ᐅ Which Billy bookcases are best suited for living rooms and home offices?

Hello everyone, I am currently in the process of redesigning my living room and home office and am considering using different Billy shelves from IKEA for this purpose. However, I have a question: which Billy shelves are best suited for the living room and office when looking for the best combination of storage capacity, appearance, and flexibility? It is important to me that the shelves are not only practical but also visually fit the overall room design, especially when used for multiple purposes (books, files, decorations). Which options (height, width, depth) would you recommend, also regarding possible additional shelves, doors, or other storage solutions? I look forward to your experiences and advice!

FEDOR36 schrieb:
Which Billy shelves are optimal for living rooms and offices if you’re looking for the best combination of storage, appearance, and flexibility?

Sounds like a reasonable question! For the living room, I usually recommend the slightly deeper Billy models with a depth of 40cm (16 inches), as they showcase decorative items better. For the office, the 28cm (11 inches) depth is more ideal since they are compact but still fit standard lever arch files.

If you want to add some color: the white models are very timeless, but the newer versions in oak or anthracite are stylish and offer some variety. I personally like door options especially for the office – it keeps everything looking neat and prevents dust from settling quickly. Good luck with your furnishing! 🙂

To add to dijan’s comment: Choosing the right Billy bookshelf width also depends heavily on the weight of the items you want to store. For heavy binders or books, the 80cm (31.5 inches) wide version is a good choice because it tends to be more stable and is often built sturdier.

If you want to store more delicate decorations or smaller items, you can combine smaller shelves that are 40cm (16 inches) wide, which makes them easier to move and more versatile in arrangement.

Additionally, I can recommend adding doors in the bedroom or living room to protect particularly valuable or delicate items – this also creates a visually calmer appearance.

dijan schrieb:
For an office, the 28cm (11 inch) depth is rather ideal since it is compact but still fits standard binders.

I don’t think that can be considered a general recommendation, because in my experience 28cm (11 inch) depth is sometimes simply not enough for standard binders, especially if you want to arrange several rows. I would suggest not only looking at the dimensions but also checking how much space remains for the binder width and the gap between them.

Tevin schrieb:
The 80cm (31 inch) wide version is more stable and better suited for heavy loads.

That’s an important point, but stability often also depends on installation. Very large shelving units like Billy shelves tend to warp more easily if they are not properly secured, in my experience. You should consider that for the office, where the shelves might actually carry more weight than in a living room.

For the living room, I would recommend the 80x28 cm (31.5x11 inches) or 80x40 cm (31.5x16 inches) size, depending on how much space you have. The 40 cm (16 inches) depth is suitable for decorative items, while the 28 cm (11 inches) depth works better as a bookshelf.

In the office, 80x28 cm (31.5x11 inches) is the standard size, often combined with doors for privacy and organization.

tanru schrieb:
I don’t think that’s a universally valid recommendation, because in my experience 28 cm (11 inches) depth is sometimes just not deep enough for standard binders.

That’s true, they are only conditionally deep enough for binders if you want to stand them completely upright. But for me, cleverly stacked binders still fit well, and rarely two rows deep. In the living room, you usually don’t want to fill the storage space completely, rather leave it a bit more open.

umberto schrieb:
In offices, 80 x 28 cm (31.5 x 11 inches) is standard, often combined with doors for privacy and tidiness.

I can recommend that too. Doors really make a big difference – especially for office supplies, you don’t always see the order, there’s often a mess behind the doors but it doesn’t bother the appearance.