I am a neat freak stuck in the body of a mother of two. I bought a billy bookcase for storage in my kid’s play area and I’ve been bashing my head against the wall trying to figure out a display which is both attractive for me to look at and provides my kids with easy access to their toys.

I thought it would be super fun if they were able to use the last couple of shelves as a stage for playing with their copious amounts of Play Mobile so I set it up like this:

I only have two shelves that I am currently satisfied with. The rest need work.
I only have two shelves that I am currently satisfied with. The rest need work.

Can’t do it. Too messy. Too much colour. I don’t want to look at their toys. So I started looking for attractive storage bins. Shouldn’t be hard right? Wrong! While there seem to be hundreds of different bins that fit expedite sized cubes, finding a bin which has a depth of less than 10 1/4 inches, suited to a billy bookcase, is difficult.

So I spent hours. Literally, hours, online looking for attractive storage bins that will fit. This seems to be a fairly common problem people have so I thought I would save you some time by sharing some of my favorite finds:

Available at the container store in off-white, size small.
Available at the container store in off-white, size small.
Ciro Striped basket from Target comes in multiple colours.
Ciro Striped basket from Target comes in multiple colours.
Available in a variety of colours at Toys R Us.com
Multiple colours in size small Toys R Us.com
So pretty! Available at the container store.
So pretty! Available at the container store.
Available at CB2. Small size fits billy bookcase.
Available at CB2. Small size fits billy bookcase.
Super cute from Bed Bath and Beyond.
Super cute from Pier 1 Imports
These don't hide but would be great for books. From CB2
These would be great for books. From CB2.
Different flags available at Ali Express.
Different flags available at Ali Express.
Available at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Available at Bed Bath and Beyond. Size medium.

Great options. The bad news is that if you live in Canada like me, you may have to buy on line as not all the Canadian counterparts of these stores sell the same product. I say it’s worth the shipping costs to find attractive storage containers that fit.

I still don’t know what I’m going to buy. I found this great tutorial on how to make your own fabric bins so I’m tossing around the idea of going custom, just to make more work you know…

Hope this is helpful and will save you the headache of searching on your own for the perfect billy bookcase storage.

4 thoughts on “Outfitting Billy

  1. Thank you so much for this! I’m struggling with the same dilemma for our entrance hallway Billy. Some of these are really great!

  2. Where did you get the cute white boxes with lids? I’m trying to find lidded storage for my Billy, which is also super difficult!

    1. Ikea! If they are getting used lots by kids they are not the most sturdy but they have a nice clean look and since they are so inexpensive I don’t mind buying new ones when they get too bashed in by the kids.

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