The Billy bookcase is a staple of IKEA. As one of their most cherished products, it has been providing storage and decorating homes worldwide since 1979. As the Swedish brand has evolved over the years, so has its signature piece. Recently, IKEA revamped the Billy line to cut costs, address inflation, and maintain affordability. Consequently, when browsing the company’s site now, each Billy model features a “New” label. Among these are the slimmer 15 3/4 inches wide models that can transform your IKEA Billy bookshelf into a corner unit with the help of metallic corner fittings to secure it in place.
Is the BILLY bookcase combination/corner solution worth considering? It can maximize space usage by utilizing awkward, often vacant, corners for both storage and aesthetics. As a must-have for an ideal home library, these adaptable bookcases are especially popular among avid readers and BookTok enthusiasts. Even if you don’t have numerous books seeking a home, placing narrow shelf units in previously unused spaces can greatly benefit small homes. Furthermore, buying from the Swedish retailer offers the advantage of personalizing basic IKEA furniture, allowing you to customize your displays with different-sized bookcases from the same range to suit your needs. However, reviews indicate some downsides, including quality and design concerns.
There are a few downsides to the redesigned BILLY bookcase
Despite its popularity, maintaining a solid 4.4-star rating on the retailer’s official website from 52 reviews, there are some complaints. Most are related to the recent redesign. In 2022, IKEA replaced Billy’s wood veneer finish with paper foil, essentially contact paper designed to resemble wood grain. Veneer is crafted from real wood, giving the premium appearance of solid wood at a lower cost. According to reviewers, it also boasts greater durability than the new material.
“The quality has decreased substantially. The new stickers they use instead of veneer peel and damage very easily, and just look cheap,” noted one dissatisfied customer who previously favored the Billy bookcase. The redesign also affects customers wanting to augment older bookcases with new additions, as the faux wood colors in the new version don’t match the veneer of older models, according to some reviewers.
The second most common complaint comes from customers who believed the shelving units were designed to fully occupy a right-angle corner. While they appear that way due to the separately sold hardware that connects the three bookcases, in reality, only their front edges touch, leaving a considerable amount of dead space behind them. This is a notable difference from actual corner bookcases, like the RichYa Reversible Corner Bookshelf, available at Walmart.
