The IKEA BILLY Is Iconic, but This Underrated Shelf Is Actually Better
The BILLY bookcase is a legend. One of IKEA’s signature products, BILLY models remain in the company’s catalog year after year — and it even has its own entry on Wikipedia. Many people love it; in fact, someone buys a BILLY bookcase about every five seconds, IKEA estimates. However, this popular shelf and I have never gotten along. (Sorry, BILLY!)
We got off to a bad start when I had to assemble one in the office of the start-up magazine I worked at post-college. In the intervening years, I’ve built dozens for photoshoots, and early on in adult life I owned one that promptly sagged its way into the trash. In my mid-20s, I moved on to KALLAX (then known as EXPEDIT) and later flirted with wall-mounted shelving. But it wasn’t until about seven years ago that I met the IKEA bookcase of my dreams: The HEMNES. I was on a photo shoot for work, and there HEMNES was — a sturdy, handsome shelf that seemed to say “sophisticated adult library” more than “dorm room placeholder,” and I loved that the piece was solid wood.
Whether you prefer solid wood to laminate, you don’t have an IKEA in your town, or you just want to break from the mold, there are great alternatives to IKEA’s BILLY bookcase. Read more about each below to decide if they’re right for your home or your project.
Try these IKEA BILLY bookcase alternatives.
Hemnes Bookcase
IKEA
$249
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ULINE Designer Bookcase, 5-Shelf
Although they’re typically associated with facility furniture, don’t sleep on ULINE. (After all, offices have bookcases, too!) Although it has five shelves compared to BILLY’s six, it does come in a two-toned “Maple” colorway, an option that IKEA doesn’t offer unless you want to mix and match pieces from two different BILLY boxes. The white laminate version would work for someone who might be looking to do a BILLY hack when the BILLY is sold out.
Tangkula 3-Tier Bookcase
Amazon
$54.99
Mainstays 5-Shelf Bookcase
Walmart
$34.96
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Stacking 3-Shelf Etagere Bookcase
Home Depot
$70
Buy Now
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