The genius of the Expedit is in its simplicity — the deep square shelves make it suitable for storing practically anything, and the extra thickness of the outside frame gives the unit a pleasingly solid appearance that belies its low price tag.
The simple design, and the fact that the shelving units come in a huge variety of sizes — 2x2, 2x4, 4x4, 5x5 — make the Expedit adaptable to many different kinds of spaces, and almost infinitely hackable. Below are some of our favorite Expedit spottings from our Apartment Therapy house tours, and from all over the web.
From Apartment Therapy:
TOP ROW:
1. From Jon and Tyke's California cabin.
2. From Shane and Andrew's California Home.
3. Expedit + milk crates = quirky, budget storage solution, as seen in Christi's creative and crafty Austin apartment.
4. An Expedit makes a perfect room divider in deRaismes' tiny, beautifully textured studio apartment.
5. A white Expedit melds nicely with the black and white palette in Stefanie and Taylor's Washington, DC digs.
BOTTOM ROW:
6. Expedits provide storage for a home office in Alexis and Josh's San Francisco apartment.
7. Sleek storage in Irene's home office.
8. In the Midcentury mix at Katherine and Jem's Chicago Apartment.
9. As a TV stand in Lauren and Kevin's Chicago apartment.
10. An Expedit helps to fill a large wall in Nick and Rachel's Brooklyn loft.
From the Web:
FIRST ROW:
1. A supersized Expedit in a children's space. From Scandinavia with Love via Apartment Therapy.
2. What's better than one Expedit? Two Expedits, stacked on top of each other. We highly recommend this, if you have the ceiling height. Image from The Decorologist.
3. A whole wall of Expedits has a custom, built-in look. Painting the back of the bookcases to match the ceiling ties the room together. Image from Mires Paris via Lamps Plus.
4. An artist's studio from Desire to Inspire.
5. Expedits in a stylish white-on-white office by Lloyd Ralphs Design, via Canadian House and Home.
SECOND ROW:
6. An Expedit is the perfect size for holding records, like in the Paris apartment of Leslie David, seen on Freunde von Freunden.
7. Adding a mirror behind your Expedit kicks it up a notch. Home of Naomi Stein, from Design*Sponge.
8. Two Expedits make a cozy nook around a bed, as seen in Skona Hem.
9. This black Expedit has a certain dark glamor. From Rue.
10. Stacked Expedits and books by color from Bright Bazaar.
THIRD ROW:
11. An Expedit behind a couch is good for storage in small spaces; put items you don't need to access frequently on the lower shelves. Home of Sharilyn Wright, as seen on Cafe Mom.
12. This guy took an IKEA Expedit, rejiggered the shelves, and mounted it on the wall. Now it's something completely different. IKEA Hackers via Apartment Therapy.
13. An Expedit in a home office from Better Homes and Gardens.
14. Books in the bedroom — what could be better? Image from My Favorite and My Best.
15. Stacked Expedits make great storage in a mudroom or closet, like in this black and white apartment seen on French by Design.
(Images: as linked above)


























White Enamel Flatwa...
The versatility of the expedit just can't be beat!
And don't forget the use as a two-sided wall in Rachel Doriss' House Tour!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/template-title-house-tour_1-173522
I am so tired of the expedit. i know it's functional but its ubiquity is nausea-inducing. No matter what hacks you make to one, it always looks like an expedit to me.
Surprised there are no examples with vinyl records.
I would love, love, love to rid us of our 3 (!!) bursting full expedits but alas, there just doesn't seem to be another functional, minimal solution that isn't custom. So long as you set them up right, they are perfect for keeping vinyl neat and supporting the weight of many records.
Just realized I missed the photo of the Paris apartment with records. Oops.
I was just telling my husband the other day that I think the Expedit is one of the most iconic furniture pieces of our generation. While sometimes I hate it because of it's ubiquity, it's usefulness and price point cancel that out, and now we're the proud owners of two.
