Use IKEA Billy Bookcases To Give Your Office A Stunning Built-In Transformation

With the right features and furnishings, home offices can be so much more than just workspaces, often doubling as storage rooms, guest bedrooms, libraries, or kids' playrooms. Built-in cabinets give you what you need to organize and store your stuff in a way that won't cramp your style or take up too much space. But with their typical price tag running north of $1,000, adding chic home office built-ins may be beyond your budget. Luckily, there is a way to get elegant installations without breaking the bank — using the IKEA BILLY bookcase.

With its affordable price tag and simple style, it's easy to see why there are so many ways to hack an IKEA BILLY. In one such hack, TikTokers thegibbyhome transformed two BILLYs and builder-grade cabinets into a customized built-in storage space during their home office renovation. They painted the bookcases and cabinets, built their own countertop, and added crown molding to the top of the BILLYs. 

The final result? A cabinet and shelving unit that looks like it was tailor-made for the office space but cost much less than the typical customized unit. If it's time to breathe new life into your home office, grab a BILLY or two, a few cans of cabinet paint, and some molding from the hardware store, and give yourself a weekend to add a sleek built-in.

Build your own BILLY built-in in three steps: design, paint, and assemble. For the design, think about what you need in your office space. Place several BILLYs side by side for a large library, or stack a BILLY or two on top of a cabinet, such as the HAVSTA, to stash office supplies or equipment out of sight. Keep in mind that, unless your office has very high ceilings, you may need to use the shorter BILLYs on top of the HAVSTA. To help you get closer to the ideal height, you can also factor in the BILLY height extension that will make the bookcase an extra 13 ¾ inches tall.

@thegibbyhome

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♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

For that built-in look, don't stick with the bookshelf's basic white – paint the BILLYs so they match your style and blend in with the room. Paint the furniture to match the wall or coordinate with any pre-existing trim. Sand the shelves and sides to rough up the surface so the paint adheres to them. Use two coats of paint, and let it dry as directed between each coat. To further customize the cabinets, pick out new drawer pulls and swap out the ones that come with the HAVSTA. Look for hardware that coordinates with other fixtures in your home office.

Now it's time to make your BILLY look less like it came flat-packed and more like an architectural feature. Adding molding and trim will make it look right at home in your office. Connecting the various shelving units together and then connecting everything to the wall behind it will make the piece more solid and secure. IKEA offers screws, parts numbers 100402 and 100644, that connect two BILLYs together along the sides. Drill out one of the shelf support holes on each BILLY, and connect the two screws through the hole to link the bookcases pieces. Every BILLY comes with two L brackets to attach the unit to the wall, and you can order more (for free) to connect the sides of the bookcases to your walls and to any cabinets below.

Create a flush surface on the wall by cutting out any baseboards, trim, or wainscoting directly behind the spot where you're putting your build. Use a jigsaw to cut out holes in the bookcase backing to access any outlets behind it. To dress up your built-in, add wood trim as a face frame to cover the gaps between the bookcases and make the piece look even more like one solid unit. Use brad nails and wood glue to connect the trim to the edge of the bookcase walls. Attach crown molding along the top edge of the bookcases that matches the molding already in the room. If the BILLY reaches to the ceiling, the molding will make it look even more like it's an integrated part of the office space.