The IKEA Billy bookcase is a legend by now. Spurring projects like Pimp your Billy,tons of fan sites, hacker sites and youtube videos, it's no wonder the world's best selling customizable bookcase now has it's own book celebrating 30 years of existence and over 41 million bookshelves sold.
The Billy:
above: the classic simple Billy in natural, white or black can then be customized with everything from glass doors, various shelves, tons of configurations and special stickers.
The Book (thanks to a reader, I now know there are 2 versions of this book, the one below in not in English and the one shown at the top of this post IS available in English):
above: The book celebrates 30 years of the Billy Bookcase
The Designer:
Created by Gillis Lundgren (above) in 1979, the bookcase is the bestselling single piece of MDF furniture in the world. Designed by only the fourth employee for Ikea, 41 million have been sold since 1979. The factory where the bookcases are made knocks out 15 Billys a minute; 3.1 million a year.
As it turns 30, some of the IKEA stores are celebrating with a 3 for 2 sale, special limited editions, events and of course, the book.
Special Limited Editions:
Designed by Annika Bryngelsson, the special edition, BILLY JADER is decorated with Shakespheare's love poems, while BILLY BJASTE was inspired by Japanese manga.
Download an animated Billy Bookcase screensaver for your mac or PC here.
See a video of What Your Bookcase Says About You and an article from BBC news here.
The Billy Ballet, an event to celebrate the 3 for 2 sale and birthday:
IKEA