This one is also a great use of the Expedit http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/070609-robertsny/item/54579
I have three 5x5 and not tired at all! They are in my almost finished craft room and they work perfectly for all my magazines - patterns - books and craft supplies. And they works as room dividers as well, on the other side there's a gym.
will post soon on my DIY blog :) - Donatella
www.inspirationrealisation.com
I have a friend that has one and he uses all but the top row to house/display his collection of laserdiscs. The top row is for displaying his movie replicas/props. It took a long time to convince him to do it. The end result was fantastic!
I wish they'd add to the high gloss choices, currently red, gray & white, with orange, kelly green, etc. Yes, I know I could DIY, but it would never come out the same.
bench seating is what I hope to do with some expedit some day!
http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.ca/2012/04/playroom-progress-sweet-seating-part-1.html
What I did with the Expedit, which I actually haven't seen before is create a really functional cash wrap station for my small retail store. Pictures can be seen at Facebook.com/IHeartHandmadeVentura
I like the expedit but the floors in our old (but huge and cheap and wonderfully located) apartment are so uneven and there's no good wall to put it against without it just taking up way too much space. We have the 8x8 one and I don't want it anymore and my husband just will not let me get rid of it.
We used a 1x5 in our master closet. Works perfect for storing sweaters and jeans. http://www.storefrontlife.com/master-bedroom-closet-part-2/
wow, the benches would be perfect for my parent's dining room, great suggestion truenic! banquet is the only way to make room in their tiny dining room for our big family, but we've put off that project because making it would be such a pain. this could be done in a few hours... toss in some fresh table linens, a coat of paint and some throw pillows for optimum comfort and it would absolutely transform the space.
We really wanted to get this for our kids bedroom and I am a huge fan of IKEA. And yet when I saw it in person, I wasn't sold and I cannot put my finger on why. I don't know if if was the finish or the construction of the materials it was made from. Something didn't resonate. Which was really disappointing b/c I really do like how it looks in most of the examples.
We bought a white one, turned it on its side and use it to display and store toys in our sons play room and it works beautifully. Plus he can reach everything out of the bins we use in 4 of the 8 slots.
northstory: I get the same feeling. I tell myself how practical it would be, and how great it looks in other people's photos, where they've worked magic on it, and every time I resolve to buy one, I can't.
It truly is the only thing we could find to store our vast collection of vinyl. It's like it was made for that exact purpose.
I'm into it. In fact, I made a hand-embroidered quilt featuring the expedit assembly instructions:
http://www.brittanypowell.com/project/2012-projects/ikea-expedit-quilt/
Freaky. I look up from my desk and see almost the exact same set-up as image #1. Except my Expedit is the brown/black and the cowhide rug is dark brown and white. And the basket is green.
While I'd love to have built-ins or some other high-design options, you just can't beat the Expedit for practicality at a democratic price point.
I'd love an alternative but they *are* cheap and easy to customise. We were looking for shelving for the enormous amount of books we have for our new house. I looked at Vitsoe's website and it's going to be an Expedit for awhile as £130 is a lot more reasonable than £1,600.
They may be ubiquitous but it's for a good reason!
Best use of bookshelf: shelve books
;)
I used my Expedit in the bedroom closet that my two boys share. I removed the sliding doors and placed the Expedit inside, with enough room on either side for the occasional dress shirt or pants. I then hung some fabric from the top of the closet to hide the storage shelf behind it.
http://www.no29design.com/2012/03/boys-closet-tutorial.html
I wish Ikea would make different boxes that fit.
And yes I've looked at many other stores, but couldn't find what I am looking for.
Brittany, that is seriously the coolest quilt I've ever seen. In fact, I called my husband over to take a look and he agrees. This is coming from someone whose mother is an avid quilter and would be upset to hear me say that, ha ha.
Love books and love bookcase.
In everyone of these pics, the Expedites disappear because of all the other cool stuff or features in the rooms. Tall lamp in pic 2 is my main WANT. The Ex appears to be a very functional piece but how good it will look still partly depends on the stuff going in it. If you fill it with crap, it'll still look like crap, albeit coralled.
