26 Innovative Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Ideas

Ready to get your Ikea fix on? Check out these imaginative Ikea Billy Bookcase hacks to inspire you to change up your basic Ikea furniture.

Today, I am continuing my series on different hacks you can do with Ikea products. Today, we are going to dive in and look at incredibly creative, and useful Ikea Billy Bookcase hack projects! These basic Ikea Billy bookshelves can be re-imagined and customized into seriously show-stopping pieces!

Ikea furniture’s affordable pricing and simplistic styling elements make their pieces PERFECT for any budget and any person.

Here’s a little video sneak peak of what’s coming your way in this post! Check out some of these incredible IKEA Billy hacks! ⤵️

If you’re already an IKEA die-hard (or even if you haven’t yet caught the bug), then grab this list of 25 IKEA must-have items for a stylish home on a budget! These are my favorite IKEA products as many of them can be used in amazing, outside-the-box ways, too.

The top 25 IKEA products list is free, just click here, or on the picture below to begin⤵️:

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IKEA idea posts are definitely a “thing” around here. So if you’re into taking IKEA basics and making them basically amazing (and totally customized), then you may want to check out my other posts in the Ikea hack series. Here’s a taste:

But as much as we love that simple Ikea style, it can also have a downside. It can be a tad…dare I say, boring? Or else it may feel like you have the exact same table or bookcase as all your friends. Well, maybe you do, but you don’t have to FEEL like you do!

The way to combat that is to “hack” your Ikea furniture. Personalize your pieces by changing them. You can paint, add trim, add wood features, combine pieces into a larger single piece, add decals and more to make your own Ikea furniture look custom and unique.

If you haven’t checked out Ikea products before, you are seriously missing out and need to go see what the rest of the world already knows.

Here’s my first Ikea hack of the day: While you’re there, try their cinnamon rolls. They’re life-changing!

Today, I am going to show you some truly amazing and inspiring hack ideas for Ikea Billy furniture.

Warning: These hack examples may cause you to throw caution to the wind and start customizing your own Billy pieces right away. 

Are you ready to have your socks knocked off? Here we go!

Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Ideas

How do you customize an Ikea Billy bookcase? Well, let me show you, my friends.

Due to its affordable price point, the Ikea Billy bookshelf is a super popular piece of furniture to hack. The dare I say, “iconic” white Billy bookcase will set your budget back a mere $59, while the birch veneer, black-brown, and brown-ash veneer each sell for $79. That’s just the start of their options too.

Ikea has certainly caught on to the fact that this product is a selling machine. So they’ve made it even easier for us to customize our Billy bookcases, and they now sell wide versions, narrow versions, extension pieces, doors, and more for Billy.

Yes, you will invest more for your Billy bookshelves than you would for a $10 Lack table, but it also is a larger piece of furniture that can do a lot more for you (and hold a lot more for you) than a small table.

How do you say “let me upgrade you” in Swedish? Well, I can’t tell you I know that. But what I CAN tell you is that these 26 Ikea Billy hackers have some brilliant Billy ideas, regardless of whether their Swedish is quite up to par.

1. Built-In Ikea Bookcases | Lovely, Etc.

The perfect way to start this series is to show how to make a Billy bookcase look like a built-in! Talk about transforming a piece from one everyone has to one that looks custom in your home. I love the storage component this wall of built-in’s makes and the way it really does look like a custom, came-with-the-house kind of feature. 

2. Kitchen Billy Bookcase Hack | 11 Magnolia Lane

Ok, now we are getting a little more advanced with this kitchen built-in with Ikea Billy bookcases. This is such a creative way to create a big use of space under your countertop hangover (if you aren’t using them for stools).

I say this is more advanced due to having to cut down the Billy bookcases to fit under the counter. This is totally worth the nail-biting moment that probably was because they came out great!

3. Woven Cane Bookcase Storage | The Lone Fox

I am loving this hack – mainly because it has completely transformed a Billy bookcase into a closed, caned storage unit. The result is incredible! I would have never guessed that its bones are a Billy!

