Where do you buy your bookcases?

[ifihadasquid]

I have an Ikea bookcase which is definitely on its last legs.

I need something fairly sturdy that can cope with lots of books. The one I have now is 170cm tall and about 60cm wide. The space can fit up to 80cm wide.

I've looked at Costwold Co (too pricey), Argos (bit boring/naff), quite like this on Wayfair, as the grey is pretty, I like that it has a backboard and looks solid:

www.wayfair.co.uk/furniture/pdp/three-posts-fabius-bookcase-lbst1035.html?piid=

Any other suggestions?

I tend to go for cottagey style stuff, but fancied something a bit more modern.

Ah was going to say Ikea 😁. Better made than argos ans you can work your way up from billy to hennes etc...

We had ours made, get some quotes, there's no obligation

I built my own some years ago, Someone was throwing some decent wood away.enough to make a large bookcase.. There was also enough to make some shelves for elsewhere too. It's sacrilage to throw away some lovely wood.

Is your IKEA one a cheap one? They do a large range with some more expensive better quality ones.

Thanks everyone. Don't have the time or inclination to build or commission my own!

Yes, the current one is a cheapie, and it's on a proper lean now! It seems that under 75cm wide (but not too much under) doesn't give many options. There are some nicer-looking ones at Ikea, but would need to pay for delivery.

Do you have a local joiner? Ask for a quote. Or apprentice or college student?

Ikea all the way and am looking to get more.

We've got a few from shelfstore.co.uk - excellent quality and really customisable to your specs. Highly recommended!

We have a giant second hand/ house clearance/ collectible item barn-shop near us.

The bookcases there are often much better quality and stronger than new ones. The had an enormous mahogany one that must have been cleared out of an old library a while back that I really coveted.

Problem is, you have to wait for what you want to come up and you can wait a while for something with quite specific measurements. I've been waiting for the perfect Welsh dresser for 8 years!

We have Vitsoe shelving which is excellent

We’ve got some standard Billy ones from IKEA which have lasted well. Also have some from shelfstore.co.uk which were more expensive, but worth it because we could choose the depth, height, width and number of shelves we wanted to make a wall of paperbacks with no wasted space.

I got mine from the following company, they were fantastic from start to finish! But it does involve a bit of DIY as in assembly and painting / staining the wood if you want it a different colour.

shelfstore.co.uk

Charity furniture shops.

Second hand, then painted it for our small one. Large one is IKEA!

Ikea ones are generally cheaper enough that it’s usually worth the delivery payment too. Hemnes look nice, I still like Billy. They’re good and sturdy.

We like Billy from IKEA but prefer the narrower ones - 40cm I think- as the shelves are less likely to bend as they do on wider units. We have multiples and can arrange and rearrange them as we prefer
Currently we have 3 in a run but could separate them

All of my non-ikea furniture is from swoon.

www.swooneditions.com/storage/shelving

Always second hand, eBay, gumtree or loca antiques type place

Is there anything here which might be suitable. They range in price but appear to be made from solid wood, free delivery and fully assembled. The Wayfair one says the frame is made from manufactured wood and it requires assembly, the price seems quite high for that.

www.roselandfurniture.com/collections/bookcases

Otherwise I would also suggest second hand, you'll probably find something built to last for a fraction of the price.

Ooh, @FOJN, great link. Thank you!!

I got mine fitted wall to ceiling by a local joinery company.

I've just bought one from Tylko for a weird space on my stairs. Sturdy (mine is 2.5m wide and holds loads of books) easy to put together and you can order them to fit any size space.

I have an eclectic mix of solid oak bookcases all sourced from Gumtree - it's really worth looking there once a week or so and being patient. I bought four over the course of about nine months last year and paid a fraction of the price had they been new.

Had one made to fit an alcove, free standing. Made it extra deep so we can have two paperbacks deep per shelf. Also means some of those shelves can have paperbacks at the back and decorative items at the front. Then the last two shelves have extra height for bigger books. Local cabinet maker. Just pine. Looks great and solved all my storage needs!