Ikea Billy Bookcase – DIY Built-in Library Wall
IKEA Billy Bookcase – DIY Built-In Library Wall
If you’ve ever dreamed of having a cozy library wall in your home—complete with beautiful shelving, storage behind closed doors, and a polished built-in look—you’re going to love this project that has become a statement piece in our home. We used IKEA’s popular Billy bookcases, Billy height extension units, and Oxberg doors to create a stunning custom built-in library wall in our living room, and the transformation was easier (and more affordable!) than you might think. Such an easy way to get a custom look!
What started as a blank wall quickly became the focal point of the room—perfect for housing our favorite books, displaying meaningful decor, and adding both character and function to our space. With a little planning, a few tools, and some creative vision, these off-the-shelf pieces from IKEA turned our blank wall into a library wall with lots of storage! I love that the entire piece only brings that wall in by 11″! Not much “lost space” for how much storage and shelving we gained!
In this post, I’ll walk you through how we did it and how much the total cost ended up.
Why we love these IKEA furniture pieces:
1. We love the adjustable shelves, which allowed us to custom set each shelf according to the height of the books we were placing on it.
2. We didn’t need to put a separate skirting board on the bookshelves since that is already a part of the Billy.
3. You can decide if you do or don’t prefer cabinet doors on the Billys! I thought at first that I’d only want three of the bookcases to have them, but they looked so elegant and clean, that I ordered two more so that all five would match. A major plus for me with the cabinet doors is that the wall looks so much less cluttered with doors shut. This matters a LOT to me. 😅 You might prefer more open shelving, and the best part about this project is that you get to choose what suits you!
Planning Your DIY Library Wall with IKEA Billy Bookcases
Before making any purchases, we spent some time measuring our wall and sketching out different layout options. The beauty of using IKEA Billy bookcases is how modular and customizable they are—you can mix and match widths, add height extension units, and choose between open shelving or Oxberg doors for hidden storage.
For our space, we decided on a symmetrical layout:
- Five standard-width Billy bookcases (31 ½″ wide) in the center
- Billy height extension units on each bookcase to maximize vertical storage (this immensely adds to the built-in look)
- Oxberg doors on the lower halves to hide clutter and create a clean, built-in look
Once we had measured our wall and mapped out the entire bookcase as a whole, broken down into the width of separate Billy bookcases, we checked the total width to make sure we had room for everything and that we had maximized what we could fit in our space. Don’t skip this part! Proper planning is what makes the finished project look polished and professional.
IKEA does carry half-width Billy bookcases, so measure your space and see what fits! You might be able to squeeze one of their 15.75″ wide ones in to complete your space!
IKEA PRODUCTS I USED:
- 5 Billy bookcases in “dark brown oak effect”
- 10 Oxberg doors in “dark brown oak effect”
- 5 Billy height extension units in “dark brown oak effect”
Those 20 products from IKEA totaled around $850 before tax. Delivery was free in January! Since I don’t have an IKEA near me, free delivery is what pushed me to build this wall (plus we had zero bookshelves in our new home, and boxes and boxes of books sitting in the garage waiting to be put in place!) If you don’t have an IKEA near you and don’t want to pay shipping, they do have some pickup centers. I can have my products shipped to Buffalo, NY for free if I don’t mind driving an hour to pick it up. They do have a minimum spend, and it needs to be furniture that you are buying, not just something small like baskets or cups.
CLICK HERE to view IKEA’s pick-up points.
Up next, I’ll walk you through assembling and anchoring the Billy bookshelves—and share a few tricks we learned along the way to make installation easier and sturdier.
Assembling and Installing the Billy Bookcases
With our layout finalized and all the pieces from IKEA ready to go, it was time to start building! We assembled each Billy bookcase and height extension unit according to the instructions, leaving the height extensions off until the bookcases were in place, but we held off on installing the Oxberg doors until the very end to keep everything lightweight and easy to maneuver.
HACK: we did leave off the backing so that you can see through the bookcases since we love our wall color for a backing versus the dark wood. It just felt like it would be too much dark for our space since our floors are dark. You could add a fresh coat of paint in an accent wall color to stand out behind your bookcases.
- Work in a spacious area – We built everything in the same room where the units would be installed to avoid moving tall bookcases through doorways.
