The most famous bookshelf in the world, “Billy” from Ikea, is to appear in a new edition after 40 years. To do this, the furniture giant is changing the material and the look of the cult shelf. It should be available from 2024.
Since its birth in 1979, the “Billy” shelf has been one of IKEA’s most popular and best-selling products for more than 40 years. From January 2024, the cult shelf will be launched on the global market in a more sustainable and durable way, in Asia already this year.
That is changing exactly: Ikea is replacing the veneer previously used with a paper film. In addition, the new material changes the look to black and dark brown oak, brown walnut and an oak and birch imitation – only the white variant is to remain.
Furthermore, edgebandings made of paper will gradually replace the current edgebandings made of plastic. Thus, the majority of materials will come from renewable sources in the future. By 2030, we want to use only renewable or recycled materials. In addition, the nails for attaching the back panel are replaced with snap fasteners. This makes it easier to assemble the product and allows for multiple disassembly and reassembly.
“Billy is one of the most popular Ikea products of all time and is also an important part of IKEA’s history. The new wood looks ensure a fresh look and by switching to paper foil we can use the material more efficiently and minimize waste in production. says Jesper Samuelsson, Business Leader at Inter IKEA Group.
