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anele_gw

Wah, Wah! Bye, bye, Old Billy!

anele_gw
9 years ago

Someone posted on the IKEA thread that the old Billy doors wouldn't fit the new ones.

They are changing the Billy! It will now be deeper, in order to accommodate items other than books. :(

Part of the Billy appeal for me is that it is narrow. Fits in so nicely into spaces and makes it look more like a built-in.

I always meant to buy extensions for mine. Kept putting it off. And now, out of stock locally, out of stock online. Very disappointed!

Comments (4)

  • dedtired
    9 years ago

    The Billy bookcase? It's a classic, how could they discontinue it? Too bad.

  • rosie
    9 years ago

    Shocking story, Anele, so I had to run find out more. :)

    It's very unfortunate that the doors will no longer fit, but otherwise it looks like it's all improvements.

    Shelves will be deeper. The Economist has a silly story saying this proves books are on their way out, that people don't buy them for books anymore, but when did they always, or even usually? Fact is, the shelves are currently reportedly 10.5" deep, and books have been getting larger for a long time. Too many of my books are deeper than that.

    Shelves will be stronger -- and that alone should indicate they still expect people to purchase them to hold books. Photographs tastefully interspersed among some tzotskies from Tuesday Morning don't need more strength.

    Being written about in The Economist does show what an icon this old friend is, though.

    Some things a more sensible article pointed out: "So why is IKEA changing the Billy? And how? The furniture giant says it isnâÂÂt messing with the classic Billy look but is making a few upgrades to improve the quality of its you-bolt-it bookcase line. Here is what Ikea is adding to the Billy starting in August 2014:
    ⢠A more durable and scratch-resistant veneer that looks more like real wood.
    ⢠The white finish will look whiter.
    ⢠Shelves will be stronger.
    ⢠Edges will be rounded to be more child-friendly (and more clumsy-adult friendly, too).
    ⢠More ways to customize your Billy, including glass shelves and extensions that allow you to adjust the height and door placement.
    ⢠Fewer screw holes will show."

    You know, Anele, other changes might not be retro-fittable, but the depth at least could still be sliced down to whatever's needed.

  • ttodd
    9 years ago

    Ugh! I agree Anele! I like the fact that they were shallow. I still use my bookcases for books.

    I was also sad when they redesigned the Expedit line this Spring.

    Hmmmm.......come to think of it - they redesigned the Expedit line to save the forest and now they're using more forest to expand the Billy. I want both back in original form!

    This post was edited by TheFoxesPad on Sat, Jul 19, 14 at 8:28

  • anele_gw
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ded, not discontinuing, but "updating."

    Rosie, yes, I read the same article before I posted! Most are positives, except I just do not like that added depth. Like you, I have some books that won't fit (esp my kids' books; many are oversized), but I just put them elsewhere or tuck them into the bottom shelf so they are not quite so noticeable.

    So, I will suppose I will have to see just how deep these are. The bookcases I have that are deeper look so clunky, though. Dislike!

    TheFoxes, I didn't know they messed with Expedit, too! And yeah, sounds like they are taking leftover forest and giving it to Billy! I guess he is the preferred child. :)