4. Dramatic Billy Bookcase Hack | Design 69

Built-in’s are one of the major ways you will see Billy hacks done in peoples’ homes. There is a plethora of these types of hacks so I will try and show you a good variety of how different people have done them – like this one right here! The dramatic color and the addition of the drawers make you really wonder…did this really start as a Billy bookcase?!

And make sure you grab this list of 25 awesome IKEA products to help you create a stylish home on a budget! Click here or enter your email on that form right below⤵️

5. Floor to Ceiling Built In’s | Vintage Revivals

I think everything Mandi touches is gold, so it is no surprise that her Ikea hack is what dreams are made of. I love that there is both hidden storage and glassed-in, visible storage.

Plus, that styling by color is gorgeous! Mandi always has really thorough tutorials so this is a great place to start!

6. Corner Billy Hack | Our Home Becoming

Here is a great example showing that a Billy unit can wrap around a corner, although I would say this is another advanced hack. It’s well worth it since I love the drama the dark paint color adds. This will take a little more math and planning but it will be well worth it!

7. Library Billy Hack | Remington Avenue

This Billy bookcase hack is so elegant with its beautiful styling and built-in lighting. I love that it provides a lot of function AND beauty. Plus, it’s so great to read a great girl-power story along with the build!

8. Kitchen Pantry Storage IKEA Billy Shelf Hack | Feeling Nifty

Whoa, I am loving this one for anyone short on storage space! This is a great use of a Billy in a small kitchen. I love that it is narrow enough to fit in most kitchens, plus it has open shelving and hidden storage too.

9. Cane Door Billy Hack | Ikea Hackers

Here is another cane inspired Billy Bookcase that is just stunning! I love the monochromatic tone of the paint color and caning. Katheryn hired some helping hands to help make hers, so that is just a reminder that there is nothing wrong with asking for help from a professional if you need it!

10. Curved Billy Bookcase | Design*Sponge

Who doesn’t love curves? That is what this bookcase hack is all about, and I am loving the elegant feel it gives. Plus, here again, we see styling by color and it just makes my eyeballs so happy.

11. TV Built In’s with IKEA Billy Shelves | The Mama Notes

Aren’t we all trying to find ways to disguise our TV or at least make it blend in? Here is a great tutorial on how to use Ikea’s Billy bookcases to create a built-in look for your TV while also providing beauty and storage.

12. A Colorful, Wallpapered Mudroom IKEA Billy Hack | This is Our Bliss

Let us not forget that not every hack requires a hammer and nails (or other bigger tools) to create an impactful makeover. All that this hack included was wallpaper and paint to make a transitional Ikea mudroom from a Billy bookcase!

13. Renter Friendly IKEA Billy Bookcase Built-Ins | PMQ for Two

This picture just makes me smile because hellllo color! Also, this is a versatile option for those who aren’t ready (or able) to drill into their walls. It gives a more built-in look without actually building it in. Now that’s called compromise!

14. Billy IKEA Built-In Pantry | 11 Magnolia Lane

Here is another pantry hack with Ikea’s Billy bookcases that have probably made life so much more organized! A pantry is already a hard-working space, but if you don’t have the right combination of storage, it can just be a place where food hides until it expires.

Enter the Billy bookcases to help solve that problem!

15. IKEA Billy Bookcase Library (with a Ladder!) | The Lilly Pad Cottage

Does anyone else find ladders to be whimsical and something that only real grown-ups have in their stately homes? (Side note: does anyone still wonder when they will actually feel like a real grown-up?) Well, who knew you could achieve all that with a Billy bookcase? The Lilly Pad Cottage shows us how you can!

16. Custom Sponge Painted Built In’s| Centsational Girl

This is another project done by a superstar blogger who makes the most beautiful projects. Kate hand sponged the back of these built in’s with pieces of sponge she literally cut out herself. Plus, adding those gorgeous gold lights makes this project sparkle.