My husband and I use a 5 x 5 expedit with baskets as a dresser, since we have a very small bedroom closet. I love it. It's huge, and there are 25 "drawers" so clothes stay organized.
Sherry and John at Young House Love posted this last week:
http://www.younghouselove.com/2013/01/getting-square-in-the-sunroom/
Jenny--thanks so much.
I have a dark brown expedit entertainment center and love it in my traditionalish living room. These are all pretty modern/white which is fine but expedit is more adaptable than that.
I use a white 4x4 one as a dresser in my bedroom too! Instead of drawers I bought the doors and bought 16 nice doornknobs at Butler's. It does not look like an Expedit and has a stunning capacity for jeans, sweaters, t-shirts...
My first Expedit is arriving tomorrow and I'm so excited. Although I'll be honest, it feels like an organizational gateway drug!
Who cares if everyone has an expedit? I have several because they fit my stuff well - really well, unlike most other bookshelves. And yes, I like the way they look and their infinite versatility.
I absolutely LOVE the Expedit. Best bookcase ever. Love how the white ones disappear into the wall so that your collectibles or whatever pops. I currently have a large one in my bedroom that holds books, storage and collectibles perfectly. I plan on sneaking a few smaller ones into my living room at some point. There is a reason so many people have them -- they are awesome!
I took the plunge into Expedit and am so glad I did! I am a book nerd and wanted lots of shelves for my living room, but I'm on a student budget. I bought three 2x4 high gloss white ones, and laid them on their sides to line an entire wall in my living room. They look built in and provide so mich room for all of my stuff. I don't think they can be beat for the pricepoint. I also like that they're deeper than most other bookshelves, so my coffee table books can actually fit in them!
The Expedit bookcase has so many great uses. What a nice collection of photos. But I'm such a big advocate of removing anything made from plastics and particleboard from our breathing space in our home, that I just can't get behind stores like Ikea.
These photos give me some great ideas, though, so thanks for this fun post!
I love the Expedit. I've had a dark brown 4x4 for over 6 years now and it's been perfect. It was easy to build, worked well as a room divider and shelf against the wall. I didn't do any hacks to mine but love it just the same. Here are some pics
the one in my dining room. I've re-arranged the content since the photo
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8426139906_a3756212fa_z.jpg
In my office I have a 2x4 light wood with two desk attachments. I've love to see more photos on the expedit desk attachments, I don't see many.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8426139896_51bd5faae9_z.jpg
I have three; all from CL, each under $30. Two 5x5, one 2x4. My textile studio big one is full of yarn organized by color... Very helpful! The other big one is in the kitchen, with the vintage dishes of course. I'm downsizing the dishes, so the unit will go away... Probably on CL, for $30...
I have to admit I love the Expedit, over-used or not. It's a practical piece that has never sagged, despite being completely packed with heavy books - a rarity for a cheap bookcase. I hacked mine by adding swinging abstract art to a few cubbies to hide unsightly clutter.
http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.ca/p/blogs-i-read.html#uds-search-results
Ah hell. It's already an annoying day. Here's the ACTUAL link to my Expedit Hack!!
http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.ca/2011/11/my-artful-ikea-expedit-hack.html
When i lived in Boston, a roomate and I ended up splitting a LARGE studio. It was about 30x30, and it was just a giant open space with a restroom off to one corner, and the kitchen off to the other.
We bought 4 or five large Expedits, put them all on heavy duty casters, and they became our walls. WHen we have friends over/threw a party, we'd just move the wallsk out of the way, and use them to keep our bedroom stuff out of sight. Since then , i've really come to miss living in a house with totally modular walls.
Love the Expedit! We have the OG version, with the TV shelf-- it fit the entire length of our apartment's wall for two years, creating a gorgeous wall of books and DVDs. Have to unfortunately get rid of ours now as it doesn't fit with the design plan of our new place. I know we're new on here, and though I didn't read anything in the policy about not posting items for resale or upcycle, hope sharing our craigslist posting is okay! http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/fuo/3820941556.html we're in the northern Virginia area, hope this item fits someone's needs!