20 Brilliant IKEA BILLY Hacks That Prove This Is No Ordinary Bookshelf
When it comes to bookshelves, few are as iconic as the IKEA BILLY bookcase. Since its debut in 1978, the BILLY has made its way into countless apartments and homes around the world — and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, IKEA sells one BILLY bookcase every five seconds, making it one of the retailer’s most enduring and recognizable pieces. Part of that appeal is its simplicity, as it’s an obvious choice for readers who need to stash their favorite titles; but its straightforward design makes it just as useful for adding storage to kitchens, entryways, bedrooms, or any other spot where storage is crucial.
Because it’s such a basic piece (in the best possible way), the BILLY also makes an excellent blank canvas for DIYers and creative types who want something a little more custom. Enter: the IKEA BILLY hack! Whether you want to give a standalone bookcase a stylish upgrade or transform a few BILLYs into a built-in library that looks completely custom, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found. Ahead, we’ve rounded up 20 brilliant IKEA BILLY hacks (including those from the Apartment Therapy Before & After archive) that prove this humble bookcase can be so much more than meets the eye.
1. Framing a Window with a Custom BILLY Home Library
In what can only be described as a bonus room — a tight space located off the living room and across the hall from an eat-in kitchen — a single window acted as the only point of reference for this tiny room. To convert it into a functional home office, the couple behind this DIY transformation decided to create a sunlight-bathed reading nook that is flanked by BILLY bookshelves for true storage. Combining multiple parts of IKEA’s shelving unit, they added a chic tufted seat cushion and a few choice throw pillows to make this space so very cozy.
2. Creating a Faux Pantry and BILLY Sideboard All in One
Leave it up to a busy family to leverage IKEA’s custom BILLY Planning Tool to create a bespoke kitchen addition that is part display and part total storage for both dishware and bulky kitchen appliances. This DIY solution fits better into a narrow, railroad-style kitchen than most traditional hutches or credenzas thanks to its narrower profile — as well as the fact that additional vertical shelving made it easier to maximize lower shelf storage. At 11 inches deep, the BILLY is perfect for creating storage moments in rooms where floorspace and square footage are at a premium.
3. Building a Color-Drenched Built-In Using Cheaper BILLY Shelving
Built-in shelving can require a hefty renovation that’s also tough on your budget — but hacking the “look” with freestanding BILLY units can be much easier on both timelines and your wallet. In this case, the DIY project tapped into a traditional color-drenched paint job to make it seem like the BILLYs were simply part of the wall to begin with. The color in question? Sherwin-Williams’ Dishy Coral, which allows the eye to perceive this library-turned-gallery-wall as one with the apartment’s interiors.
4. Utilizing a BILLY Shelving Unit for Space-Saving Entryway Organization
A full-sized BILLY bookshelf would have been overimposing on this cramped entryway, but using the counter-height options allowed for custom shoe, coat and accessory storage that felt bespoke. The family behind this clever DIY hack physically cut the bottom apron off the bookcase to allow her to attach natural, wood-toned tapered legs (totally elevating this basic IKEA piece!). Investing in custom leather-bound cabinet pulls also tied the polished look all together. The cherry on top? A vintage mirror that’s mounted to the wall.
5. Swapping a Formal Entertainment Console with IKEA BILLY Shelves
You’ll instantly recognize that this living room is decked out in assembled BILLY shelves as is (no paint or customization at all!). But the layout of this arrangement eliminates the need for a pricey home entertainment console system, and it’s much more budget-friendly than a custom furniture solution you’d find elsewhere. The family behind this DIY chose to hide most of their necessary clutter in the lower closed cabinets, leaving personal momentos in the recessed open shelving above.
6. Using Custom BILLY Bookshelf Trim to Create a Statement Home Office
Renter Juliana (@joujee_) gave the two BILLY bookcases in her office wavy MDF fronts to add a little personality, and then she added a curtain to one for some concealed storage. Her MDF pieces are nailed (and caulked) to the BILLY bookcases but not the walls, so the project can come down if she decides to move.
7. Adding Daisy and Dowel Details for a Charming Kitchen BILLY
DIYer Julia Cole (@twentylot) uses her IKEA BILLY as stylish kitchen storage, and it was only $120. “I was able to source a like-new BILLY bookcase on Facebook Marketplace,” Cole says. “It came with all the parts, and it didn’t really matter what color it was, as I was planning on painting it a darker color [Sherwin-Williams’ Rock Bottom] anyway.” Cole used 7-foot trim strips to add a pattern to the cabinet’s doors and plywood to add arches to the top glass doors. She finished the project with daisy-shaped knobs.
8. Adding Custom Trim to BILLY Bookcases for an Elevated Look
Built-in cabinets and storage are commonly sought after, and using BILLY bookcases to fake the look can be much more budget-friendly. Selma Chatto (@chateauchatto) decided to put BILLY shelving units next to her fireplace and television, imitating a built-in entertainment center. After painting the shelves Rust-Oleum’s Lilac Wine to give them a bright and refreshing look, Chatto added a scallop trim and new brass hardware that she says transform the IKEA pieces from looking big-box to built-in.
