Whenever you approach the blue and yellow beauty of an IKEA, it’s hard not to get a little bit excited (or a little bit nervous about how busy it will be). But, there’s some items in IKEA that are totally worth the queues — and one of them is the iconic Billy bookcase.
The much-loved range comes in a variety of options from slim to wide sizing, to added doors and door/shelf combinations. And now, there’s a new addition to the Billy bookcase line and it has the most impressive space-saving feature yet — a Billy bookcase with desk and drawer.
While the IKEA Pahl holds fast in our best desks guide as the top budget choice, we could well have a contender.
What's new?
The Billy bookcase with desk and drawer is the ultimate space saver. At first look, it's a bookcase with a desk at the bottom, sure. But, the two-in-one design means you can actually pack away the desk, pushing it back into one of the pre-existing shelves.
This retractable desk feature means you can adjust how far out you want it to go and put it away when you’re done. Plus, the drawer option means you can hide away any excess storage items. While it may be called a bookcase, the possibilities for storage are endless — and it doesn't have to include a single book.
As such a customisable range already, it’s no surprise that the Billy bookcase with desk and drawer comes in a few different options. Whilst the one shown above has all the bells and whistles and stands at 79 1/2 inches tall, you can also get the Billy bookcase with desk and drawer at just 41 3/4 inches tall for $129 ($30 less). And you can get both height options with just the desk and no drawer. For this, the taller bookcase is $119 and the smaller version is just $89.
Of course, IKEA furniture is perfect for customising at home and if you want to paint or stain it, that’s always an option to suit your interior design.
For now, only the tall bookcase with desk and no drawer is available in both white and oak effect, whilst the rest are only available in white. Of course, IKEA furniture is perfect for customising at home and if you want to paint or stain it, that’s always an option to suit your interior design.
There’s also a couple of collaborations with other IKEA ranges here, with the Billy x Oxberg combining oak and white for a desk and upper storage solution and the Billy x Högbo in all white with upper storage and lower drawer. For these though, you’re looking at a price tag of $169 and $249 respectively.
The bottom line
I’ve already got the standard Billy bookcase in black oak effect and it’s so incredibly packed with books I couldn’t possibly sacrifice taking them off to use it as a desk. But, I know two other people in my life that would absolutely love the idea of having their own desks to colour and play on — my two kids.
Being able to combine the bookshelves with a desk area is a genius space-saving solution that I wish I’d been able to buy sooner from IKEA. It’s definitely something I’ll consider, but I do wonder what you do with the chair(s) round the desk when it’s packed away. If only it could retract my seating into it, too.
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