This IKEA BILLY Hack Is the Narrow Kitchen Fix I Didn’t See Coming

Every New Yorker knows that renting an apartment is a game of trade-offs — you can’t (and won’t) win ’em all when it comes to your “must-haves” list. When one unit has a dishwasher, it’s missing central heating and A/C. When another has sunny south-facing windows, it just so happens to be a sixth-floor walk-up. And my current place is no exception. 

I finally found an apartment in the perfect location and with a gorgeous view, but the kitchen didn’t come with a pantry (and only has a few cabinets and drawers, for that matter). Unwilling to let go of this close-to-perfect place, I brainstormed other ways to add some storage to my tiny kitchen without spending a ton of money. I knew it would be extra challenging for two reasons: My narrow railroad-style apartment demanded something slim, and my design-loving heart demanded something stylish. 

I knew IKEA would be my first stop for something small and stylish, but I was surprised to find the perfect solution far beyond the kitchen section. My saving grace? The BILLY bookcase!

No IKEA collection is quite as iconic as the BILLY series; in fact, designers named the BILLY their favorite IKEA item in our recent 2026 State of Home Design survey. Easily customizable and shockingly affordable, these bookcases are especially popular with DIY enthusiasts for their “hackability” — although they’re great on their own, too. With a myriad of shapes, sizes, colors, and add-ons like doors and shelves — and because it’s just 11 inches deep — the BILLY is completely customizable. I knew I’d be able to find a combo that worked for my cramped kitchen.

And as if it couldn’t be any easier, IKEA has an amazing feature on its website called the BILLY Planning Tool, where you can customize your BILLY setup and add everything to your cart at once with ease. After playing around with the tool and taking many, many measurements, I ordered two tall bookcases, one small bookcase, and three sets of the OXBERG doors — all in the birch colorway — for a grand total of $447.

When they arrived, I built and arranged the bookshelves with the two taller ones on the sides, and the shorter one in the middle. I added doors to the lower cabinets (to hide some of my more unsightly kitchen items), and styled the open shelves with my more stylish trinkets and the items I use most often for easy access. Using the shorter unit in the middle also created a little alcove to serve as a kind of coffee nook, or beverage station. I hung two frames on the wall above it to make sure the space didn’t look too empty.

Paired with my light oak floors, the birch color made the whole setup look almost built-in, as if it had always been there. IKEA no longer makes the birch colorway, but the oak-effect finish is a similar neutral wood tone. 

In the span of just a few hours, I had a large, affordable kitchen pantry — and I didn’t have to sacrifice style. IKEA’s BILLY bookcases are perfect for living room, bedroom, and office storage indeed — but don’t sleep on them when it comes to your kitchen! 

Buy: IKEA BILLY Bookcase Series, starting at $39