9. Inventing a Home Library with a Wall of BILLY Bookcases
It makes sense that BookToker and literary management specialist Debra Kelsey has an enormous book collection. She wanted a shelving unit for her extensive home library that also matched her personality. She removed the baseboards from one wall of her office, added five BILLY bookcases — one in the narrower 16-inch size to perfectly fit in the middle — and painted the entire set an emerald green color. She stores books on the top of her “built-in” unit, too. Talk about bookshelf wealth!
10. Creating Custom Cabinetry for a Singular BILLY Bookcase
After her IKEA BILLY served Katie Bookser well for four years in its out-of-the-box state, she wanted to add a little more personality to the bookcase for her new office space. Over just one weekend with $300, Bookser used paint (Behr’s Mesa Taupe), pole wrap, doors, and pulls to turn the original white shelving into a beauty — with hidden storage, to boot.
11. Rethinking Modular BILLY Shelving Into a Custom TV Console
DIYer Dalia Aly’s (@dalia.ea) BILLY hack also uses the narrower 16-inch BILLY bookcase — two, in fact — and flips them on their sides. “We needed something that was longer in width than most on a budget,” Aly says. As it turns out, two 79 1/2-inch BILLY bookcases in brown (for the body of the cabinet) and one more creating shelves did the trick.
12. Subbing BILLY Bookcases for a Traditional Credenza in Dining Rooms
Combining two wide BILLY bookcases and a narrow one, TikTok DIYer Ane Pleym set up shelving next to her dining table. She opted to keep the shelves in their classic white color, but changed the heights of her shelves and spackled over the nail holes for a more contemporary look. Once the shelves were ready to be filled, Ane kept a white and red color scheme throughout, using vases, roses, incense and candles.
13. Repurposing a BILLY Bookshelf Into a China Hutch
Homeowners Sasha Faiz and Andrew Ghose say one of their favorite IKEA hacks in their home in Toronto is using a BILLY bookcase as a dish cupboard in their kitchen. “Its narrow profile made it space-efficient, but also practical and beautiful,” Faiz says. The duo chose glass doors, added mismatched knobs, and added black trim to the top to give it extra grandeur.
14. Painting BILLYs to Create a Room Divider
The periwinkle IKEA BILLYs in DIYers Samantha and Heath Mitchells’ (@rainbowhomereno) home stretch extra tall, in part thanks to IKEA BILLY extender pieces they added, as well as the trim pieces that make it look seamless with the room’s crown molding. The Mitchells painted their BILLYs with Dulux’s Angora Blue.
15. Furnishing a Home Office with Modern BILLY Bookcases
DIYer Sage Phillips (@sagephillipshome) took her office space to the next level by adding arches to her IKEA BILLY shelves, and she says going the big-box route saved her about $10,000. (She was quoted $13,000 for custom shelving and spent about $3,000 doing her IKEA BILLY DIY.) For her BILLY hack, she also used the BILLY extenders, and she added plywood arches, trim, caulk, and paint to make everything look continuous and contemporary. Her white paint selection for the BILLY wall is Beyond Paint’s Bright White.
16. Creating a “‘70s Barbie Dreamhouse Den” with BILLY Shelving
Designer Carissa Henderson (@aboldnewhue) went with pink paint and arches for her built-in IKEA BILLY hack in her “’70s Barbie Dreamhouse” den. “I put a lot of my own DIY skills and thought into that room, and it brings me so much joy to see it come to life every day,” Henderson says.
17. Turning BILLY Cases Into a Bespoke Entertainment Center
DIYer and TikToker Bailey Johnson and her partner created a sage green (Sherwin-Williams’ Shade Grown) entertainment center in their home using IKEA BILLYs. The duo calculated how many they needed to get and got to work installing outlets for the TV. After finishing all the tedious electricity work to set up the room, they secured the bookcases to the walls using 2x4s. They used polyboard to close in the entertainment center and connect the tops of the bookcases, then added crown molding to the top of the structure to elevate it. The last step was installing sconces. (Shout out to the new electrical work!)
18. Retrofitting BILLY Bookcases Into a Custom Mantel
TikToker Maia (@hiyamaiaj) had a vision for bringing more personality to her builder-grade living room with a fireplace flanked by shelving, and two half-sized IKEA BILLYs came to the rescue on the left and right of the fireplace framing. According to Maia, they were huge cost savers. The finished project is a quaint, wistful corner that stores treasured books, and the fireplace makes the entire entertainment center come together to feel like one complete piece.
19. Subbing a Door for Sliding BILLY Bookcases
DIYer Alexandra Elizabeth (@alexxs1007) doubled up the storage capabilities of her space by concealing a storage closet with cool sliding BILLY bookcases instead of a door. She also went for the custom arch detailing many other DIYers liked and painted two shelving units black. She installed lighting at the top as well. She installed a track rolling mechanism on the wall just above the door space and wheels at the bottom of the BILLYs which help them glide easily along the carpet.
20. A Custom BILLY Wraparound Corner Unit
Bookshelves don’t always have to be placed on a straight wall — in fact, the most captivating walls of shelves often accommodate the slope of the ceiling or wrap around a doorframe. TikTokers and DIYers Sue and Stu (@sue.and.stu) used a collection of five BILLY bookcases in a corner of their home to make a more difficult-to-decorate space functional. Alternating narrow and wide BILLY shelves gives the unit a custom feel. Although they kept the shelves white to match the rest of the space, each cubby is filled with a color-coordinated rainbow of books, knickknacks, and artworks.
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