small clothes, a Billy can even replace a closet entirely. Spotted on Creative Homemaking with Constança Cabral.

And finally, from Lina Huss, a fun idea to make your closet feel a little more special. Leave an extra-wide shelf at shoulder height, so you have space for a mirror and to display some treasured items. The curtain is a nice touch, too.

Re-edited from a post originally published Sept 23, 2014.

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