NETHERLANDS - Ikea’s "Billy" Bookcase is one of the most popular pieces of furniture in the world. Having sold over 160 million units over the past 43 years.

Launched in the Ikea catalogue in 1979, "Billy" has been growing and evolving continuously to keep with the times ever since. A slight resizing for optimal durability in 1981, fitting glass doors in 1993, a variety of new colours and expressions over the years, and more. Whether big or small, one purpose lies at the heart of every change and news: to make keep "Billy" young.

In July 2022, Ikea will launch the new and more circular "Billy" dressed in beautiful wood expressions. By shifting from veneer to decorative paper, reducing plastic use, and making it possible to disassemble and reassemble, Ikea aims for "Billy" to continue to be an important part of people’s homes for many more years to come.

“Billy is one of our most beloved products, and it represents an important part of Ikea’s history. The new wood expressions will be a great facelift, and the shift to paper foil enables more efficient material use and reduces production waste. It is a giant leap into the future for Billy . We hope it continues to be as popular and spread joy in people’s lives for many more years to come”, says Jesper Samuelsson, Business Leader at Inter Ikea Group.

“Living situations constantly change, and people move to new homes for different reasons. But if you want to move Billy with you, the bottle neck is you can’t disassemble the panel – which means you need to move it as it is. This creates potential waste of a good quality Billy”, says Product Design Developer Bonnie Yu.

Setting up production of a new "Billy" meant being able to get the whole construction up to date; the expression, the automation, and the technology of the back panel, used in other storage furniture as well.

“When there’s no choice of buying new, you always try to look at what you have, taking care of it, and reusing it. By building disassembly into the new "Billy", we make it easier for people to take it with them in every move and to enjoy it for a longer time”, says Bonnie Yu.

The new "Billy" will have a nail free back panel set to snap in and out of place more easily, thus enabling disassembly and reassembly of the bookcase.