Use This IKEA BILLY Bookcase Hack To Convert One Room Into Two

When you have larger rooms in your home, deciding how to furnish and decorate them can feel overwhelming. A vast open area allows you to add more furniture and decor, but it can also lead to cluttering. Dividing the room to function as two separate spaces can help you decorate a smaller area and provide you with an extra room for anything you need it to be. You can turn the additional space into a home office, storage room, playroom, etc.; the possibilities are endless. Most folks use room dividers such as partitions, furniture, a folding screen, and many other styles to break up a space. However, one TikTok video by @merley42uk shows an excellent way of converting one room into two with IKEA BILLY bookcases.

The concept for this hack is to use multiple BILLY bookcases and line them along the center of the room to create two equal spaces. IKEA has various sizes and styles you can choose from so that they fit perfectly in your room. TikTok user @merley42uk used three BILLY bookcases in her client's room to separate the bedroom from the play area. The IKEA BILLY is easy to assemble and available in eight colors, allowing you to pick one that fits the room's interior. The bookcases @merley42uk used cost $69 each, which may not be the most budget-friendly DIY, and the price changes depending on which style and size you choose. However, it creates a stunning transformation. 

Since every room is built differently, meaning there are various heights and widths a room can measure, you want to choose a BILLY that fits best in your space. You'll need to measure the height of the room and the width from wall to wall to avoid awkward gapping between the ceiling and the bookcase. IKEA has various bookcase styles that range in different heights and widths. Once you pick the perfect bookcase for your room, purchase as many as you need and assemble them. Set up one bookcase at a time from wall to wall. You can decorate your bookshelves with trinkets and books or use them for extra storage and place containers in a few spaces to hold extra clothes, blankets, pillows, etc.

The one concern you might have when the bookshelves are set up is how you're going to step into the room behind the divider. Well, you can enter the second space in a few ways. You can hire a professional to install a second door in the new room that leads to the hallway. Another option would be using fewer bookcases so you can enter through an opening between the wall and shelves. A curtain could also act as a door so your entrance to the second room doesn't have an empty or awkward gap. Or, get creative and come up with your own, unique way of making a path from one room to the next after you've divided the area using the versatile BILLY bookcases.