[Fatcat]

Right now it's 31 1/2 inches wide, 11 inches deep and 79 1/2 inches tall. I know we have to think about packing boxes but I'm sure the brilliant minds at Ikea could think of a way to stretch the Billy, make it taller and wider and thinner, say 48 inches wide or maybe even 60, 8 inches deep (maybe even less) and 94 inches tall. Crazy? I don't know about anyone else, but I've got 10 feet tall ceilings in my living room. I'd like taller wider furniture, but I'd also like my bookcases to FIT my books and I read a lot of fiction both paperback and hard cover. Right now I've got a big old fiction book on my desk, 600 pages. It measures 4.5 x 8.5 x 2. Everyone makes bookcases to fit big reference books and encyclopedias and the like, but almost no-one makes bookcases that fit the books we love to read.

[Susan]

So, this is your idea for redesigning the BILLY? I agree we could use one with more space. Right now, all our 'big' books are sitting on top or in other spaces.

Good idea! Thanks for entering the contest!

Susan

[Harpy]

Everyone makes bookcases to fit big reference books and encyclopedias and the like,

Nah, they don't fit those very well. They're great for vases and nicknacks, and tchotchke, though. Just not so hot for books. I would love to see a shallower bookcase, too. One for real actual books.

[fisheggs]

I bet that the width issue has to do with sagging/deflection requirements of the shelves under a full load of books. There are actually some nifty websites that you can use to calculate the expected deflection of shelves with particular lengths and materials. I like this one: The Sagulator - Shelf Sag Calculator

48" is a stretch for most thin (3/4" or so) materials. If they wanted to have a wider shelf, they'd probably have to add a reinforcing bar at the front, which can help quite a bit. In fact, we're going to have to do this with some MDF shelves we installed in our office, which had a 30" span and are sagging a bit under all of our collected yearbooks.