- Use a level early and often – Even small floor variations can throw things off, so it’s worth checking alignment as you go. Thankfully, our floor was level!
- Remove the baseboards – We removed them from this wall to make sure the bookcases sat flush against the wall, but the bottom frame piece does have a cut out for small baseboards to leave space for smaller baseboards.
- Secure to the wall – This is crucial for safety, especially with tall bookcases and added height extensions. We located studs and used appropriate anchors to firmly secure each unit to the wall. One of my worst fears is toddlers falling on furniture and having it fall on them!
Once the bookcases were in place and leveled side by side, we connected them side-to-side with screws through the inner side panels to create a solid, seamless look and tighten up any small gap that was there. Then we added the height extension units to the top of each bookcase, which really helped fill the wall and give that custom built-in feel. I also used a colored wood filler stick at the top of the units where I could see shiny hardware – one quick color over it and it blended in with the wood.
At this stage, it looked amazing!
HACK: Take a look at the lowest shelf on your Billy once it is installed – there is a small gap between the bookcase and the wall if you do not put the backing on! To eliminate anything being able to fall down there and be too hard to get to if it’s underneath that lowest shelf, I highly recommend adding a piece of wood (1×2) back there to fill the gap! It will be totally worth it, should something fall off a shelf and get down there. (See my photo ⬇️)
Adding the Oxberg Doors for a Polished Look
The next step of adding the doors to the bottom section of each cabinet is what gave the entire wall a smooth finish. The Billy bookcase is such a versatile piece of furniture – the doors may be your style or they may not be, but they are an affordable way to add decent storage space that is closed and out of sight – a win for me!
With all the bookcases and extension units securely in place, it was time for one of the most satisfying parts of the project—installing the Oxberg doors.
We chose to install Oxberg doors only on the lower half of each bookcase, which created a nice balance between open shelving for books and decor, and closed storage for anything we didn’t want on display (like board games, electronics, or those not-so-pretty paperbacks and other “very-loved” books that aren’t in great condition).
A few tips when installing the Oxberg doors:
- Double-check alignment before tightening all the screws. Small shifts can throw off how the doors sit side-by-side.
- Adjust the hinges using IKEA’s built-in screw system—this helps fine-tune spacing and ensures everything opens and closes smoothly.
- Add the little stick-on soft-close pads for a quieter, more finished feel. (These are included with your Oxberg IKEA piece.)
We chose not to do any custom trim or paint because we like the dark wood color, and the final result looked incredibly intentional and high-end. The Billy units and the clean lines of the Oxberg doors made everything feel cohesive and stylish right out of the box. You can always do a prime and paint job on it, though, if you want a certain color! I suggest purchasing the WHITE Billy’s if you’re going to paint.
If you love IKEA hacks as much as we do, check out our other IKEA ideas!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are your decorations from?
Most of the decor is souvenir-type things from our international travels. The rest is from Hobby Lobby, one of my favorite stores for finding decor!
Where are your magazine holders from?
The pretty magazine holders are from Amazon. They come in sage green or beige (I got both). I just love how pretty they look on my built-in bookshelves!
Where are your pretty binders from?
Also from Amazon! I shopped a couple different sellers – the blue & beige with gold accents and the blue-gray with silver accents both look great on my music shelves. I needed to sort a bunch of sheet music and categorize it, so I wanted binders, and *pretty* ones!
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A Stylish, Budget-Friendly Library Wall
This DIY built-in library wall using IKEA Billy bookcases, height extension units, and Oxberg doors turned out even better than we imagined—and we didn’t have to do any painting, trimming, or custom carpentry to get the look we wanted. I think we can truly call it an “IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack” in that it gives a built-in look without the work of true built-ins.
The clean design, ample storage, and flexibility of the Billy system made it easy to create something that fits our space and our style perfectly. It was my first time installing a library wall and it was so easy!
Whether you’re an avid reader looking to display your favorite novels, a parent in need of organized toy and book storage, or just someone who loves the look of a built-in bookshelf—this project is a great way to achieve that without a massive budget or renovation.
We love how this wall brought new life and function to our room. It’s now one of our favorite places to spend time—reading, decorating, and just enjoying the cozy vibe.
If you’re considering this project yourself, go for it! You’ll find that it’s an easy DIY project that adds a ton of character to your space!
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