Storage for any room (big enough!) (Ikea Expedit Bookcase)

Member Name: nixtee

Product:	Ikea Expedit Bookcase
Date:	28/06/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Big, Ikea sell boxes ideal to put in the square shelves, doesn't look cheap, sturdy

Disadvantages: Flatpack, needs 2 people to put it together, needs to be put together where it will stay

A few years back it was decided that I needed more storage in my bedroom. Living at home with my parents while in my late 20s can cause problems... mainly that they have their belongings spread throughout the house, where as mine are contained within my (not so big) bedroom. When you're a hoarder, a film lover and a book reader, it's never easy to find space to store things. I'd given myself a budget and most furniture stores in this area didn't have anything big enough for the money I could afford. A trip to Ikea in Wednesbury was in store.

As soon as I saw it, I knew the Expedit Bookcase was what I was after. At 185cm (roughly 6ft) in width and height, and 39cm in depth, it was just the right size... any bigger and I probably wouldn't be able to fit it in the room. At nearly £107, it was also just over my budget, but as I'd found the perfect solution I decided to pay that little bit extra.

The Expedit Bookcase is available in 4 different colours - birch effect, black-brown, walnut effect and white. I chose birch effect as it matched everything else in my bedroom.

Some of Ikea's furniture can look cheap, but I don't think the same can be said the Expedit Bookcase. I don't think it looks cheap at all.

As with other furniture sold at Ikea, the Expedit Bookcase is sold flatpack and you put it together yourself. However, when we got mine home we realised that one of the three boxes was not part of the bookcase and so we had to make a return journey (the next day - it's a 2 hour journey, each way, for us) to take back the wrong box and collect the right one.

Due to it's size, the Expedit Bookcase should be put together in the room in which it will stay and it will need 2 people to assemble it. There was 3 of us to assemble my bookcase and we just about managed it in my small room. Despite its size, we didn't find it difficult to assemble and the instructions were easy enough to follow.

The Expedit Bookcase can be used either as a shelving unit with it's back to the wall or as a room divider shelving unit (so you can access the shelves from either side), but either way it should be fixed to the wall (using wall fastener provided). After all, you wouldn't want something that big toppling over! As I've said, I've not exactly got a big room, so my Expedit Bookcase has it's back to the wall, although if I had a larger room I would love to use it as a divider.

Despite this bookcase being made of Particleboard, Fibreboard, ABS plastic and a paper filling, it is very sturdy. Ikea's website states that it holds a maximum weight of 13kg on a shelf. I haven't a clue quite how much mine holds weight-wise, but it certainly holds a lot! My Expedit Bookcase holds loads of CDs, DVDs, books, boxes, camera gear, folders and other bits & bobs, and has done so for a number of years now.

This bookcase must be very popular as Ikea still sell them now and I've had mine for at least 5 years. Another thing I like about it is that you can buy boxes called LEKMAN boxes which fit perfectly into the square shelves. These boxes come in red, blue and transparent. I keep meaning to buy some to make my shelves look a bit tidier!

So if you're looking for storage or a shelving unit and you have the room, then I would recommend Ikea's Expedit Bookcase - http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/6007135 8 - I love mine and couldn't imagine my room without it now.

Summary: I wouldn't be without it!