Very versatile and great value for money. (Ikea Billy Bookcases)

Member Name: jennikitten

Product:	Ikea Billy Bookcases
Date:	25/05/08 (223 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and flexible in both height and width.

Disadvantages: Limited colours; can discontinue without much warning.

This bookcase is easy to assemble and fantastic value for money. The parts will fit into/onto your car for a quick journey home.

This bookcase is available in a variety of sizes and widths, suited to your free space or the amount of books/items you want to display on its shelves. Though the basic package comes with shelves, you can buy additional ones cheaply in order to create the sizes you want. This is particularly useful if you're intending to use it for different things; smaller shelves can be created for ornaments or smaller books at the top, whilst bigger spaces between shelves at the bottom are great for file storage. This versatility is great for both home and office, and indeed transferring between the two.

One problem I encountered with this bookcase was after I bought it in mahogany as they discontinued the product shortly after and I was only able to get additional shelves from the display bay they have (and one was damaged on one side). However, with popular colours such as beech, this will not be a problem - just something to look out for as it could easily happen again.

Though the colour options are quite limited, there are various web sites on the Internet that show how people have painted/decorated/decoupaged them to make them more individual - definitely worth a try if you want something unique as if you go wrong it's cheap to just buy another!

I also have a shorter beech version downstairs, which is perfect for storing hundreds of games and DVDs with easy access. It fits perfectly into a small alcove, and I have been thinking about purchasing the extra 'shelf'/'hood' type extra which fits on top of your existing Billy bookcase to add extra height. This is also useful with tall bookcases in rooms with higher ceilings.

Yet another additional option is the corner 'bookcase', which is definitely more useful for displaying possessions due to its ungainly shape (you could stacks rows of books in front of each other though, which I personally don't like doing). There is also a CD/DVD tower addition, which is great for teenagers' bedrooms and can be connected to either the corner style or straight bookcase.

As with most Ikea living space furniture, surprisingly durable and sophisticated-looking for something so cheap.

Edited by request: The prices range depending on what size (width and height) bookcase you buy, as well as the additional costs of the extras I mentioned such as shelves, height extensions etc. So much so that the price can range from about £30 up to at least £200, depending on what you're doing. I can;t really remember how heavy it is, and again it depends on what you buy, but you could always buy the basics and then add on gradually (this may be a better option for those on a budget as well).

Summary: A classic Ikea piece with strong reasons behind its popularity.