17. Monochromatic IKEA Billy Shelf Built In’s | A Beautiful Mess

A Beautiful Mess is definitely more beautiful than a mess. They make the most incredible spaces. This Ikea Billy bookcase hack spans the entire wall of their room, using bookcases and also building them up for more storage underneath as well. I really like the color that they use – it gives just enough interest to the room but it is also soothing and neutral.

18. Fancy Trim Billy IKEA Built-Ins | Place of My Taste

At this point, we’ve seen  lot of built in’s of all sizes and colors. However, this is one to include due to the different (and dare I say fancy?) trim work. This really goes the extra mile in making this Ikea Billy bookcase hack look more customized and less particleboard.

19. Short Billy IKEA Bookcase Hack | Blesser House

This cute hack by Blesser House is one we haven’t seen yet. We’ve been all about the tall built in’s but we haven’t spent any time looking at shorter options. Not all of us have the need – or space – for giant built in’s in our homes. This is a great option for a smaller space or for someone who wants to make a dramatic gallery wall over it possibly. This also reads a little more rustic to me, which is also a look we haven’t explored much yet with the Billy bookcase hacks.

Don’t forget to grab your top 25 IKEA products list! Click here or enter your email by clicking the picture below. I’ll send your guide right away!

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20. A Colorful IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack | Kaleidoscope Living

Color, color, color! Yep, we are kicking it up a notch with this bright Billy bookcase hack from Kaleidoscope Living. Now if this isn’t a happy project I don’t what is! Again, this has a great combination of open and closed storage.

Plus, what is that we see on the back of the open shelving? Pallet wood backing! It’s the cherry on top of this gorgeous project.

21. Billy Bookcase Turned Dresser | Infarrantly Creative

Wow, we have definitely taken a turn from built in’s, which is exactly why the Billy bookcase is perfect for endless, customized projects. Check out this Billy bookcase turned dresser. Look at all those colors, patterns, and pulls! I could definitely see this piece in a children’s bedroom or in an artist’s lair.

22. Creating a Custom Closet with IKEA Billy | Landeelu Creating a Home

Oh my goodness, why haven’t we been talking closets more with the Billy bookcases?! Talk about customizable storage options galore!

Plus, they are a little more narrow than an average closet, so it’s a great choice for those smaller closets and for folded clothes.

23. IKEA Billy Shelf Mudroom Transformation | Polka Dot Chair

Here’s a great way to use the smaller Billy bookcases to make the best use of a transitional space – like a mudroom. This room didn’t have a lot of space to create storage so a few Billy bookcases, adjusting the shelves to a more locker style, and adding hooks created an instant mudroom.

24. Air Conditioner Camouflage with an IKEA Billy Bookshelf | Design Evolving

Oh my goodness, this one is blowing me away! Who would ever know that this gilded beauty hides an old, ugly AC unit? Plus, now this room has a little extra (and glamorous) storage.

She cut out the back of the bookcase to fit the AC unit, cut wood down for the doors, and added gold hardware to make this an extra special spot – and a brilliant hack!

25. From Billy to Dollhouse | The Tamara Blog

We’ve been looking at Billy’s for lots of function, storage, and organization, but let’s look at them now just for fun. Tamara made these Billy bookcases into cute as a button dollhouses.

She used the frame of the bookcases, custom cut boards for the roof, and then got all sorts of crafty for the interiors. I can picture so many children loving to play with these!

26. Industrial Cart IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack | Simply Designing

Ok, this one blows me away as it is the hack that looks leaps and bounds different than an out of the box Billy bookcase! This bookcase has been completely transformed into an industrial rolling cart that could fit in so many spaces.

Bar cart? Kitchen storage? Kids bedroom? Yep, they all work! She also used welding iron to make this project look incredible!

I hope these Ikea Billy hacks have inspired you to push up your sleeves and get creative with your own Ikea Billy bookcase!

How are you going to personalize yours?

Pin these Ikea Billy bookcase hacks for later! And if you make one, leave a comment (or better yet, a photo) on the pin! That helps others know whether they want to try this project, too!

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