He Used 4 IKEA BILLY Bookcases to Turn a Plain Kitchen Doorway Into a Floor-to-Ceiling Library
A kitchen doorway divided a living room wall, leaving space on both sides and above the entrance unused. Books were stacked on a small table, while a record player sat on top of the dog’s crate. Filling the wall with shelving meant finding a way to work around the opening and the furniture beneath it.
Reddit user u/samdoesthingswithstu used four IKEA BILLY bookcases to build a library around the kitchen entrance. The project involved cutting sections to size, raising two units, and joining the bookcases with screws and brackets. The result resembles a built-in library, with a passage through the shelves leading into the kitchen.
The Living Room Had No Built-In Storage
Before the project, the wall had gray paint, white door trim, and a rectangular air vent near the ceiling. The kitchen beyond the opening had dark wood cabinets, stone-look countertops, and tile flooring.
A black side table held a stack of books to the right of the entrance. On the left, a vintage-style record player occupied a wooden surface above a metal dog crate. A blanket ladder stood against the wall beside a green upholstered chair.
The homeowner wanted a library that could accommodate the existing doorway without replacing the wall or moving the dog’s crate.
Four IKEA BILLY Bookcases Were Cut to Fit the Wall
The homeowner chose four IKEA BILLY bookcases in a dark wood finish, then modified their dimensions to fit the space.
Two bookcases on the right were raised 2.5 inches using blocks cut from a 4×4 piece of lumber. The horizontal section above the doorway was shortened by about 13 inches before being mounted between the upright units.
Wood screws and metal brackets connected the sections. The homeowner also fastened the bookcases to the wall, adding support where the units had been cut and joined.
The arrangement left the original kitchen entrance open, with shelves extending across the top and down both sides.
The Kitchen Doorway Became Part of the Library
Once filled, the bookcases held an extensive collection of books, DVDs, vinyl records, board games, and framed pictures.
The upper compartments span the entrance, while the sections on either side provide shelves of different heights. Records and games occupy the wider openings on the left, with books arranged across the taller units on the right.
The white door frame remains visible between the dark panels. From the living room, the kitchen looks like a passage built into a bookcase wall rather than a standard doorway.
The Finished Shelves Changed the Living Room
The dark bookcases now cover most of the wall, sitting alongside the existing wood flooring, green upholstered chairs, and patterned rug. Books and records fill the compartments, with small lights illuminating selected shelves.
The homeowner said the room feels taller rather than smaller after the installation. “Walking through it makes me feel like I’m walking through a secret door/tunnel to my kitchen,” they wrote.
The kitchen entrance now has the appearance of a passage through a home library, an effect the homeowner had wanted from the start.
One Bookcase Was Modified to Fit the Dog’s Crate
The dog crate created one more obstacle. Instead of moving it, the homeowner removed the bottom portion of a bookcase to accommodate the kennel, then fastened the modified section to the wall to help prevent its base from spreading apart.
The crate remains beneath the record player, with shelves above holding albums, games, and other belongings. The dog retains its sleeping space without interrupting the bookcase installation.
One issue emerged after the homeowner shared the project. The shelving concealed a forced-air vent above the kitchen entrance. After readers raised concerns about airflow, the homeowner reported using a magnetic diverter to redirect the air.
The project also highlights the importance of securing modified bookcases to wall framing, supporting sections above doorways, and preserving access to ventilation and electrical controls.
Here, a homeowner used 6 IKEA BILLY to create a bedroom divider.
Would you use IKEA bookcases to build a library around an existing doorway?
Image credits go to u/samdoesthingswithstu